Featured Articles
The Cost of Christian Cultural Warfare
Christian nationalist and culture-war ideologies offer what may sound like an appealing pathway forward. The call to “take back our country” and win the culture wars strikes a responsive emotional chord. At the same time, however, this entices Christians to chase after the same old useless idols of power, control, and score-settling that bedeviled our medieval predecessors. We would do well to choose an alternate path – the one blazed by Jesus himself.
Featured Articles
How Ignoring Our Bodies is Harming Our Souls
My body is me. Any attempt to ignore and suppress this body-soul oneness is to cause harm, for it is to live in opposition to the good work of my creator. In the thousand quotidian acts I carry out in the course of a week, my body is the object of Divine Love—created good and destined not for disposal and decay, but resurrection.
The Sabbath Way: Time is Love
The Sabbath invites us to get clear about what our values are in relation to time, so that when we feel the tug between fast
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
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
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
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
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
Latest from the Blog
Daily blog by our regular bloggers & guest contributors.
When they go low,
I’m wondering how or if we can hold on to something like Michelle’s Obama’s hopeful call while also engaging with a vile man doing all
Of Faith and Fiction
A sermon is invariably made better by telling stories, but a story is never made better when it sermonizes.
On a Sunday Afternoon
We met in the parking lot of the country church on either side of which we had lived, my father the pastor and his the
Great work is done while we’re asleep
Last summer, my family and I went for a bike ride along a trail on our way to one of our favorite lunch spots. We
Never Take More Than Half
When my writing crosses the line into sentimentality, I am taking more than half, by which I mean that I am doing my own emotional
WWJP: What Would Jesus Post?
Normally, my relationship with social media is complicated—but on my birthday, it feels fun. Messages, pictures, and love pour in.
A Time for Tender Compassion
Of the many words that name aspects of love, tender is one of my favorite. I used to sing my daughters to sleep, and later
The Library, Acts 2, and Sharing
The books, the board games, the educational toys, the movies, the building blocks, the pots and pans, the guitars, and even the seeds for planting
Reviews
Small Things Like These
This is not a happy story, per se, but a good one. A story that reminds me that those quiet murmurings of our hearts, what
The Sabbath Way: Making Room in Your Life for Rest, Connection, and Delight
Travis West has written the book on Sabbath that we need right now. And by “we” I mean all of us–the busy, the tired, the
Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling
Anyone looking at Neri Alvarado Borges’ tattoo knows there must be deep meaning behind it. Shaped like a loop of ribbon, it features a rainbow
The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy
This is an important book, combining careful research, insightful analysis, and brisk, clear writing. The story that Taylor uncovers is one that should be deeply
Do I Stay Christian?: A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned
This book is a much-needed addition for addressing the current crisis in Christian consciousness.
The Traveler’s Path: Finding Spiritual Growth and Inspiration Through Travel
The Traveler’s Path: Finding Spiritual Growth and Inspiration Through Travel by Doug Brouwer is a book for sojourners, and, if I’m not mistaken, that label
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
James: A Novel
One of the “it” books of 2024, James has been enjoyed by many, including former president Barack Obama.
Poetry
The jar the woman left beside the well
the large jar lays beside the well of the city’s forefather …
Malchus
There are at least two Machuses in heaven. Malchus according to LUke has at least two ears but no name …
Michigan Spring
First leaves of trout lily among the roots of a bare beech tree …
Manual Labor
Against the turnings of solstice hope sprouts eternal …
Wrapped and Laid
Wrapped and laid beginning and end bloth and cloth birth and death …
Every Sunday Morning
the phone rings–my grandmother’s voice winds through static, light as the creek curling around her back porch …
Podcasts
“The Jar Left at the Well” by Sarah Watkins
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Sarah Watkins about her poem “The Jar the Woman Left
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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