January 2021
Download a full pdf of this issue below or find links to every feature, news, column, review, and Our Shared Ministry article included in this edition. Not the date you wanted? Find issues back to January 2016 here or use the search function at the top to find articles going back to 2005. To find something even older, The Banner archives are maintained at Calvin College's Hekman Library.
Features
News
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Heartland Fellowship Christian Reformed Church in Chilliwack, B.C., helped to build a community trail system five years ago. Continuing community partnerships are now deepening relationships to protect community health.
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Prompted by COVID-19 to worship outdoors or online, churches are seeing God move in new spaces. A pastor in New York City and in Grimsby, Ont., shared experiences with The Banner.
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Two or three times each year, Christian Reformed churches send representatives to their classis, a regional group of churches. Here is the report of classis meetings of the past few months.
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Christian Reformed Church members, in Iowa, Michigan, and Montana, won seats in the U.S. election November 3.
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In Ontario and in British Columbia, Friendship Ministry groups—those designed to bring friendship to adults of varying abilities—have made special connections despite pandemic gathering restrictions.
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Pastor, writer, and founder of Mission India, John De Vries died Oct. 25.
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North Hills Christian Reformed Church in Troy, Mich., hosted a traveling art exhibit in September, showcasing work from participants of Crossroads Prison Ministry’s correspondence Bible study course.
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A partnership between River City Church, a Christian Reformed congregation in Cambridge, Ont., and Trinity Centres Foundation, a group that funds and operates transformation projects, is reclaiming a historic church building.
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The report of the Christian Reformed Church's Committee to Articulate a Foundation-Laying Biblical Theology of Human Sexuality affirms the denomination’s historical position on homosexuality and offers scriptural and pastoral guidance on a range of sexual matters.
Our Shared Ministry
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Established 50 years ago, the Committee for Contact with the Government was shaped by congregations out of a conviction that the Christian Reformed Church had a calling to interact with Canadian society and governments.
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The Bridge App was originally designed to give churches new ways to connect. Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, the app has become helpful in ways that weren’t anticipated.
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Seekers and believers are able to have conversations about life’s most pressing issues and work together to explore answers to questions.
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Cuando las palabras tienen significados diferentes, se demuestra una ruptura en la comunidad.
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Over the course of two nights, Lief presented two talks: “Immigration, Human Dignity, and the Image of God” and “Love God, Honor the Emperor.”
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Experts suggest that loaded language can make us react to emotional stimuli instead of taking the time to fully read and understand what has been said.
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Imagine what the church would look like if we were able to put aside our political and theological differences and instead develop a common language based on our shared identity in Christ.
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단어가 서로 다른 의미를 가진 다는 것은 공동체의 분열을 보여주는 것입니다.
Columns
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A deeply moving picture book helps children and their families navigate grief.
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A stunning new volume from the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States, informed by her tribal history and connection to the land.
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As a Reformed Christian, I cling to the unconditionality of God’s grace, by which my sins are forgiven.
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“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” Frodo laments in The Fellowship of the Ring.
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What do I say to young adults in my family when they say they have left the church because they were hurt by the church?
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The congregation started to rise—just a few at first. No one really knew how people would respond to this new idea: a reminder of our baptism that involved standing up, breaching the intimacy of touch, and having water placed on our foreheads. How comfortable would people be?
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No es necesario que temamos la discusión abierta.
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From where I stand, I can see a chicken farmer, an entrepreneur, someone who uses a wheelchair, a university professor, an elderly widow, and a homeschooling mom.
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A rock perched on a cliff has lots of potential energy, as does a spring that is tightly wound.
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See how readers responded to recent Banner issues, articles, and columns.
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Race is a product of racism.
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A funny and personable food travelogue show hosted by the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond.
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Why is this movie relevant? First, it is a lovely reminder that God creates whole ecosystems based on diversity.
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A Christian Reformed historian’s controversial and influential book reveals the ties between white evangelicalism and militant masculinity.
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A masterpiece of a documentary about Michael Jordan appeals to even non-basketball fans.
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In striving to be a fair forum for diverse perspectives in the denomination, I know that not everyone will be happy with some of the views I allow to the table.
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‘Evangelism’ has often been reduced to a simple formula that ‘the other’ is invited to accept and believe.
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The myth of “the one” says the universe has picked out one special person for you, a soulmate perfectly crafted to meet your every need and fit your every curve of character.
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우리는 열린 토론을 두려워할 필요가 없습니다.
