Featured Articles
In the Overlap: A Short Story
I have no idea how to be a decent soon-to-be-former-mother-in-law. My local library has no self-help books on the topic. I find no such books on Amazon. But I discover that “mother-in-law” is not even a legal term. In family law, blood is primary. “Consanguinity” is the legal term. Its contrasting term is “affinity relation.” Affinity is a friendly-sounding word for a flimsy bond. Nothing I can do will prevent me from becoming a former-mother-in-law.
Featured Articles
A Lesson Never Learned
Because synod has left no space for other opinions, the end result is going to be disaffiliation. The fact that our congregation was even in the CRC is a beautiful testimony to the wideness of the kingdom of God. The Native way of dialogue, discussion, compromise, and holding room for other opinions also testifies to the Kingdom of God. Sadly, there isn’t space for that approach in today’s Christian Reformed Church.
Remember to Take and Eat
I wonder if I kept that cup of July 2023 yogurt because I was savoring a memory or because I was fearing loss. But there
1925
Let’s look back at 1925 to see the portents of the year but also its other possibilities, to compare what looked big at the time
An Insurrectionist Set Free
A raucous mob of religious stalwarts gathered on a day centuries ago outside a palace. Like many of those gathered in the Capitol on January
Tears and the River of Life
The God of the scriptures does not have a heart of steel; God has a heart of flesh, a bleeding heart, and God has eyes
Drawing 101
While many art classes were designed to enhance creativity, this drawing class mostly helped us learn to draw realistically and accurately. I enjoyed this extended
Sabbath for the Restless: Rediscovering God’s Gift of Rest
Sabbath rest offers a glimpse of eternity. Hebrews 4:9-10 reminds us, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters
Latest from the Blog
Daily blog by our regular bloggers & guest contributors.
Science Under Attack
The cuts to science risk the health and safety of Americans and people around the world—especially the marginalized and underrepresented.
Kendrick Lamar, the NFL, and Ash Wednesday
In I Kings 22, the king of Israel and the king of Judah were wondering if they should go into battle against the Arameans. The
Theology of Ugh
While undergoing the stem cell transplant process, all I could do was pray, “Ugh.”
Take Heart
Cooper’s conception of Christianity was not a set of theological propositions meant for discussion. “Religion must be life made true.”
Spring
Spring is coming. Spring will arrive. One terrible moment is not the center of everything. Nor is it the end of everything.
Good Order and Discipline
I have never heard a senior military leader talk about politics or who they would or would not vote for.
Time to Confess
Our churches defined themselves by publicly confessing—especially to princes—their common beliefs on issues in conflict.
In the Aggregate
My parents sacrificed to show my two siblings and me the astonishing riches of the United States as protected by the National Park Service. We
Reviews
How to End Christian Nationalism
Amanda Tyler’s timely new book, How to End Christian Nationalism, is a short and accessible addition to an expanding list of books written by Christians
Invoking the Fathers: Dangerous Metaphors and Founding Myths in Congressional Politics
I highly recommend Invoking the Fathers to anyone interested in navigating the current moment in American history or improving their understanding and practice of rhetoric,
Healing What’s Within: Coming Home to Yourself–and to God–When You’re Wounded, Weary, and Wandering
Healing What’s Within is like a two-hundred page conversation with a sage spiritual director.
This Sweet Earth: Walking with Our Children in the Age of Climate Collapse
Wylie-Kellermann’s book is a hope-filled, though realistic call to subvert the darkest version of that future through a variety of means.
My Body is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church
Reading My Body is Not a Prayer Request was a signpost moment in my own life. Rather than a flash of sudden change, finding Kenny’s
Life in Flux: Navigational Skills to Guide and Ground You in an Ever-Changing World
Life in Flux is more than a book; it’s a lifeline for those adrift in uncertain times. By confronting cultural myths and presenting God’s timeless
How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told
Harrison Scott Key’s How to Stay Married is a story of trauma, past and present, a marriage gone off the rails with two wounded partners
For Our Daughters
While this film doesn’t trace how segments of the church ended up with a culture of toxic masculinity and prevalent sexual abuse (there are resources
Poetry
Lost Sheep
Seventy-seven pounds of wool on that merino sheep who got lost
in the Outback.
Table
Let the sparrow take a chair at the Juneteenth table with Elijah …
You Said, Let There Be Light
You said, Let there be light, and there was light. And you saw that the light was good …
Jesus, Son of Gop
On the night he was supposed to be betrayed, Jesus strapped on a Glock under his cloak, just in case the breastplate of righteousness didn’t
Blessed
Unnoticed except by their Maker, my wife and me–a dozen sparrows blissful at their ablutions …
Near Death
We drove nails into His wrists, air reeking of animal remains and criminal bodies piled next to the horse trough …
Podcasts
“Lost Sheep” by Margaret DeRitter
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Margaret DeRitter about her poem “Lost Sheep.” DeRitter is the
“Table” by Patrick T. Reardon
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Patrick T. Reardon about his poem “Table.” Reardon, who was
“You Said Let There Be Light” by Michael Zysk
In this episode of the poetry edition of the Reformed Journal Podcast, Rose Postma talks with Michael Zysk about his poem “You Said, Let There
“Life Beneath” by Matthew Pullar
In this episode of the poetry edition of the Reformed Journal Podcast, Rose Postma interviews Matthew Pullar about his poem “Life Beneath.” Pullar is a poet
“Jesus Son of Gop” by Sarah M. Wells
In this episode of the poetry edition of the Reformed Journal Podcast, Rose Postma talks with Sarah M. Wells about her poem “Jesus Son of GOP.” is the
“Near Death” by Zoie Jones
In this episode of the poetry edition of the Reformed Journal Podcast, Rose Postma talks with Zoie Jones about her poem “Near Death.” Jones lives