News
A Better Way in the Middle East
15+ hour, 29+ min ago (66+ words) It hasn't always been this way. With all the carnage the United States is bringing to the Middle East, it seems as though death and destruction will be our national legacy. But that has not always been the case. There…...
Discernment in the Digital Age: A review of AI Goes to Church
1+ day, 16+ hour ago (833+ words) Reformed Journal Discernment in the Digital Age: A review of AI Goes to Church Todd Korpi's AI Goes to Church is an engaging resource for Christian leaders exploring the implications of artificial intelligence for their ministry, even as it reflects…...
Oft Hope is Born When All is Forlorn
3+ day, 15+ hour ago (1069+ words) A pink sunrise filters through the window. Coffee steams in my mug. I'm reading J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. I've reached a troubling scene. "Soon all shall be burned," Denethor, Steward of Gondor, laments. "The West has failed! It…...
Where's Our Belhar?
3+ day, 15+ hour ago (1633+ words) Recently, I attended a denominational meeting and listened to a discussion on unity. It was measured. It was respectful. It was recognizably Reformed. We cited confessions. We pointed to polity. We invoked synodical decisions and doctrinal distinctions. We talked about…...
Two Rabbis and the Crucifixion of the Lord
6+ day, 15+ hour ago (1774+ words) Twelve years ago, in Brooklyn, on Good Friday morning, my phone rang. It was my bestie, Rabbi Andy Bachman. He said, "I just want to say'it was all a big mistake!" " LOL. The Lord Jesus had said, "Father, forgive them,…...
History Lessons: Contextualized Faithfulness and Racial Justice
1+ week, 1+ day ago (177+ words) Karen Johnson has produced a book that hits the bullseye at the intersection of deep and practical. You need to read this book. Buy it if you are able, but be sure to read it. Johnson and her husband eventually…...
Seeing First Fruits at Setshabelo Family and Child Services and Other Locations in South Africa
1+ week, 3+ day ago (92+ words) And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit" (Romans 8: 23) Naude and other white clergy emphasized verses such as Galatians 3: 28, There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for…...
John Calvin: Refugee Theologian
1+ week, 5+ day ago (656+ words) David Timmer is Professor Emeritus of Religion at Central College. He and his wife Mary live in Pella, Iowa, where they are members of Second Reformed Church. He stays busy in retirement by pursuing research, writing, and occasional teaching gigs…...
Being the Church in the World: Lessons from Mother Emanuel
2+ week, 1+ day ago (522+ words) For New York Times journalist Kevin Sack, one thing led to another." In 2015, he covered the mass shooting of a Black pastor and eight Black parishioners participating in a Bible study at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, SC. As Sack…...
Healing in a Welcoming Faith Community
2+ week, 1+ day ago (801+ words) In 2008, I moved to Ottawa, Ontario for work. New city, new province, new job! A well-intentioned family member suggested I connect with distant relatives who lived in Ottawa. They could introduce me to others at their Christian Reformed Church. It…...