Church property repurposed
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Church property repurposed

On March 21, the Board of Kings Cross Senior Communities (KCSC) in St. Catharines, Ontario, hosted a Recognition Service on the parking lot of the former Maranatha Christian Reformed Church (CRC) to reflect on the church’s history and to share plans for the next phase of the property’s use after the church building is demolished….

Do No Harm
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Do No Harm

I recently walked into a doctor’s office where I saw a sign that read, “This is a place of healing – no forms of aggressive behavior will be tolerated.” While I grieve the fact that the sign was needed, what impressed me was the clear recognition on the part of the medical establishment of why…

Effective immediately: Jesus no longer works here
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Effective immediately: Jesus no longer works here

In the 1990s, Kellogg Company produced a series of commercials featuring their iconic mascot, Tony the Tiger. The plot of these commercials typically revolved around a kid being bullied. To help the young person overcome their adversaries, Tony the Tiger offers some Frosted Flakes cereal. Through the power of the sugar-coated cereal, the child and…

Common Ground after the HSR
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Common Ground after the HSR

We know that you, our CC readers, have lots to say about decisions made at the Christian Reformed Church’s Synod regarding the Human Sexuality Report. One year ago, our Editor pleaded for unity on this issue, and while denominational unity is beyond CC’s mission statement, our membership in the body of Christ remains.  Honesty and Understanding CC is committed…

Cracking the Code
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Cracking the Code

This article isn’t ultimately about conversations inside the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) right now, but that’s where we’ll start. Weighing in on the recent decision of the Synod of the CRC to elevate the condemnation of “homosexual sex” to confessional status, Rod Dreher focused on the consequences for Calvin University in a recent article for…

Tiptoe Through the TULIP(s)
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Tiptoe Through the TULIP(s)

The Three Forms of Unity is a collective name for the Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and the Canons of Dort (1619) which reflect the teachings of Calvinism and which are accepted as official doctrinal statements by many Calvinist churches, including the Christian Reformed Church (CRC). Anyone seeking an official position (minister, elder, deacon) in the CRC must…

‘What does it mean to be us?’
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‘What does it mean to be us?’

Christian Courier’s Editor spoke with Rev. Al Postma on May 20, two weeks after he began his new position as Transitional Executive Director of Canadian Ministries for the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) of North America. Previously, Postma served six years as Classis Renewal leader for the denomination and, from 2009-2016, as pastor of Bethlehem CRC…

When God closes a church
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When God closes a church

For 70 years, Fruitland Christian Reformed Church (CRC) and its congregation in and around Fruitland, Ontario have given faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ over four generations of mostly Dutch-born or -descended members. Before the church was built in 1952, the growing congregation worshiped in a local Legion Hall. Early on, the fledgling…

Did anyone ask the hard questions?
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Did anyone ask the hard questions?

On May 6, the Hesed Project CRC published an open letter by Dr. Mary Stewart VanLeeuwen that gives new information about her role as promotor fidei, or “Devil’s Advocate,” on the Synodical Committee to Articulate a Foundation-laying Biblical Theology of Human Sexuality for the Christian Reformed Church of North American (CRCNA). The committee’s report (commonly…

Judgements
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Judgements

I was lucky Conroy was in his office, or in total exasperation I would have spilled it all to the secretary – that’s how angry I was. “He’s not coming back in,” I told the principal. “I’ve had it with the kid. He’s a jerk, and he’s pushed me over the line. He’s out of…

Social media during Synod? Pray rather than post
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Social media during Synod? Pray rather than post

A recent article in The Atlantic was titled “Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid.” In this article, author Jonathan Haidt uses the tower of Babel story as a metaphor for how social media has shaped the current context such that people are “disoriented, unable to speak the same language…

Canadian Catalytic Conversations 2
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Canadian Catalytic Conversations 2

Four delegates representing every Christian Reformed classis in Canada, along with Canadian CRCNA staff, Canada Corp Board members and observers, met online on Saturday, January 29, via Zoom, for a meeting dubbed Canadian Catalytic Conversation 2 (CCC2). The stated purpose of the meeting was to “wrestle with the options put forward for ministry in Canada,”…