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Tough Love
Regarding âTough Loveâ (March 2023), my experience is that tough love is never blunt, rude, nor abrupt. Bluntness, rudeness, and abruptness lack love. Tough love is loving.
Janet Smit // Toronto, Ont.
Culture War-ification
I joined the Christian Reformed Church when I was 19 years old, and I have been a faithful member of the CRC ever since. ⊠I read and hear with great alarm about âThe Culture War-ification of the CRCâ (June 2023) and wonder how this can happen in the CRC. I truly appreciated Brandon Haanâs article. I think like him when he says, âThe fact is that, far from functioning as a countercultural critic of the forces militating against Christ and his kingdom, weâve instead adopted the strategies of those forces and ⊠become pawns in the broader culture war instead of serving as the thoughtful, prophetic critics we are invited to be.â I want us to become a loving denomination that is hospitable to LGBTQ+ Christians who want to worship our Lord. Do we exclude others from our congregations?
Pam Adams // Sioux Center, Iowa
Cognitive Dissonance
Iâve spent much of my life in relative awe of the men and women who are certain they know the mind of God. I thank Jake Masselink for highlighting that perhaps my jealousy was ill-advised (âThe Bible and Cognitive Dissonance,â May 2023). It might be time to consider 2 Timothy 4:3-4 and Matthew 18:6. God is loveâthatâs what we teach. Eternal judgment belongs to him, not you or me.
Rob DeWit // Kalamazoo, Mich.
Is sin unknowable? Masselink called for moral agnosticism, stating, âJudgment of another person is Godâs domain.â That is true as it applies to eternal life/condemnation. Yet we arenât called to accept biblically defined sin. Itâs sinful to allow murder, adultery, or racism without lovingly informing others (that) there is a better way to live according to the Bible. Masselink used a bloated definition of cognitive dissonance (CD). A more precise definition is discomfort triggered by the personâs knowledge/belief clashing with new information/experiences. Itâs a place where prior knowledge is questioned, new knowledge is assimilated into old, and sense is made. It does not assume that a person ignores data, becoming more entrenched in their prior beliefs. We donât âsufferâ from CD. If Christians recognize their CD, allow questioning of beliefs, go to the Bible, and pray for truth/wisdom, God will help us make sense of his world and his plans. No one should claim to know exact knowledge of Godâs will; however, God gave us the Bible as a guide. âWhat does it say?â, âWhat does it mean?â, and âHow does it apply to our lives?â are questions we should ask to make sense of Godâs Word. This is humble cognitive dissonance.
Stacey Pylman // Caledonia, Mich.
Mission Work
Resonate Global Missionâs new director, Kevin De Raaf, emphasizes the importance of listening to peopleâs stories and having our hearts broken for global issues (âKevin DeRaaf Appointed as Director of Resonate,â July/August 2023). He believes this brokenness leads to prayer and discernment, questioning if we dare to let our hearts break for Godâs mission. As a retired missionary, Iâm curious about De Raafâs statement. My heart breaks as I recall our time in Sierra Leone, where the church flourished amidst war and poverty. However, the current strategy change and budget cuts have left struggling village churches unable to support pastors. Church growth now seems focused on wealthier urban areas, and it saddens me deeply.
Mary Kortenhoven // Grand Rapids, Mich.
Unity
I, too, lament the fracturing of unity within the body of Christ (âWill We Ever Learn What Unity Means?â, May 2023). And I, too, stand ready to worship and serve with those who, like myself, fall short of living up to Godâs expectations. But the issue is not whether failure to meet one specific expectation is worse than failure to meet another. The issue is whether we grieve and repent of our failures or excuse and even celebrate them; thatâs why Scripture instructs us to practice self- and mutual discipline. Surely it is our shared grief and repentance over sin, and our intention to follow Christ whatever the cost, that must form the basis of our unity in Christ.
Duane Nieuwsma // Byron Center, Mich.
This article hit home with me and meant more than I can say. For 65 years Iâve had a problem with some of the CRCâs take on human sexuality. Mr. Polinder did an excellent job expressing the thinking Iâve always had: What makes a failure of the seventh commandment so much worse than the failure of any other commandment? Why had the CRC singled that out? Why continue to single out the seventh commandment again now by making it confessional? Why canât we think deeper and consider what effect our actions could have on a person long term? Itâs so reassuring to me to at last be able to read my feelings and thoughts in The Banner, no less.
Evelyn Stoffer // East Lansing, Mich.
Ron (Polinder) asks why the seventh commandment takes precedence over others. It doesnât. No one is saying a person struggling with the sin of homosexuality is any worse than someone struggling with any other sin. What is being said is that a person cannot embrace that lifestyle unrepentantly and enter the kingdom of God, just like someone who embraces stealing or another vice unrepentantly cannot enter the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10).
Peter Habegger // Tucson, Ariz.
