God is a great recycler. When God said in Genesis, “Let dry ground appear,” God created solid, recyclable material. Do you know what I’m talking about?Rocks! Rocks are being recycled all the time, just really, really slowly.It doesn’t matter where you start the recycling process, so let’s start with
When someone needs help, is praying for them enough? Or should Christians do more to directly help?Though Christians often struggle with prayer, praying for someone in need can seem much easier than doing something to help them, especially when doing something requires sacrifice. Yet the gospel clea
I was often puzzled by the sudden turn in the crowd’s mood in Luke 4:16-30. Jesus was in his hometown, Nazareth, and read the scroll of Isaiah 61 in the synagogue. Verse 22 says, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” But within a few minutes, the mood
I recently served on the pastoral search committee at my church. An initial task for our team was to determine what kind of person the congregation wanted as a pastor. The questions on past congregational surveys surprised me. Our congregation had been asked about their comfort level with different
Walking down a hallway I met an acquaintance and said, “Hi!” She smiled and said, “Fine, thank you.” I hadn’t asked how she was, and after a millisecond I realized that I had once more encountered “flippant greeting disorder.” It’s not a clinical disorder, but I believe our society needs to be “heal
A fellow church council member insists that having doubts about our faith is not something “real” believers would experience. It’s made me even more doubtful. What should I do?There are many examples in Scripture of people who had doubts. Perhaps John the Baptist’s life can be instructive. Even befo
They demolished the Christian school building next door to our church. The school is now in a new building on the next road over. As the old building was demolished, I documented the process on Instagram, and as I’ve been sharing pictures, people from our community have had something to say about it
Although it has been so influential in the West, Christianity is not a Western religion. The gospel of Jesus was preached in Africa and Asia before Europe and North America. Nevertheless, non-Westerners are often asked to leave their cultures behind when they become Christians.What does Scripture te
Some of my favorite moments enjoying God’s creation happen in moments of joy, such as gulls on really windy days. They fight to fly into the wind, wait a moment, then ride the winds at high speed back over the water. The gulls do this over and over again. While there might be a different explanation
We continue to fight with our teenagers about being on their phones when we’re together. My husband’s constant glancing at his phone isn’t helping. Is this just a modern problem I need to learn to live with?A while back I learned two new words: “portmanteau” and “phubbing.” I found “portmanteau” whe
I hope April 8, 2024, is a sunny day here in East Palmyra, N.Y. If it is, I’ll have the opportunity to view a solar eclipse from within the “path of totality.” That’s the narrow shadowy band where the moon completely blocks the sun, allowing me to view the eclipse safely without any eye protection.
As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.I believe inc
I'm a person who uses a power chair. Some people think I have an intellectual disability. I don't, and I have never understood why people think that. What very few people recognize is that I do have depression as a secondary condition. Mental illness is so quiet.This summer I experienced a mental he
I’ve heard Christians say that COVID vaccines are “against their religion.” What do they mean? Does the Christian Reformed Church have a position?Religions such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Christian Science Church oppose some or all medical treatment as part of their core teachings. But Christian
Remembering our songWhen our first grandson entered the world two months into a global pandemic, my husband—now a “Papa”—and I were in awe of this 8.5-pound miracle, as were his parents and our other three adult children. On our first visit, while wearing masks and visiting outside under a canopy, w
Why do people seek medical care or counseling? Because something inside them or in their lives is “not the way it’s supposed to be,” as theologian Neil Plantinga says in his book of the same name. People come to church for the same reason. Something in their life is not the way it’s supposed to be.
My time as a campus minister taught me that one of the best tools we have to deal with people’s spiritual doubts is patience. I met many young adults who had doubts and tough questions about their Christian faith. My approach was to let them voice those doubts and wrestle with those questions rather
As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.The two crimi
Is it wrong to continue asking God for something over and over again? Is it a sign that the answer is “no” if you haven’t yet received it?There are many reasons why we might continue to ask God for the same things. First, we have ongoing needs. Every day we wake in the world as vulnerable creatures
To send letters to the editor, please see our guidelines at thebanner.org/letters.The Good Samaritan“Love and do what you want.” That’s from St. Augustine and shows the need for context. Clearly Augustine has in mind the answer given in Luke to the legalistic inquirer. A careful reading of the Good