November 2018
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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Working toward a culture that makes abuse prevention and response a priority, leaders in safe church ministry in the Christian Reformed Church discuss what we can learn from the experiences and reactions of other Christian ministries.
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Sioux Center Christian School, Dordt College, and Bethesda Christian Counseling hosted a two-day conference focused on healing together from the aftereffects of abuse.
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In Willmar, Minn., a pastor called to preach the gospel to people lost in addiction and pain is finding support from the surrounding Christian Reformed community.
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In Virginia, members of Grace Christian Reformed Church started their own home-based youth group as a service to their son’s soccer team. The group boosted the church’s contingent to a SERVE trip this summer and continues to bless its community.
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Bill Kooienga, a warm, kind, gentle, thoughtful, joy-filled man of God, and a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church for 38 years, passed away peacefully on July 12. He was 82.
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Steadfastly committed to his lifelong calling of preaching, prayer, and pastoral care, Ken Koeman died peacefully on August 8, after a brief illness. He was 75.
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Skilled volunteers from a wide region of established churches lent their time and expertise to prepare an old building for its new worshiping community in the heart of the University of Washington.
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This past summer, a newly planted Christian Reformed Church in North Oshawa, Ont., heard the words most churches hope for: its presence in the public square was welcomed and appreciated.
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First Christian Reformed Church in Fremont, Mich., has been part of the fun in community harvest days with sculpted hay art displays for the last four years.
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A new effort to bridge the generation gap connects young people with older adults to tackle problems they care about. Two Christian Reformed churches are seeing results.
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First Christian Reformed Church in Oostburg, Wisc., recognized God’s faithfulness over its 150-year history with three special events.
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In 1993, Nick Hengeveld never thought that his early tests on an online gateway would become the most visited Christian website.
Columns
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As the wind howls and snow blankets the world, all is well in the barn.
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According to one polyamory website, a polyamorous relationship is “a romantic relationship where the people in the relationship agree that it’s okay for everyone to be open to or have other romantic partners.”
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Singer-songwriter Plumb writes music that is unique in its honesty, vulnerability, and hopefulness.
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In this historical novel, Joy and Jack discover what it means to be truly known beyond the protective masks that humans so often hide behind.
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I was taught to obey police officers, but they didn’t play a large role in my life.
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Mia and her parents are immigrants to California from China. And that is just one of the secrets she keeps.
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This man got a pair of gloves, and I got a blessing. I think I came out ahead.
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From beginning to end, Our World Belongs to God testifies that God is fully present and involved in our lives.
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Good theology is not simply about faithfulness and accuracy to God’s Word but must include a wise and loving use of God’s Word.
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Here are six films, from the very old to the recent, that are worth watching.
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The answer to this question is all about the Holy Spirit.
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La buena teología no tiene que ver simplemente con la fidelidad y exactitud de la Palabra de Dios, sino que debe incluir un sabio y amoroso uso de la Palabra de Dios.
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Parker Palmer’s new book is not intended to be a guide to or a handbook on aging. Rather, it is a prismatic reflection on his own life experience, so much of which is universal and can encourage others on the journey.
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I was a synodical delegate in 2016 and 2017 and a member of the subcommittee that authored the recommendations referenced by Clayton Libolt in his article...
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Sacred Signposts is a stimulating and rich exploration of God’s gifts to the church and their significance for our walk.
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Dorhmann’s book offers food for thought regarding the place of sports in our lives.
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Here’s one way to practice being thankful every day!
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Jacqueline Woodson’s picture book shows how, when one person reaches out, a bridge is built.
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The founder of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast gives good reasons and great suggestions for reading aloud to children.
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In this deftly crafted YA novel, two teens become friends in a Nazi concentration camp where they hope their sewing skills will keep them alive.
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The Songs We Hide is a page-turner about a little-known aspect of European history.
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Giller Prize-winner Michael Ondaatje delivers a well-crafted tale of intrigue.
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It is a mistake to assume that just because a lesson is for young children it can be theologically neutral.
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On the one hand, some connections are established more easily and quickly now that the smartphone replaced the telephone...
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It’s as if my whole life I’ve been trying to learn a language, and it wasn’t until I started to write that I could finally speak it.
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Author Nicole Baart’s latest is an engrossing read about a recently widowed adoptive mother who must unravel the mystery of her late husband’s death to save her family.
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바른 신학은 단지 하나님 말씀에 대한 충실함과 정확성만이 아니라 반드시 지혜와 사랑으로 하나님의 말씀을 사용하는 것을 포함합니다.
Our Shared Ministry
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Abuse is a topic that many of us avoid because it is so difficult to find the exact right words to use.
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Tengan ánimo. Vivan agradecidos. Dios no nos ha abandonado en nuestra miseria.
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Earlier this year, synod encouraged denominational ministries to honor the 400th anniversary of the Synod of Dort, which met between 1618-19 in the city of Dordrecht in the Netherlands.
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Human trafficking, one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world, has many faces.
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Then her husband began drinking again. It took only three months for his abuse to return.
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용기를 내십시오. 감사하십시오. 하나님은 우리를 고통 속에 내버려두지 않으십니다.