NOVA: Lost Tombs of Notre DameReviewed by Sam GuitierrezIn 2019, the world watched in horror as the 800-year-old Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris burned. The moment its iconic spire collapsed into the massive flames below is an image seared into our collective memory. Thankfully, firefighters could ext
Septuagenarians are having a moment with the success of Only Murders in the Building, starring Martin Short and Steve Martin, and Matlock, starring Kathy Bates.Now we can add 76-year-old Ted Danson to the list of 70-somethings saving some of their best work for their later years. In A Man on the Ins
It happened in an instant at a moment when I least expected it. We were in a department store, and I had just finished helping my oldest son choose an outfit for his first interview after his college graduation. Just before the clerk reached over to scan the barcodes, she looked up at me and asked a
The warm air of the indoor botanical garden conservatory enveloped my family as we bustled inside.I was so glad to be there: with flora from around the world, bright sunshine streaming through glass pyramids, and trickling ponds filled with glittering goldfish, this place is a sanctuary amid the har
Inspired by her memoir, The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage, and a Girl Saved by Bees, author Meredith May’s debut children’s picture book relates the story of a young girl who lives with her grandparents after her parents separate. The girl spends most of her time with Grandpa, a beekeeper who
A Bend in the River had me at its voice-over start. A winsome Irish accent with fine word use fastened me to the film—along with the sweep of County Tyrone land. This movie asks what happens to a famous novelist who is blocked before answering, “Return to your roots—and your wounds.”Irishman Matt Do
Twelve-year-old Will hates living in Texas in the only place he’s ever called home, and all he dreams of is leaving and seeking adventure. His father is a sharecropper on 20 acres of cotton. Most of the earnings are unjustly pocketed by the landowner.Father and Grandpa had left Louisiana and gone we
The January 2025 meeting of the Christian Reformed Church in North America’s Grand Rapids East classis released eight ministers from the office of Minister of the Word and acknowledged 10 congregations in the process of disaffiliation from the denomination. That represents more than half of the 17 o
“Home is where the heart is, and my heart is on this campus,” Shanaya James said.James is a sophomore at Calvin University from Islamabad, Pakistan. Like many international students, she decided to study at Calvin without ever visiting the school.Her reasons are ones commonly cited by other students
Doug Tjapkes has been playing piano and organ in worship in the CRC for 70 years! He was encouraged to sit down at the piano in his home and record a number of hymns that he has loved over the years. At age 88 Tjapkes plays freestyle, changing keys and chords as he plays through hymns and gospel son
When a fellow Christian used his podcast to describe me and those who share my perspective regarding church life as so lukewarm that Jesus would vomit us out of his mouth, I felt tempted to respond with mutual insults and contempt. But then I heard Jesus calling me to rejoice!In the conclusion to th
To send letters to the editor, please see our guidelines at thebanner.org/letters.BeaversMany websites say beavers use their tails to pack down mud, as does this article (“Aquatic Engineers,” December 2024). Quite a few say this is a misconception. I have never seen a beaver do this, and I’ve seen q
In 1948, 30-year-old Mercy Windsor, a famous Hollywood actress, has reached the end of her rope. When Mercy stands up against an injustice that almost caused a tragedy, she learns that her career has been terminated, one more loss of home and belonging in a life too familiar with brokenness.Wanting
Expressing grief makes us vulnerable. We might be misunderstood. We might be attacked. Some people withdraw into themselves. Others become abrasive and push people away so that no one will sense the hurt that wants so desperately to be let out.In A Quiet Place: Day One (a prequel to A Quiet Place),
Author Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez begins her insightful, loving critique of the current state of the church, institutional and organic, by asserting, “It’s no secret that the Body of Christ is in a crisis. ... We are experiencing intense division, scandals, people walking away from the faith, and d
About 125 people representing various faith traditions turned out in late January for an ecumenical service in Zeeland, Mich., that took place in observance of the International Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.The service was put together by Christians Uniting in Song and Prayer, a Holland, Mich.
Valorie Zonnefeld, a professor of mathematics at Dordt University, in Sioux Center, Iowa, wants students to see mathematics as more than just numbers and equations. She wants them to recognize how math can be a tool for highlighting the beauty and order of creation, serving others and making a posit
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. The most und
In an open letter posted to its website Feb. 18, the Institute of Christian Studies, a graduate school in Toronto, Ont., announced a decision of its board of directors Jan. 15 “to discontinue ICS’s status as a Denominationally-Related Educational Institution of the Christian Reformed Church in North
“The world belongs to God, and the world is everything—including our professions and our callings,” said Mwikali Wambua, a Resonate Global Mission missionary.Resonate is the Christian Reformed Church’s mission agency. As Resonate missionaries, church planters, and campus ministers work to spread the