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Ideas for Action

Take action. Find concrete ways to live justly, engage your congregation, and advocate for change.

Re-focusing for Lent

From the very beginning of God’s walk with his people, the blessings they enjoyed because of their relationship with God were meant to overflow. “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you,” God promised Abraham.

Wait Times: A Systemic Issue in Canada's Refugee System...and How You Can Help

Welcoming refugees has galvanized the Christian Reformed Church for decades. On both sides of the border, churches have stood in the gap for people fleeing persecution, whether by sponsoring refugees, supporting community organizations that address refugee needs, welcoming refugees to their churches, or sharing a cup of chai. In some churches, the list of the countries of origin of the refugees they have sponsored reads like a history of the world’s conflicts of the last 50 years: Vietnam, Cambodia, Eastern Europe, Colombia, Congo, Central African Republic, Iraq, Syria.  

Where Justice Dwells

In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where justice dwells.
—2 Peter 3:13

In the face of injustice, it can be easy for us as Christians to become so overwhelmed by the scope of sin that we fail to do anything at all. But there are a number of ways that God’s people are called to respond to the injustices we see around us. When we look to God, and to God’s vision for us, we find an invitation to remember, pray, and advocate.

Between the World and Me: Be Ready to Be Changed

An earlier post described my journey of coming to recognize the privilege I have unwittingly enjoyed all my life. A second post invited people to read two books that might help them better recognize their privilege.

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Remembering the Priesthood of all Believers

This is the last post in our Justice and the Reformed Confessions series. View the other posts in the series here

The Heidelberg Catechism: Keeping Sabbath by Making Sabbath

This is the forth post in our Justice and the Reformed Confessions series. Subscribe here to make sure you don't miss a post and to view the other posts in the series

Jesus’ Sabbath Troubles

Have you ever noticed how often Jesus got into trouble on the Sabbath? The gospel accounts point out numerous times that Jesus was frequently accused of breaking the Sabbath. Consider some of these examples:

The Sex Industry and the Church

We, as the church, exist in the midst of a present darkness--a struggle, not just against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, and powers in the spiritual realm. We are also called to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power equipped with the full armor of God --standing firm in its truth, righteousness and peace, being always protected through faith and salvation and armed with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Ephesians 6).

Is She My Sister?

In September 2016, the Government of Canada launched a ‘National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’, after decades of advocacy from Indigenous groups. Its mission is defined by three goals: finding the truth; honouring the truth; and giving life to the truth as a path to healing. These goals parallel the power of Biblical stories that reveal the truth of human relationships, demand that the truth be honoured, and call humanity to healing through repentance and justice.

The Prayer Warriors of the Persecuted Church in Egypt

November 11, 2011 was a critical day for the Egyptian Church.

Following months of revolutionary activity, and the blood of many political martyrs, and coming on the heels of almost a decade of faithful prayer for their country, 70,000 Christians of many denominations drew together in a night vigil of worship and prayer at the famous cave churches in Mokattam, at the heart of Cairo, calling to God, to bring transformation, hope, and renewal to the church and the people of Egypt and the Middle East. (The image above shows one of the cave churches.)

What Kind of Israel/Palestine Tour Should I Go On?

After serving more than 38 years in congregational ministry, Rev. Bill Vanden Bosch and his wife, Lyn, have been leading “disciple’s pilgrimages” to Israel since 1999.  They have studied twice in Israel at Jerusalem University College and twice under the leadership of Ray VanderLaan, Director of “In the Dust of the Rabbi” ministries and the teacher of the “That the World May Know” video series. Bill has a Doctor of Ministry Degree in multicultural ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary. This post is the second of three on traveling to the land of the Bible.

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