Last August, Christian Courier (CC) began a pilot project called Enemy Pen Pals. The plan was to connect CC readers who may disagree on a few key issues and invite them into regular correspondence with each other – the goal being not consensus but empathy. An open invitation went out in August, and by early…
In his 90 years, John Hofstee has been many things: a teacher, a banker, a factory worker, a book translator, the son of a truck driver, a father, grandfather, great-grandfather and also a Christian Courier writer. His first article, published in Dutch in 1960, was an explanation of the Canadian banking system. He was paid…
Since Blessed are the Undone came out, I’ve been invited to talk about faith deconstruction in classrooms, board rooms and churches – and once, maybe fittingly, in a working art studio, where every surface had a layer of colourful grit. At the All Canada Summit in Kitchener, Ontario, on November 7, I wore a T-shirt…
When the first forerunner of Christian Courier was published in 1945, I was a four-year-old in the Netherlands, newly liberated from Nazi rule. The Hunger Winter was only three months behind us, and my first memory was of terrifyingly loud noises overnight. Only much later did I learn that the scary racket came from squadrons…
I’m stepping down as Editor of Christian Courier (CC) in a few months. Since you were the one who hired me back in 2008, I thought you’d like to know. After Christmas, Meghan and Maaike will be taking over as co-editors – part of a succession plan that’s been in the works for a while….
At age 11 I published my first newspaper, dubbing it Life and Times. Hand-printed on leftover notebook pages, produced in triplicate using carbon paper, the price was two cents per copy. Featured stories included: where I had gone on my bike that day; how my dog stole a package of cigarettes from the neighbour’s patio;…
My career as a writer was launched in 1980 when I sent an unsolicited article to Calvinist Contact – and it was accepted! The impetus for my article was born on a gold-tinged Sunday afternoon in September: the golden leaves of autumn in the woods next door, the golden sunlight streaming over the hill behind…
Canada, 2008-2015. Also Argentina. Australia. Congo. Czech Republic. Fiji. Finland. Ireland. Liberia. Morocco. Norway. Paraguay. Peru. Poland. Philippines. Sierra Leone. South Africa. South Korea. Taiwan. The Ukraine. What do all these countries have in common? After the coup, after apartheid, after colonialism, after civil war – they’ve each had to figure out: how can embattled…
One year ago, I stood in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. I pressed my hands to the stone, closed my eyes, and asked: What is your story? Images flooded my mind: fire, smoke, incense, screams. I pulled my hand away. On either side of me women faced the wall, heads bowed, swaying slightly…
It was only two pages at first. A single, double-sided sheet. Paul De Koekkoek, pastor of First Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in Edmonton, wrote the articles and paid for the issues to be mimeographed and mailed to churches and interested individuals across Canada. In April 1946, De Koekkoek proposed (in Dutch) that the CRC denomination…
It was a simple beginning in a secondhand book store, several summers ago. Among a jumble of other craft books was a beautifully illustrated book of shawl patterns, perfect to take when next visiting a close friend of mine, Joyce, who is a talented knitter. The title was A Prayer Shawl Companion, written by Janet…
“Christian Courier’s independent Canadian journalism inspires action, builds community and influences culture for Christ.” Last summer, as we were busy behind the scenes building our new website, we took a hard look at our mission statement. Printed on page 4 of every issue, you may have seen it before: “Established 75 years ago,” it said,…
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