Featured Articles
Jason Arday, J. H. Bavinck, and the Myth of Meritocracy
Bavinck’s observation is striking because he highlights something Western Christians sometimes struggle to articulate: racial injustice cannot simply be reduced to class injustice or individual prejudice. Class barriers can indeed be formidable and poverty can constrain a person’s possibilities from birth, but the dimension of race complicates the system of meritocracy. In other words, you cannot climb your way out of your skin.
Featured Articles
Lessons on Life, Grief, Fear, and Truth from “The Lion King”
What have we run from in fear? We run from lies, lies that others have told us and lies that we tell ourselves. In our desperation to flee from the darkness of lies, we miss out on so much truth. Truth that, although we are broken, we are still loved, always loved. There’s not a thing we can do or fail to do that will separate us from God’s love. May this be the truth that rings in our ears and our hearts, “You are my Beloved.”
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
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
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
Latest from the Blog
Daily blog by our regular bloggers & guest contributors.
Finding Home
So, here you are, too foreign for home, too foreign for here. Never enough for both. — Ijeoma Umebinyuo Leaving home Home is everywhere and nowhere. The last few
When Poetry Cross-Pollinates
I look for poems with clear language and vivid imagery. I enjoy poems that indicate their writer paid close attention to their words for both
A Hole in Our Holy Week
We’re missing out on a profound pastoral gift for those who find themselves in a wilderness of grief, in-betweenness or a living hell.
AI in Higher Education: Some Notes from the Front
I closed the classroom door. I said, “This is a safe space. A no-judgement zone.” And I asked my students their thoughts and feelings about
The Odd Journey of ‘Transformationalism’
What Kuyper did advocate, in excelsis, can be better labeled critical Christian activism or cultural engagement.
No Circles Needed: God-Light & Dolly
She was genuine in her outlandishness. Her appearance wasn’t a way to cover up or hide — it was a way to be herself.
Ten Reflections from a New Dad
While we are in this blurriest of parenthood moments, I’m writing down what I want to remember.
Are People Doing the Best They Can?
Part of me believes we’re all doing the best we can. But there’s another part of me that feels deeply unsatisfied with this sentiment.
Reviews
Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark: A Book Review
[C]onsider the gift of not knowing, the gift of receiving, the gift of being beloved by God.
Out of the Ditch: Grace, Discipline, and the Work of Becoming a Better Church
…the ditch is the place to which the gospel can speak deeply, where the God we have always been dependent on comes to find us.
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?
Poetry
Adam Talks With Sisyphus About Gardening
Sisyphus, I forgot to say that, thoughthe sun always dies before I’ve finished,and, when sweat and soil sting my brow, I’ve wishedthese weeds would be
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 …
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