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 Banner h
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 Banner h
I never considered myself to be a pessimistic person until I read this quote from author Nicole Zasowski: “Pessimism is a means of control as we attempt to take the element of surprise out of our grief.” I’d always thought I leaned toward the glass-half-full side; I didn’t know what I didn’t know.Th
To send letters to the editor, please see our guidelines at thebanner.org/letters.Synod 2024I believe the staff of The Banner was jolted by the results of Synod 2024 and at a loss on how to report it (“Resounding Words,” July/August 2024). … While most mainline churches have abandoned or reinterpret
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.Up until Oct.
By trade, I am a science teacher. As a human, I am constantly curious. It’s one of the reasons I do what I do. Telling me something simply isn’t enough; I need to understand. I think that’s true for many of us, and I think this drive to understand could be one of the attributes of being created in t
The Bible contains many stories that are downright disturbing. Perhaps you have read the stories of Lot and his daughters (Gen. 19:30-38), the Levite and his concubine (Judges 19), Amnon and Tamar (2 Sam. 13), or Jephthah and his daughter (Judges 11), to name a few. The first time you encountered th
Online Banner readers gravitated to news, analysis, and reflection about the Christian Reformed Church’s annual general assembly, synod, in 2024, with continued interest in Cross Examination, Big Questions, and Faith Matters columns and past features on zionism, trees, hypocrisy, and the rapture.Thi
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 Banner h
“May the love of God, and the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”I remember as a child hearing those words of blessing roll out over the congregation in Rev. Van’s full-throated bass voice. Even as a kid, I had a deep sense of awe and peace when I
In the small office I manage, I want employees to settle on certain computer apps to do their work (in this case, the messaging app Slack), but some are resisting. Should I require it?I hear you. This can be a problem in businesses, in our personal lives, and even in the church office.According to a
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.It was the ni
In our divided world and divided church, we need media that break down divisions, not reinforce them. This is my vision for The Banner: to be an anti-echo chamber for the Christian Reformed Church. In news media and social media, an echo chamber is an environment where someone encounters only inform
Years ago, it seems like we spent a lot of time in church listening to sermons about or studying apologetics, but these days, not so much. Why?Apologetics is the discipline of responding to challenges to the Christian faith. We might think of the instruction of Peter to always be prepared to “give a
Back in 2005, singer-songwriter Jack Johnson released the song “Good People.” It opens with these lines:Well, you win, it’s your show now,so what’s it gonna be,’cause people will tune in.How many train wrecks do we need to seebefore we lose touch?Oh, we thought this was low;it’s bad, getting worse,
While I was living in northern Alberta, one of my favorite places to go was the local beaver pond. I was guaranteed to find not only the beavers hard at work on their latest dam, but all their neighbors too: muskrats running and swimming, countless frogs hopping along the edges, herons stalking thro
When Jesus was born, angels sang: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). It’s unfortunate that the King James version—“good will toward men”—has become the standard wording, especially at Christmastime. It can create the impression that
To send letters to the editor, please see our guidelines at thebanner.org/letters.Slippery SlopeAfter receiving the July-August 2024 Banner, I read its content until I got to page 16 (“Resounding Words”). Then I quit, not wanting to read once more how Synod 2024 threw away Reformed principles. Then
I am an elderly Christian who occasionally finds himself in discussions about burial plans. When I share that my remains will be donated for medical research, some people react negatively. Please comment.Thank you for donating your remains. Donated bodies are essential to medical training and resear
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 air rushe