Featured Articles

Zachary K. Pearce

Name(s), Faith, and Prayer

One night, as my grandfather lay there, body-quaking, he suddenly felt a warm sensation throughout his body. He felt drawn to the light, the same light so many people describe in near-death experiences. Then, suddenly, his body was cold again and he was back in that same prison bed he had come to know. He would remark decades later, at his own father’s funeral, that he didn’t fear death because he knew how “good it felt.”

Featured Articles

Mark Hiskes

A Star to Guide Us

What I remember most about Emese, though, was her insistence that our book club read the “greatest book” she’d ever read, The Little Prince. After being cajoled by her for weeks for not thinking as highly of it as I should, I agreed that we would read it. One evening a month later, our book club had a lively discussion, all cozied into a student’s family room, munching on popcorn and brownies as we together unlocked the beauty and wisdom of Saint-Exupery’s classic story.

Featured
James C. Schaap

Cheating

Heartland Manor, as we like to say, is a grab bag. That’s not very elegant, but it’s what the crew who work there like to

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Dave Larsen

Welcome to Green Street

This summer, the summer of 1962, was different. This was the summer of the n-word. It was spoken often, not only on Green Street, but

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Wes Granberg-Michaelson

What Pope Francis Wanted to Change

Beneath all he modeled and accomplished, Francis was trying to change the culture of the Vatican, and of the complex structures, institutions, and patterns of

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Brandon Haan

A (Truly)Confessional Church?

When the debate over human sexuality in the CRC picked up and Heidelberg Catechism Question and Answer 108 provided a mechanism to single out and

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Tom Boogaart

Moving Forward Looking Backward

I couldn’t make sense of the signage. The further I walked up the trail, the further I was from the end. Then I realized that

Latest from the Blog

Daily blog by our regular bloggers & guest contributors.

Sara Sybesma Tolsma

The Fruit of Scientific Research

This experimental treatment is potentially life-changing for KJ. But it also serves as to pave the way for using CRISPR-based gene editing for other diseases.

Chad Pierce

Remembering Better

While there is something noble and beneficial about looking back, the best way to remember the sacrifices of the past would be to change our

Mark Roeda

Looking for Jesus after Being Fired

I had a brief, tense interaction with my manager. She stormed out of the meeting, so I figured we would work it out when we

Jonathan Hiskes

A Vulgar, Tender Ethic of Friendship

They blustered, argued, and cursed the confines they felt, but there was real energy to it. They had something to push against.

Tim Van Deelen

Harm

Protecting the most vulnerable species from the finality of extinction has a unique gravity that is poorly addressed in regulatory language.

Nancy Knol

Some Small Corner of the Earth

The tomatoes were eaten by some kind of worm or bug, and the corn leaned over like a half-hearted question mark.

Reviews

Robert J. Hubbard

The Pitt (TV Show)

Through Wylie’s grizzled and weary portrayal of a dedicated Emergency Room Chief Resident, The Pitt reminds us of our need for good shepherds to guide

Harper Schoon-Tanis

James: A Novel

One of the “it” books of 2024, James has been enjoyed by many, including former president Barack Obama.

Poetry

Poetry
Joshua Patch

Malchus

There are at least two Machuses in heaven. Malchus according to LUke has at least two ears but no name …

Poetry
Paul J. Willis

Michigan Spring

First leaves of trout lily among the roots of a bare beech tree …

Poetry
Caroline Liberatore

Manual Labor

Against the turnings of solstice hope sprouts eternal …

Poetry
William D. Howden

Wrapped and Laid

Wrapped and laid beginning and end bloth and cloth birth and death …

Poetry
Taylor Mallay

Every Sunday Morning

the phone rings–my grandmother’s voice winds through static, light as the creek curling around her back porch …

Poetry
Mark Hiskes

It’s About Us

It’s about us which is an empathy pronoun, replacing her and him and you and it and, praise the Lord, other.

Podcasts

Podcast
Rose Postma

“Malchus” by Joshua Patch

In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Joshua Patch about his poem “Malchus.” Patch is a teacher

Podcast
Rose Postma

“Michigan Spring” by Paul J. Willis

In this episode of the poetry edition of the Reformed Journal Podcast, Rose Postma interviews Paul J. Willis about his poem “Michigan Spring.” Paul is

Podcast
Rose Postma

“Manual Labor” by Caroline Liberatore

In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Caroline Liberatore about her poem “Manual Labor.” Liberatore is a

Podcast
Rose Postma

“Wrapped and Laid” by Bill Howden

In this week’s episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews William D. Howden on his poem “Wrapped and Laid.” Howden

Podcast
Rose Postma

“Every Sunday Morning” by Taylor Mallay

In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Taylor Mallay about her poem “Every Sunday Morning.” Mallay is a

Podcast
Rose Postma

“It’s About Us” by Mark Hiskes

In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma interviews Mark Hiskes about his poem “It’s About Us.” Hiskes is a