Featured Articles
Seeing First Fruits at Setshabelo Family and Child Services and Other Locations in South Africa
Those of us in the United States look around today and wonder, in the midst of our national struggles, what can we do? One thing we can do is look at how oppressive and authoritarian systems in other countries have been dismantled in the past. The story of how South Africa overcame apartheid (while still struggling with apartheid’s legacy) teaches that social change requires a corporate movement that takes time. Yet I wonder for those of us in the United States, especially those of us in the church, if maybe it is not a matter of what we are to do, but who we are to be. May we humbly be the first fruits of the kingdom of God in our own small corners.
Featured Articles
Honor Everyone
When mulling over a topic for my speech, some of the episodes of demeaning treatment that I had learned about over the years came to mind. I decided to base my talk on First Peter 2:17: “Honor everyone.” Children are to honor parents; but parents are also to honor children. Students are to honor teachers; but teachers are also to honor students. Inmates are to honor guards; but guards are also to honor inmates. And so forth.
The Girl in the Picture
What bothers me about the reactions to Sy’s refugee picture is the historical amnesia of it. The Emma Lazarus poem on the Statue of Liberty,
Thoughts and Prayers
One day, praying for a dying friend I knew neither prayed nor believed, it occurred to me not only to pray on his behalf, but,
A Call, a “Random” Library Book, a New Creation
I continued to pray, wondering where God was calling me. I’d done transitional ministry training with the Presbyterian Church (USA) but didn’t sense being steered
Ramshackle Life
Before I left, I changed the dressing on Bill’s arm. The raw tenderness of Bill’s new fistula moved me. How could its strangeness have come
A Letter to Christian Reformed and Reformed Communities
In a time when public discourse continues to reveal deep wounds around race and dignity, the Church must not be silent. We are witnessing what
Religious Trauma on the Young Calvinist Bus
Yes, I knew I had broken the rules, and I admitted I’d made bad choices. But that was not the end of it. I was
Latest from the Blog
Daily blog by our regular bloggers & guest contributors.
A Table for the Broken
There is no better way to approach God than with a limp. And I am limping. My wife got me dressed that Sunday morning. One
I Know Who to Blame. Now What?
So maybe the question isn’t whether blame has a place. Maybe it does. Maybe there are truths that need to be said plainly, without softening.
“Spot on Psalms” — Psalm 46: High Anxiety
I think of it as my “radiation psalm.” I took it with me every time I went in for a radiation treatment—reciting it in my
Chaco Canyon: Too Sacred to Sacrifice
It is absolutely one of my favorite places on the face of this planet. Although it has been protected since the early 1900s, it is
The Cartography of Loss, Part 2
In our grief we become cartographers, locating our dead beloveds – however mysteriously – on a map.
A Celebration of Life
They talked about the small gifts Alan would give to people, trinkets he picked up at the dollar store or thrift store. I myself was
Healing in a Welcoming Faith Community
Let me tell you about the positive impact finding an accepting church had on me.
The Demon of Fascism
Fascism seems less like a coherent ideology or governing philosophy, and more like an energy, an ethos, a societal temperament.
Reviews
John Calvin: Refugee Theologian
Woo’s book arrives at a moment when refugees are at the center of many crises in our world, including here in North America.
Being the Church in the World: Lessons from Mother Emanuel
At a time when the federal government is removing historical signs and webpages pertaining to Black history, this book seems particularly important. When pastors are
Anata No Monogatari Wa Watashi No Monogatari Demo Arimasu (Your Story Is My Story)
While only modestly aware of the challenges confronting missionaries in a Japanese culture that resists the Christian message, I was very much aware of the
Shepherding Souls in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A review of AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep
There is a certain fatigue brought on by the barrage of “AI.” AI assistants, AI overviews, AI copilots; just about anything you might want to
Intense Attention and Stone Yard Devotional
Simone Weil once said, “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” This is what Wood achieves: a book of intense attention.
The Courage to Keep Talking: How Dialogue Transforms Conflict into Community
How can we collectively move toward the goal of becoming more like Christ, not through manipulative or authoritarian tactics, but by embodying Christ’s patience, compassion,
The Hollowing Out of Church and Culture
What Burge sees in recent data is a deepening polarization with a diminishing basis in belief.
A Torrent Light and Mercy: Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein
It’s hard to think of another modern art form so successful at delivering spectacle as movies. Few movie subjects are more spectacular than science. “I
Poetry
In the Precincts of the Holy
The room, replete with what is about to happen, is full as well with coughing …
Imagining Iran, March 2026
We have no uncontaminated words for this
Contemplating the Redactions in the Newly Released Epstein Files
The women—I want to say women, but really they were girls …
The Return of Appetite
This morning I released, without a doubt, the same bright trout I gathered in my net …
Doxology
The room ticks, a cry from the bassinet, time’s mouth speaks again …
Podcasts
“Sowing” by Marjorie Maddox
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, Rose Postma interviews Marjorie Maddox about her poem “Sowing.” Marjorie is Professor Emerita of English and Creative
“In The Precincts of the Holy” by Jerry Harp
In this week’s episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Jerry Harp about his poem “In The Precincts of the
“Contemplating the Redactions in the Newly Released Epstein Files” by Sara Kay Mooney
In this week’s episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Sara Kay Mooney about her poem “Contemplating the Redactions in
“The Return of Appetite” by Andy Stager
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Andy Stager about his poem “The Return of Appetite.” Andy
“Doxology” by Ali Leon
In this week’s episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Ali Leon about her poem “Doxology.” Ali is a poet
“Preliminary” by Steven Searcy
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Steven Searcy about his poem “Preliminary.” Steven is the author of Below