Throughout the Scriptures we hear that listening is how we approach our relationship with God (1 Sam. 3:9) as well as how we cultivate healthy communities with one another (James 1:19). It’s how we pursue lives of discipleship (Mark 9:7) and grow in maturity (Prov. 19:20). In fact, the most importan
Love them or hate them, surveys are part of our everyday life. From government-endorsed censuses to customer feedback forms, we are regularly asked to provide input to help inform and improve products and services. Employers use surveys to measure employee engagement and satisfaction. Even churches
Do our prayers get answered if we don’t believe they will?When it comes to prayer, there are several biblical themes we ought to hold together. We are told to pray expectantly, with confidence that we are heard and that our prayers make a difference (Mark 11:24). We are also told that there are thin
Since 2019 the CRCNA has been trying again to “reimagine” ministry shares—the money collected from member churches to pay for the running of the denomination and the ministries we hold in common. Instead of synod requesting a per-member amount, congregations can pledge what they like. But the pooled
As a Korean American mother of two, I’ve made it a priority to fill our shelves at home with children’s books that celebrate Asian American stories and cultures. Over the years, a few titles have stood out as favorites. Here are five books that my children request to read over and over again. Bee-bi
In a moment of loss C.S. Lewis noted that “In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out.” He was considering his social circle, how he’d never again see Tolkien’s unique reaction to a deceased friend’s joke and the loss to their community. Everyone we meet
In Cateura, Paraguay—a village built on a landfill—gancheros (people who do odd-jobs for a living) survive by sorting garbage and searching for things they can recycle or sell for cash. When a young man named Favio Chavez moves to Cateura to work on a recycling project, with the goal of educating th
My husband is a natural-born optimist who is always content with life. But the other day when we were watching TV after putting our children to bed, he mumbled: “I am at a low point in my life.” This struck me as an unusual and uncharacteristic confession coming from him. Then I asked him back: “Wha
In March the Christian Labour Association of Canada became the representative union for the full-time teaching faculty at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. Trinity Western is a Christian liberal arts university, the largest in Canada by student population. This is CLAC’s first representati
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Kathryn Post was published on religionnews.com May 17, 2023.The Codex Sassoon, a late ninth- or early 10th-century book Sotheby’s has dubbed the “earliest, most complete copy of the Hebrew Bible,” was sold
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Bob Smietana was published on religionnews.com May 19, 2023. It has been edited for length.Tim Keller, an influential Presbyterian Church in America minister who founded a network of evangelical Christian c
At the end of his gospel, John remarks: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). Much is written about Christianity and church growth. I’ve read a lot of th
Author Ann Byle draws on the delightful, humorous, and at times sad, real-life experiences of caring for a flock of chickens, along with her family, and skillfully forges parallels to the challenges, joys, and victories of people, like herself, who long to be creative in different ways. Byle’s “drea
Life can be overwhelming and sometimes it’s helpful to just pause and live quietly in the moment. ICF Worship, based in Zurich, Switzerland, provides listeners such an experience with its instrumental project, “Moments.” This 13-track, almost 60-minutes-long project is a treasure. Each selection is
ChatGPT is the new artificial intelligence tool upending higher education. It is a language-based computer model that simulates human thinking by generating language. By gathering language from different sources such as Wikipedia, books, websites, and other texts, it can predict a missing word and w
To send letters to the editor, please see our guidelines at thebanner.org/letters.Cruise Ship MagazineIt was nice to see the January 2023 edition of The Banner in the library of our cruise ship when we were on a Caribbean cruise this month. I had left mine at home and was glad to be able to finish r
What are three of your current favorite apps?Here are three of my current favorite apps and a bit about why I like them. Search for them online by name if you want to check them out.Merlin Bird ID: I’m not a birder, but this app could make me one. Offered free by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Merl
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Bob Smietana was published on religionnews.com May 9, 2023. Habitat for Humanity was built on a pair of simple yet profound ideas.Everyone deserves a decent place to live.Anyone who wants to help make that
Synod 2023 might end up being remembered as the confessional alignment synod. Discussions will be dominated by issues around human sexuality. Many classes and churches are asking Synod 2023 to overturn the decision of Synod 2022 that declared that same-sex sex—and by logical extension, marriage—is i
In this illustrated children’s book, former U.S. attorney Preet Bharara introduces the important and complex concept of justice to young people. Each statement is accompanied by examples of historic events and justice seekers. For example, the book begins by showing Frederick Douglass conversing wit