February 2024
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
- READ MORE
“What message would you have us take of this island?” I asked. The answer: “That slavery happened, and that it must never happen again.”
Dust and the Divine
What Lent Can Teach Us About Caring for CreationREAD MOREHumans are both dust and reflections of the divine. Two sacred, God-given identities meant to sit side by side, each meant to inform and contextualize the other. But what happens when the balance is thrown out of whack?
News
- READ MORE
Regional groups of congregations of the Christian Reformed Church in North America meeting this fall have responded with varying approaches to instructions from the 2023 general assembly.
- READ MORE
When a group of Christians from diverse backgrounds founded Unity Christian School in South Holland, Ill., they sought to ground their purpose with an educational creed all could affirm.
- READ MORE
The services encourage dialogue, questions and sharing to help “people to contemplate how the words of scripture and the call of Christ actually interact with their daily life.”
- READ MORE
In the Alberta Avenue neighborhood of Edmonton, Alta., the worshiping communities of Avenue Christian Reformed Church, St. Faith’s and St. Mary’s Anglican churches and an Indigenous spiritual community called Standing Stones, together form Lodgepole Communitas.
In Memoriam: Rev. Arthur J. Stienstra
(1930-2023)READ MOREDescribed as a righteous man who was quick to offer compassion and forgiveness, Art Stienstra died November 26. He was 93.
In Memoriam: Rev. John Pasma
1950-2023READ MOREA steady, compassionate man who was a highschool teacher before he was a pastor, John Pasma lived his final years with Parkinson’s disease and esophageal cancer. He died Nov. 22 at age 73.
In Memoriam: Rev. Kenneth Van De Griend
1944-2023READ MOREPastor and missionary, Ken Van De Griend, was a passionate, humble man with a heart for missions. He died Nov. 22, at age 79.
- READ MORE
An interest in a former pastime from 19 years ago led pastor Diego Flores to connect with one young person through martial arts, creating a Bible study program he calls The Way.
- READ MORE
From naming and renaming what eventually became the Christian Reformed Church in North America to the first publication dates of denominational periodicals, quite a number of memorable events in our denomination happened in February. Here are a few:
Columns
- READ MORE
It’s calming to know that Psalm 91 promises to give us what we so desperately need. … However, there is a major problem with Psalm 91.
- READ MORE
Ronald was a 13-year-old student at the Christian school in Houston, B.C. His sudden death sent shockwaves throughout the northwest Central Interior of the province.
- READ MORE
Frost is a unique and beautiful aspect of creation.
- READ MORE
Our restless, hurry-addicted culture has not taught us how to create hospitable environments for deep growth.
- READ MORE
The truth is that we may say with our lips that we love the Lord and that he is our treasure, yet our hearts may be far from jim.
- READ MORE
If you believe that people go immediately to heaven when they die, do you think it might have been a bit cruel to Lazarus for Jesus to bring him back to life?
- READ MORE
I’m already sick of reading election news on my news feed, and we still have months to go. Would it be irresponsible of me to bury my head in the sand and ignore it all?
- READ MORE
Las Escrituras nos instan a decir la verdad con amor (Ef. 4:15). Creo que esto significa decir la verdad no sólo con buena intención, sino también de forma cariñosa, amable y gentil.
- READ MORE
See how readers responded to recent Banner issues, articles, and columns.
- READ MORE
When I mentioned to a friend that I think everyone should find a job they love, he responded that some people just need to make a living. Is this a cop-out?
- READ MORE
Movie buff LeMarr Jackson shares his picks for the five best films of 2023
- READ MORE
Scripture calls us to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). I believe this means speaking the truth not only with loving intent, but also in loving, kind, and gentle ways.
- READ MORE
As a 6-year-old, I depended on God and his angels to help me across the ice.
- READ MORE
- READ MORE
성경은 우리에게 사랑 안에서 참된 것을 말하라고 합니다(엡 4:15). 이 말씀은 사랑의 의도를 가지고 진리를 말하는 것뿐만 아니라, 사랑과 친절, 조심스러운 방식으로 말하라는 뜻이라고 생각합니다.
Our Shared Ministry
- READ MORE
If Jesus walked among us today, I know he would have a bench, or at least a retreat spot.
- READ MORE
“I can’t go to church, but I want to worship.”
- READ MORE
When busyness is worn as a badge of honor, the choice to seek rest can feel counterintuitive or even wasteful. Deep rest requires intentionality, self-compassion, and practice—lots of practice.
- READ MORE
“They were determined to make the road better for God’s people, and the rains could not stop them.”
- READ MORE
Christian leadership requires living out a life of service throughout the week, not just on Sundays.
- READ MORE
Each Tuesday, the Calvin Theological Seminary community gathers for Public Reading of Scripture.
- READ MORE
Si Jesús caminara hoy entre nosotros, sé que tendría una banca, o al menos un lugar de retiro.
- READ MORE
만약 예수님이 오늘날 우리 가운데 거니셨다면 벤치나 적어도 쉬실 곳이 있었을 것입니다.
