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Why the Church Cares

Learn more about God's call to do justice as an integral part of Christian mission, vocation, and discipleship. Find out where the CRC stands on justice issues and the deep theology motivation those decisions.

The Just War Tradition and the Israeli/Hamas conflict

Jesus did not teach that the brokenness that sometimes exists in the relationships between nations and between individuals should be solved by the use of violence.  Luke 6:29 says "If anyone slaps you on one cheek, offer him the other cheek, too. If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt". Consequently, the church for its first several centuries rejected violence as an appropriate way to solve the brokenness which can exist between nations and between individuals.
 

Tell me, what do you have in your house?

Just like the widow in desperate need who Elisha encounters in 2 Kings, so it can seem that our communities have desperate needs: homeless encampments, drug overdose crisis, natural disasters destroying towns, long health care waitlists, exploitative landlords, and the list goes on. 

Stories that Free Us to Live More Faithfully

Biblical stories guide us in our walk of faith and are often told through the land— the Isrealites journey through the desert, Moses’ burning bush, gatherings by the shore to hear Jesus preach, and the journey to Emmaus. These stories are not only preserved in our sacred text but Israelites honored some of these stories by erecting stone remembrances on the landscape (Joshua 4:9). 

Spirituality and Justice for Trees

The Bible is bookended with trees. In Genesis, the tree of life stands in for the Garden of Eden. In Revelation, the tree represents the restored New Jerusalem, a tree whose leaves “are for the healing of nations.”

The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

The CRCNA’s Nineveh

It is very easy to be hard on the Jonah of the Bible. It seems so obvious to us what he ought to do. However, I believe that each of us has a Nineveh we brush aside as quickly as Jonah does. When God calls Jonah eastward, Jonah goes as far as humanly possible westward. Of all things he goes on a boat. Israelites were not seafaring people. Jonah probably did not know how to swim and in Israelite culture the sea was used to describe chaos, danger and evil, where monsters dwell. Jonah also paid the fare for the ship. Commentators believe that during this time money was rare.

Planting A Bur Oak

The other parents and I were getting off the school bus, when I heard a comment that I thought would be the start of an argument. We had been shuttled upriver to retrieve our vehicles and the canoe trailer after spending the morning paddling downstream. One dad was mocking another: “Are you sure your truck is big enough? Maybe you need something bigger.” The truck in question was as big as they come. It had after-market tires and a lift kit, which meant that a sort of jump step was required to reach the door. 

Intercultural Ministries Introduces the Collective

Across Canada, there is a growing interest in becoming a healthy intercultural church as ethnic & racial diversity becomes a fundamental reality. According to Statistics Canada (2022), projections indicate that by 2041, one out of two Canadians will be a BIPoC.  The Intercultural Ministries in Canada help the church respond to this context.

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The Benefits of Lament on the Heart

The Belhar Confession has been described appropriately as “a cry from the heart.” It is an embodiment of lament in the face of racial injustice. I have found myself lamenting lately. I lament my father who was targeted by police because of his resistance to factory farming through butchering animals in his backyard - as he did in his home country.

Food for the Community

Since its founding in 2010 Destination Church has found it easy to share the gospel around food.  This approach to gospel witness has informed how we approach our diaconal work as a community.  Seeing the increase in food insecurity in St. Thomas has prompted us to take several actions.  

Keeping Eventbrite Open

Am I strange or have you also left a website open in your browser just because you couldn’t bear to close it?  For five months after the event ended, I kept the EventBrite page open and I smiled every time I saw it.  This open tab reminded me of the amazing time of preparation for and the celebration of the Broken Walls concert held on Sept. 30 (The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) in Belleville, On.

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