Department: Author: Mary Li MaChildren need to experience the wonder and awe of nature before they desire to love and conserve it. This poetic picture book works well with young hearts to nurture that desire. Its vibrant illustrations also present the theme of creation care with a carefully crafted
Department: Author: Trevor DenningWhen J. R. R. Tolkien wrote “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future,” he unwittingly spoke of himself. The unassuming Tolkien brought to light an old form of storytelling that never fails to resonate with readers and inarguably changed the cou
Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen FeddemaAuthor Christopher Snyder is referring to current divisive and destructive political, economic, and social realities when he says “civil discourse gave way too often to violence, protest, and abusive online taunts and insults.” In his timely, compelling n
Department: Author: Kristen ParkerRedeemer University in Ancaster, Ont., and Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich., have both recently made cuts to their academic programs, leaving some students upset and hurt by the decisions that the schools found necessary for sustainability.Redeemer is cutti
Department: Author: Religion News ServiceAs 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 ref
Department: Author: Alissa VernonPoint one of The Banner’s mandate from the Christian Reformed Church’s synod is “inform readers about what is happening in the CRC as well as the church at large.” A great deal of that mandate is carried out by me, the news editor, and the team of news correspondent
Department: Author: Gayla R. PostmaIt wasn’t a real synod, but at times it felt a little like one. On June 15 and 16, the Christian Reformed Church’s Council of Delegates met in special session by video conference to deal with matters deemed unable to wait until Synod 2022. Synod, the broadest asse
Department: Author: Gayla R. PostmaThe Council of Delegates of the Christian Reformed Church decided on behalf of Synod 2021 that the views of people from the LGBTQ community need to be heard by the delegates to Synod 2022. Synod 2021 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the Council met in
Department: Author: Gayla R. PostmaWhen the Council of Delegates of the Christian Reformed Church met in special session in lieu of Synod 2021, it was sometimes required to approve its own work on synod’s behalf. The CRC’s normally annual leadership meeting was canceled because of the ongoing COVID
Department: Author: Alissa VernonThe Christian Reformed Church received 31 new candidates for ministry this week, with as much fanfare as it could manage across the video-meeting platform. David Koll, outgoing director of the Office of Candidacy, presented the candidates in an online ceremony strea
Department: Author: Gayla R. PostmaThe Christian Reformed Church’s Council of Delegates deferred any action on requests for discipline of Neland Avenue CRC to Synod 2022. (The Council was meeting in lieu of Synod 2021, the church’s normally annual leadership meeting, which was canceled due to the C
Department: Author: Gayla R. PostmaAn ad hoc committee assigned to work on the prevention of abuse of power in the Christian Reformed Church turned in its last report to the Council of Delegates (the body that acts on behalf of synod between its normally annual meetings). Two years ago Synod 2019 i
Department: Author: Gayla R. PostmaIn response to two requests that the denomination’s restructuring process be halted, the Council of Delegates, acting in lieu of Synod 2021, said that in practical terms, “it does not seem possible to halt the process.” The Council met in special session by video
Department: Author: Chris MeehanIn 2016, Grace Paek traveled to Australia to train new leaders for what is now called Global Coffee Break, a part of the Christian Reformed Church’s Raise Up Global Ministries.One of the best parts of the trip was being on hand as Rev. Suk Dong Kim, pastor of North S
Department: Author: Mary Li MaAs 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 vi
Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen FeddemaIn this first book of the three-part Daughters of Zelophehad series—the others are Heavenly Lights: Noah’s Journey, and Claiming Canaan: Milcah’s Journey—author Barbara Britton imagines the lives of the five orphaned daughters of Zelophehad, historical Is
Department: Author: Michelle Loyd-Paige“Revolution is not a one-time event … or something that happens around us rather than inside of us.”—Audre LordeLove Is a Revolution is a delightful short listen. At the time of this writing, it is an Amazon Editor’s Pick as Best Young Adult Audiobook. There i
Department: Author: Paul DelgerI Am They focuses on vulnerability in themselves and their listeners, and Faithful God—album No. 3—testifies strongly to that mission. Themes include celebration, trust, and thankfulness. The music reflects solid pop with a little folk and a ballad or two mixed in. Th
Department: Author: Deborah B HaarsmaIn the early 1600s, Galileo discovered that the earth moves in orbit around the sun, yet Psalm 93:1 says, “The world is established; it cannot be moved” (NET). This tension sparked a debate in Galileo’s day. Today, people ask similar questions of other verses th
Department: Author: Elaine MayAs 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 vi