Featured Articles
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 told that if I’d taken my faith more seriously, I would not have been drinking. They put the screws to me and asked if I wanted to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I did not want to tell the truth and say no, so I just said I was not sure.
Featured Articles
On the Streets of Minneapolis
What I’ve learned from Minnesotans is that we take neighborism seriously. There is no illusion of safety here – we have realized we can’t buy it, that we have to be it for one another. And what I’ve learned from people of faith here is much the same – we can’t just talk about our faith, we have to risk it on behalf of one another.
The Bombing of Darmstadt, the Human Heart, and Hope Rising from the Ashes
The Bertsch house stands shoulder to shoulder with many others, all well-maintained and landscaped. Passersby would hardly pay it much attention. But should they pause
How to Build Creation-Care Bridges With Conservative Christians
In conversing with resistant conservative Christians, it probably won’t work to start with details about polar icecaps, the fate of some endangered salamander, or a
Resolute: Nadia, Protests, and Sovereignty Reconsidered
When sovereignty is used in church, it is typically code for a God who is distant, enigmatic, and unaccountable.
Play: From Usefulness to Belovedness
To bear God’s image is not a description of capacity. It is a description of relationship. Human beings are made to reflect God’s character, to
How Reading Matthew—And a Professor’s Smirk—Changed My Life
I spent a full semester during my doctoral program in a supervised study of the book of Matthew, and I can confirm from my experience
1948: The Christmas I Grew Into a Man
That conversation transformed my muddle into stark clarity. Belief was the key, and I was a believer. The next day, I sought out Dov Wartofsky
Latest from the Blog
Daily blog by our regular bloggers & guest contributors.
We Need A Lot More Wonder and Silence
Back in 1994, Fred Rogers noticed a subtle but significant shift stirring in the human soul. Long before push notifications and pocket-sized portals to the
Yes to Superstar but No to the NFL
It’s less about losing the second service than losing a sabbatical counterculture.
Physical, Spiritual, Material: The Testament of Ann Lee
We are invited into the practice — the shaking, the songs, the religious euphoria of their worship.
A Reckoning at the Bird Feeder
When I turn to look out that window, the squirrel and I seem to have a staring contest. “What’cha going to do about it?” he
Civil (Dis)Obedience
In Scripture we see the early church wrestling with how to live faithfully, and it comes up with different answers based upon circumstances.
We Need to Talk About the Kids
They should not be required to bounce back from things that never should have happened in the first place.
Knitting as Resistance
While often dismissed as a harmless women’s craft, knitting has in fact been a way for people to come together to reject tyranny and subvert
One Body, Many Lives: Fetal Microchimerism and Our Interconnectedness
My husband commented that the umbilical cord stretched across the generations. I don’t think he knew how spot on he was.
Reviews
Exploring The Universe of the Soul, One Letter at a Time
But the beauty of this novel is that, in the end, we see the power of language to heal the human soul.
Howard Schaap’s Brooding Upon the Waters
At one point, Milt simply stops praying before meals. “The loss of Dad’s prayer voice,” Howard writes, “was an absence, like losing one of your
Sacrificed for Souls: A Missionary Kid Confronts the Legacy of Missions
If missions are to be faithful, they must be willing to relinquish certainty, confront patriarchy and racism, and place human flourishing—especially that of children—at the
Ministers, Not Messiahs
There is a pervasive and complex issue of pastoral workaholism – where unrealistic expectations and relentless demands erode spiritual vitality, personal well-being, and family relationships.
Genesis Without Anachronism: Walton’s Case for a Contextual Reading of Genesis
John H. Walton’s New Explorations in the Lost World of Genesis: Advances in the Origins Debate, written in collaboration with his son, J. Harvey Walton,
The Spiritual Practice of Reading
As I read, I kept thinking of magical reading moments in my life.
Alone: More Than a Weight-Loss Show
Alone provides an interesting and subtle contribution to a broad critique of the American dream.
Poetry
Doxology
The room ticks, a cry from the bassinet, time’s mouth speaks again …
Preliminary
My sons are on a mission, wielding sticks and nixing iridescent bubbles …
Remorse Code
I used to want you to understand all of it: the dripping roof, stalagmites rising up like dandelions …
Dwell
In the future we will live in pods of reclaimed wood and very white bed-linens …
Passing the Peace
On good weeks it happens twice. Once on Sunday morning, sunlit sanctuary …
Bearing Witness
ICE arrested someone on my block. Walking my dog, I saw the witness first …
Podcasts
“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
“Dwell” by Hannah Notess
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Hannah Faith Notess about her poem “Dwell.” Hannah is a poet
“Be Opened” by Deb Baker
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Deb Baker about her poem “Be Opened.” Deb lives in New
“A Famine of Words” by Steven Peterson
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviewed Steven Peterson about his poem “A Famine of Words.” Steven is
“After Denise Levertov’s Essays” by Caroline J. Simon
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Caroline J. Simon, PhD, about her poem “After Denise Levertov’s Essays.”