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The Power of Learning
08/10/2022

No one can deny the value of ongoing learning in our life and ministry, yet, curiously, we often overlook it. For 12 years I was a missionary with Resonate Global Mission in Haiti. I remember early in my mission ministry, I got very tired. I had learned a new language, gotten to know a new group of

Stranger Things, Season 4
08/10/2022

Couple the sheer amount of shows available on streaming services these days with the reality of COVID, and it’s no surprise that fewer people are going out to the movies. Mostly, I don’t miss the movie theater; I like my cheap snacks and comfy couch. Still, what I do sometimes long for is the sense

Ages
08/10/2022

River Valley AGES, the youth band of River Valley Church in Minneapolis, Minn., released its debut album, “Ages” with the hope of encouraging young believers everywhere. “We want the story behind AGES, the music of AGES, and every moment we share to inspire people to follow whatever it is that they

Preaching to Promote Conversation
08/10/2022

In his latest book, Think Again, Adam Grant defines preaching: “We go into preacher mode when our sacred beliefs are in jeopardy: we deliver sermons to protect and promote our ideals.” While Grant, an organizational psychologist, doesn’t necessarily capture the biblical use of the word “preach,” he

The Church as a Recovery Program
08/10/2022

Have you ever considered the idea of church being like a recovery program? For every believer, sin is our daily addiction. When we come together in worship, it is a time of encouraging each other in sobriety from our sins, just like in Alcoholics Anonymous. Even more importantly, in worship we toget

What Is a Reformed Christian Perspective on the Enneagram?
08/10/2022

Leaders in many Christian churches are embracing Enneagram personality typing. I would be very glad to have solidly Reformed feedback on this practice.Over the years, many personality inventories have become trendy and have helped people think about what they are like and how they interact with othe

Calvin University Alumna is First Female President of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association
08/10/2022

“I wanted to be a doctor since grade 1 at Immanuel Christian School in Scarborough (Ont.),” said Laurie Hiemstra, now 53. “I remember telling my teacher I was going to be a doctor.” Hiemstra eventually became an orthopedic surgeon and in June 2022, began serving as president of the Canadian Orthopae

Marking Its Centennial, Hymn Society Continues Push for More Diverse Music
08/10/2022

The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Adelle M. Banks was published on religionnews.com July 22, 2022. It has been edited for length.With the theme “Sing the World God Imagines,” a gathering July 17-21 in Washington, D.C., celebrated 100 years

Ukrainian Church Seeks Kirill’s Removal Over ‘Heretical’ Defense of Russian Invasion
08/10/2022

The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Marika Proctor was published Aug. 1, 2022 on religionnews.com. Metropolitan Epiphanius, the head of the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, has issued a letter to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, “firs

When Angels Fight: My Story of Escaping Sex Trafficking and Leading a Revolt Against the Darkness
08/10/2022

Growing up with a violent, alcoholic father and a mother who was recurrently beaten by him, author Leslie King was repeatedly traumatized yet did all she could in her childlike way to protect her younger brother and sister. Each time after the violence ceased, Leslie watched as her father pleaded re

Rise
08/10/2022

In 2021, Giannis Antetokounmpo raised the NBA Finals trophy in one hand and the Finals MVP award in the other. He had reached the pinnacle of sports, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971 at the age of 26. That same year, for the NBA’s 75th anniversary he was named a

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip
08/10/2022

Mrs. Clara Kip is 79 years old and dying, but her focus is on living life for God and sharing the gospel with all she meets, even the other hospice patients in the Sacred Promise Senior Care Center. Mrs. Kip has lived a sacrificial, adventurous life, yet she considers it “exceedingly unimpressive.”

Old Testament Windows on Christ and Salvation
08/10/2022

As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.“If you belie

Harry’s House
08/10/2022

Pop-star Harry Styles is a bit of an enigma. He has some lingering stigma from being a member of One Direction—one of the most successful boy bands of all time. But he’s also now three albums deep into a career all his own. It’s easier to define him by what he is not than what he is: he is not a typ

Dear White Peacemakers (Audiobook)
08/10/2022

Osheta Moore, a Black Anabaptist pastor, was driving her two boys home from a youth retreat when she saw the police cruiser behind her turn on her light. Confused, because Moore knew she wasn’t speeding, she changed lanes to make it easier for the police officer to get behind whoever it was she was

First Known Depictions of Biblical Heroines Jael and Deborah Uncovered in Israel
08/10/2022

The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Kathryn Post was published on religionnews.com July 13, 2022. It has been edited for length.The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at an ancient synagogue in Israe

In Memoriam: Rev. James Robert Kok
08/10/2022

Jim Kok loved being a pastor and touched many lives during his six and a half decades of ministry. Jim had a strong, recognizable voice, speaking or singing. Music was a big part of his life. As a boy soprano he sang at church, for family weddings, and was even invited to sing on the radio several t

In Canada, Pope Francis Apologizes to Indigenous Peoples, Calls It ‘First Step’
08/10/2022

The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Claire Giangravé was published on religionnews.com July 25, 2022. It has been edited for length. Pope Francis issued his first apology to the Indigenous peoples in Canada for the Catholic Church’s role in a

Giving the Process a Chance
08/10/2022

When I became director of the Offices of Race Relations and Social Justice in 2017, I had no idea what issues of race would surface during my tenure. Through the informed work of friends, I was made aware of a Christian Reformed minister who preached and espoused kinism in his Michigan church in 201

Saoirse Prays for Me
08/10/2022

I’m legally blind in my left eye, although I still have some limited vision in it. I’ve been partially blind since birth, but it is slowly getting worse. The ophthalmologist is doing all he can to protect the remaining sight and is telling me that, should I lose the right eye for some reason, “a lit