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Can We Still Reason ... Together?

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As I write, the George Floyd story and its aftermath has dominated the news. Even if the furor dies down, the scar will remain. V iolence of any kind is generally repulsive. I realize that there are reasons for it in times of war; but there are not too many other good reasons for it.  O ne definition of violence is simply: “behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.” The death of George Floyd was a violent act by an officer of the law who had no mercy for a man who was already handcuffed, and therefore unable to resist custody. He was pleading for his life. He was having trouble breathing. The officer unmoved, did not move, and a life ended before many eyes. As the video evidence was swiftly shared around the world, rage became the response for many, and the violent act of one officer and his accomplices ignited violent protests around America. As others have suggested, the country was likely already a powder keg because o
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The Covid Cloud and a Church Check-Up

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The Covid-19 cloud continues to hover over us as the days of isolation continue. In some areas, however, there are rays of potential sunshine as restrictiosn slowly lift, and worshipping  together again is returning, but likely in a restricted fashion.  S till the effects of this virus remain. To measure the impact on the churches, Christian Renewal asked a number of URCNA ministers to share information about their situation. We received a tremendous response, more than we could include.  Perhaps the most effected churches so far are those in the New York City area. Rev. Drew Eenigenburg sent the following status report from his home in West Sayville, New York:  “Several of our members suffered from Covid-19 infection, and many who continued to work were affected greatly by the risk of infection in their workplace. One of our doctors was assigned to a Covid-19 floor, and was infected while serving. By God’s grace, he is now recovered and working again. Other members a
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Tectonic Shift in Our Life Situations

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For a generation of North Americans who have lived with very little trauma in their lives, generally speaking, the shift in life situations over the last number of weeks has been dramatic. O ur fast paced, frenetic lives have taken a decided detour and redirection with the advent of Covid19, the coronavirus that has swept around the world, reportedly slaying its thousands, emptying malls, schools halls, sports arenas, airports, movie theaters, streets, highways, byways and church sanctuaries, cancelling concerts, conferences and a multitude of public events for an as yet undetermined period of time. Most churches have responded by obeying the government directives severely limiting public gatherings. Household worship is the temporary norm as families and individuals tune in each Sunday to computers and televisions to watch ministers bring the Word, either from their homes or from near empty church buildings. Businesses that have been required to
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How Small Things Become Very Large Things

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The original act that precipitated the fall into sin may seem to some skeptics a small thing. Eve took a bite of forbidden fruit, then she gave it to Adam to eat. And a seemingly minor act of disobedience enveloped the whole world in sin and misery. Things have never been the same since the earth’s good beginning. Context, of course, is everything. T oday, a tiny virus – microscopic – metamorphosed in what is called a “wet market” in China, and through contact, many, many contacts, this microscopic virus, has traveled the globe, sparking fear, panic, uncertainty. As of this writing it continues its contagious spread. In the case of this particular strain of the coronavirus, many scientific researchers are furiously pouring over formulations in an attempt to discover an antidote that will battle with and kill the virus – to end its reign of terror, a reign that has shut down church buildings, ministries, conferences, businesses, households, airlines, schools, resorts, sports
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Climate of Fear

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The coronavirus has done the unexpected – it has bumped “climate change” off the fear register for now as reports of the virus continue to dominate headlines and news reports. The lesson being taught us is that we are really not in control of our lives, as much as we’d like to believe and think we are . J ust as we cannot re-adjust the climate to what we think is normal, so we cannot cure every disease, heal every hurt, satisfy every injustice, stop every bullet or even every bully, dry up every tear, alleviate every fear. This world is broken, and it will remain broken until Christ comes again. And that event will be beyond words. Every mouth will be stopped. That fact, of course, does not mean that we give up trying to find cures, to promote justice and fairness, to help the homeless, and to do what we can to comfort the suffering – the work of restoration is vital work. Yet all such work is temporary in nature. Even those who Jesus healed of so many ailme
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No-Spin Zones No More

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  W e all have our biases. Let's admit that off the top. Christian Renewal magazine, for instance, is influenced and guided by a Reformed, Christian worldview.  We don’t hide that fact. It’s on our front page.  So what we write is guid ed by certain principles regarding truth and false   hood, about a world that is sin stained, and about a God who is active in creation and redemption, with fulfillment and fruition to come. Secular newspapers and other media for the most part are directed by their own ideologies and beliefs, and those beliefs shape content. When I was in college studying journalism, there was still a sense that a newspaper’s purpose was to be objective, to get the facts and report them in a balanced and fair way. Today, journalism is very much advocacy based.  There is an editorial direction that is clearly promoted by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, for examples, that is evident to those who read these daily
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Living out of the consequences of a fallen world

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H aiti has been a troubled country, practically since its birth. And things are sadly getting worse, to the point that lawlessness has taken firm hold, and the government, the cause of much of the unrest, is unable to set things right. Missionaries caught up in the maelstrom can only wait it out, either outside of, or in Haiti itself, with the people who are their neighbours and their brothers and sisters. Please keep this beleagured country in your prayers. Marian Van Til keeps the plight of Christians per­secuted for their faith before us, again as a matter for prayer and action. We shake our heads when hearing stories of executions and imprisonment, but then we move on to the next story. Better to take the time to put our words into some action for the sake of those whose faith is being tried by fire. Speaking of fire, the wildfires in California pushed along by the winds have turned lives upside down as homes in the woody lands and mountains of the state are threatened
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