Featured Articles
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 exercising authority shaping the lives of 1.4 billion Catholics. He did this through modeling different behavior, through tools of persuasion in his preaching and encyclicals, through changes in personnel holding various positions of influence, and through his power to convene parties in crucial dialogue and conversation.
Featured Articles
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 prosecute those in the denomination who disagreed with a traditional position on human sexuality, the creeds and confessions started to matter much, much more.
How Big a Jerk Will Your Reading of the Bible Allow You to Be?
Hermeneutics, the science and art of biblical interpretation, is just that, a science and art. It requires deep thought, and there is a lot of
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
Standing at the Intersection, Seated at the Lord’s Table
The table signifies many things, including a rhythm, a routine, and the promise that this is the bread of life and the cup of salvation.
Language Learning: Moving from Hostility to Hospitality
If I had wanted to become a fluent German speaker, I should have started before I was ten years old, which seems to be the
The End of White Western Male Supremacy – Lessons Learned from Henk Hart
Before I go any further, I should clarify that I’m not channeling Critical Race Theory or parroting something I picked up in a DEI training.
Taking the Plunge in the Secular City: Harvey Wasn’t on the Bus
It may have been The Secular City by Harvey Cox that stirred the pot. Five years after the book’s debut in 1965, a yellow school
Latest from the Blog
Daily blog by our regular bloggers & guest contributors.
Uncomfortable about Power
Black power did not mean white disempowerment but the right of all people to exercise agency for themselves.
Windows on Mystery: Breath
We are the creatures who breathe God. To be human is to breathe God.
Strong Men are Servants, Not Sadists
Domination and destruction are easy and cruel. Serving, building, creating: that takes humility, which is true strength. So how can we provide a counter-narrative in
Pipsqueaks in the Shire
Even the best magicians need pipsqueaks to make things right.
In the Big Inning
Since every player performs differently in each game, the final score is always the outcome of their intermixing contributions at that one moment in time.
Pride Comes, Then Disgrace
“You might think you’re hot snot on a silver platter,
but you’re really just cold boogers on a paper plate.”
Julia Child and Me
A cup of tea and good conversation with Julia Child back in 1966 gave my early career a boost.
When the light takes longer
I spend the earliest morning shift willing myself to stay alert, tracing the endless yellow lines that slice through the dark, and praying for the
Reviews
James: A Novel
One of the “it” books of 2024, James has been enjoyed by many, including former president Barack Obama.
Defiant Dreams: The Journey of An Afghan Girl Who Risked Everything for Education
“In Afghanistan, you have to fear for the future of an educated child.”
A Balm for Gilead: Meditations on Spirituality and the Healing Arts
Health professionals have long emphasized a certain mental toughness that, although quite functional and healthy in many ways, can sometimes lead to a dysfunctional and
Holland is a Dud
I’m sorry to say, Holland is a dud, a movie with more plot holes than a piece of Swiss cheese (with no Gouda or Edam
The Way of Belonging: Reimagining Who We Are and How We Relate
Westfall encourages her readers to not only know and accept our belonging to God but also to live into the fact that belonging isn’t where
The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth
Schlanger’s extensive review of cutting-edge plant research reveals that our green neighbors have numerous tricks up their shady sleeves.
How to End Christian Nationalism
Amanda Tyler’s timely new book, How to End Christian Nationalism, is a short and accessible addition to an expanding list of books written by Christians
Invoking the Fathers: Dangerous Metaphors and Founding Myths in Congressional Politics
I highly recommend Invoking the Fathers to anyone interested in navigating the current moment in American history or improving their understanding and practice of rhetoric,
Poetry
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 …
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.
Lost Sheep
Seventy-seven pounds of wool on that merino sheep who got lost
in the Outback.
Table
Let the sparrow take a chair at the Juneteenth table with Elijah …
You Said, Let There Be Light
You said, Let there be light, and there was light. And you saw that the light was good …
Podcasts
“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
“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
“Lost Sheep” by Margaret DeRitter
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Margaret DeRitter about her poem “Lost Sheep.” DeRitter is the
“Table” by Patrick T. Reardon
In this episode of the Reformed Journal Podcast, the poetry edition, Rose Postma talks with Patrick T. Reardon about his poem “Table.” Reardon, who was