In the November 2010 Banner, Rev.
Features
A Call from the CRC’s Young Adults
Their diagnosis of the disconnect they feel with the denominationThe carpet of the old church floor dug into my knees.
Mash’Allah: Whatever the Will of God
Islam in the context of its desert homeWhen my wife and I arrived in Kuwait a few years ago, we thought we’d brought with us an informed perspective on the Middle East
Jihad: What Does the Qur’an Really Say?
Putting our questions directly to a Muslim scholarZacharia al Khatib was studying at the University of Alberta while Tom Oosterhuis was the Christian Reformed chaplain there. Afte
Our Fundamental Identity
An adoptive father and a daughter of Chinese immigrants reflect on the significance of baptism.About two years ago, while driving to a preaching engagement in a Christian Reformed congregation that had invited me for the first time
The Hardest Death of All
The death of a child stands alone on the scale of heartbreak.Death is an inevitable part of life. Every death hurts.
Why Infant Baptism?
A biblical and historical caseSome years ago, while I was visiting a church for a baby dedication, a friend asked me, “Why do we only dedicate babies in this
Getting a Job Faithfully in Tough Times
An essential, God-focused strategy that can make a big differenceWhen our recent book about resume-writing for college students came out, my co-author and I expected to hear from seniors and recent g
The Kingdom on Earth or in Heaven?
Living into the reality of the resurrection we awaitDoes the resurrection of Jesus make a difference in our lives here and now?
Liz Lemon in the Pew
We need to stop viewing singleness as a “problem” to be fixed.In the NBC program 30 Rock, the character Liz Lemon bears a life marked by the “problem” of singleness.
One of the best-kept secrets of New Testament exegesis concerns the interpretation of the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matt.
Talking Biblically About Homosexuality
A request for helpI was proud of our congregation.
A Sacred Circle
The “sad chapter” in Canada’s history of the Indian residential schools leads to a meaningful conversation about reconciliation.February 18, 2011| |Reconciliation begins with truth.
Living as faithful disciples of Jesus requires making a lot of judgment calls.
Ecumenism both blesses and weakens us. Our structures limp along. And we wrestle with proclaiming relevant Reformed insights. . .
A culture war is raging over the primary purpose of marriage.
He was only 24 years old, and suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia.
Loving the Broken
Sometimes we isolate those who need us the most.Broken and hurting people. We meet them on service projects and at local nonprofits. We work with them at the office.
The human heart, like clay, is soft and pliable; throughout our lives it is conformed and shaped. The question is, into what?
Lopsided Mercy
Caring for the poor means seeking justice too.We care about the poor.
Illegal
We like to categorize people, but real life plays out in the gray areas.My wife and I live and minister among many Hispanic immigrants, both documented and undocumented.
Jews and Christians have long recognized the words recorded in both Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 as the heart of the Old Testament&rsqu
Yield to the King
Reconsidering the role of Sunday-morning worshipDirk, thanks so much for your good thoughts and gutsy gospel endeavor to plant a new church.
Surrender the Queen
Reconsidering the role of Sunday-morning worshipI am an exceptionally bad chess player. I’m told I rush too quickly to bring out the queen.