Unity and diversity
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Unity and diversity

Canadian members of the Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA) face accusations of creating schism and disunity every time they want more space to do ministry in a different way. The word “separation” plays the same threatening role in church circles as it does in Quebec. It now hangs over the upcoming January 29…

Canadian classes called to special meeting
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Canadian classes called to special meeting

For months now there has been a polite rumble among Canadian members of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) about an obscure report called SALT. The Structure and Leadership Taskforce report (SALT), adopted by the CRCNA Council of Delegates (CofD) in May 2021, is on its way to Synod 2022. It is not headline news. It…

Christmas Oranges
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Christmas Oranges

My childhood church Christmas pageants ended with the distribution of treat bags to all the children. Capping a collection of nuts, hard Christmas candies, and chocolate drops was a mandarin orange. As a child I first searched for the longest cinnamon-flavoured ribbon and counted the number of chocolate drops; only later would my attention turn…

Safety online
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Safety online

Young people who sign up to use Instagram, Tik Tok or similar social media sites are targeted with potentially harmful material within 24 hours. New research by the 5 Rights Foundation, an international initiative to promote online safety, shows that this is built into the design of the platforms; it is not just an unfortunate…

A hinge moment?
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A hinge moment?

Between the writing and the reading of this column, a federal election may be launched – or not. Timing is a critical factor in election planning, and sometimes it determines the outcome. Political leaders who choose an advantageous time to call an election are criticized for being opportunistic, but frankly, we do the same in…