Featured Articles
What Have We Lost: Why the Church Must Do More Than Offer Prayer and Condolences After Another Life Is Taken
When a child is lost under violent, strange, disputed, or unexplained circumstances, the family does not receive the luxury of uncomplicated grief. They grieve while asking questions. They bury their child while attempting to reconstruct their final hours. They listen to rumors while waiting for official reports. They defend their humanity while other people debate their character. They must determine which institutions are seeking the truth, which are protecting themselves, and which are simply waiting for public attention to disappear.
Featured Articles
Rest in a Low-Touch World
Rest in a low-touch world will require intention. Boundaries matter, but boundaries are not the whole story. A phone-free table is good, but the goal is not the absence of phones. The goal is the presence of persons. A tech-free evening is good, but the deeper question is whether we are becoming people who can listen, wait, apologize, forgive, laugh, and remain. The point is not to become nostalgic for a pre-digital past. The point is to become more human in the digital age we actually inhabit.
Whatever Happened to Certainty?
We are not called to be certain so that our side wins denominational debates and culture wars. We are not called to be certain so
Lay Down Your Nets: On LGBTQ+ Inclusion and a Radical Gospel, the Only Kind Worth Believing
There’s just not much evidence that people form their ideas about LGBTQ+ people, about sexuality, gender, and gender expression, and about family and leadership and
White Privilege and White Liberals: The Anesthesia of Comfort, Status, and Moderation
I don’t want to reach the end of my life having been admired for being measured, careful, and safe. I want to have lived truthfully
Nursery Rhyme Racism: From “Roosevelt Park Rising”
Church is many different things, but at its core deep inside me, it still is a place where people dignify each other by respecting their
Meeting People Where They Are: What Eugene Callender’s Harlem Ministry Can Teach the Church Today
Callender was the first Black student to attend Westminster Theological Seminary and, in 1951, the first African American ordained by the Christian Reformed Church. From
The Fire of God (Part Two): The Sanctification of Jeremiah
Jeremiah’s examination of the depths of his heart invites us to respond with a similar self-examination. When I accept the invitation, when I slow down
Latest from the Blog
Daily blog by our regular bloggers & guest contributors.
My Body Is Not a Problem to Be Fixed
I’m going to stop apologizing for my body.
A New Metaphor for the RCA? Cantons
I’m suggesting that, “whatever this middle-assembly-thing is, we’re like ‘Swiss cantons’ unified and living together.”
Giveaway
I walked up front as directed and was presented with the small Star Quilt by the birthday lady herself, who wore a radiant smile.
I Remember the Candles: On the 25th Anniversary of 9/11
I remember almost nothing of the service except those candles and the musical recordings that were played.
Time to Pray
Would I have been impatient, fearing that if things took too long people would lose interest, or the experience would lose its meaning? I’ve certainly
Down with Politicians! A Reformed Critique of a Bad Idea
Calvin went so far as to characterize the work done by civic officials as a “sacred and noble calling.”
Hold Your Applause, Please
Am I being judge-y here? Do I risk violating that cherished maxim from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount? “Judge not lest ye be judged.”
The Climate Crisis and Christian Witness
It is the “least of these among us” —the poor, the marginalized, communities of color, our children and grandchildren, and many of our fellow creatures
Reviews
Can a Machine Be One of Us?
One of my favorite classes to teach is Philosophy and Science Fiction. As expected, much of what we discuss involves the philosophical implications of various
Grace and Social Ethics: A Review
“…grace makes possible a life that is not otherwise possible” which…reminds us of our nature and calls for a social ethic powerful enough to reimagine
Opening Ourselves to the Voice of the Lord: A Review of Songs from the Stillness
Making a sincere, direct address to God in most of his poems, Kuiper brings praise and gratitude, as well as genuine questions and pleas before
Live, Laugh, Love: (A Review)
This book is for everyone regardless of gender, political leanings, denominational affiliation, or stage of life; there is something in Live Laugh Love for all
The Amen Effect
The Hebrew word for amen is emunah, which means, “I see you, you are not alone, and I bear witness to your joy and pain.”
When Bread Is Resistance
How long, Lord? How long before you set everything right?
The Long Shadow of Adam: A Review of Defending Sin: A response to the challenge of evolution and the natural sciences
A few years ago, I read Loren Haarsma’s When Did Sin Begin. The book explored possibilities for understanding some key theological claims of orthodox Christian
Room for Gay Bellwethers in God’s Flock
He begins to pray, apologizing to his Maker for how he has been made.
Poetry
Absolution
Church bells rung candles ligted welcome offered we stand to sing …
Lord of Light and Dark
who maketh stars to leap in the gaped black mouth of heaven …
Choosing Stones
The last thing the Gittite saw was a laughable pebble flung by a gnat of a boy …
Psalm, roughly the size of a lung
The hate mail appeared in the church Suggestion Box …
Compulsion
After our home burned down in the Tea Fire, I started picking up trash on the streets …
Upon Our Seeing the Grand Tetons for the First Time
Deplaning the gondola after the steep ascent into the cloud-turbaned peaks, I am stepping high …
Podcasts
“Absolution” by Jillian Burden
In this week’s episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, Rose Postma interviews Jillian Burden about her poem “Absolution.” Jillian is a Canadian-American poet based in
“Lord of Light and Dark” by Haley Hodges
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Haley Hodges about her poem “Lord of Light and Dark.” Haley
“Choosing Stones” by Cody Adams
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Cody Adams about his poem “Choosing Stones.” Cody is an English Teacher
“Compulsion” by Paul J. Willis
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Paul Willis about his poem “Compulsion.” Paul has published eight
“Upon Our Seeing the Grand Tetons for the First Time” by Jo Taylor
In this episode of the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Jo Taylor about her poem, “Upon Our Seeing the Grand Tetons for the First Time.” Jo
“Aeronaut” by Brian Phipps
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Brian G. Phipps about his poem “Aeronaut.” Brian is the author