April Fool!
As much as weâd like to think that if Believers of Grace-U.S. (BOGUS) really existed, the denomination would be interested in tying the knot with the Christian Reformed Church, the jokeâs on you (âNew Denomination Seeks Affiliation,â April 2006, p. 12). The chair of the CRCâs Interchurch Relations Committee is not âRev. Ben DeRoels,â nor does he advocate âshow[ing] some flexibility in our doctrines.â Finally, while we wonât admit who wrote the story, it certainly wasnât âIma Lyonâ (though she was). The Banner staff apologizes if the joke offended anyone and urges readers to keep a sharp eye out next April.
âBob De Moor Banner Editor
Punch Lines
Is The Banner lowering its standards? I like a joke as much as the next guy, and I like the humor section in The Bannerâmostly the sayings of small children. But with your so-called joke of George W. Bush going to heaven, I think you crossed the line. Those kinds of jokes do not fit The Banner, and I suggest you use better judgment in the future.
âTony VanderStelt Belgrade, Mont.
Diaper Convert
My thanks to Matthew Stutz for his response on disposable vs. cloth diapers in the newly introduced âFAQâ column (April 2006, p. 29). The article has inspired me to switch from disposable to cloth. I even started making my own wipes. I have an 8-month-old daughter and, God willing, will have two or three more children. The savings for my family over these diapering years will be enormous, not to mention the environmental benefit. Thank youâyou are making a difference!
âLarissa Jones Zeeland, Mich.
Laverne and Shirley
The opening editorial in the March issue gives a very interesting look at the Yiddish âShlemiel, Shlimazl, Shmendrikâ definitions as applied to stories that Jesus told. But it also brings into a much clearer light the opening lines of the 1980s sit-com hit âLavern and Shirleyâ: âShlemiel, Shlimazl, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated.â Now the use of rabbit soup, the spiller of the soup, and the recipient of the spilled soup makes some sense.
âMichael Lautenbach Grand Rapids, Mich.
Africaâs Plight Our Shame
Thank you for Rev. Phil Reindersâs article âIgnoring an Ongoing Horror?â in which he so eloquently reminds us of Africa and her many victims of AIDS. The question that needs to be raised, it seems, is why the desperate plight of Africa is not on the North American radar screen.
I believe the reason for our disengagement from Africaâs plight is sin, blanketed in deep shameâa shame that disallows a compassionate interest in this continent. I canât help but feel we are responsible for much of the horror in Africa: Colonization. Slavery. Apartheid. World Bank loans offered upon conditions that decimate the public sector. Industrial nations promising 0.7 percent of GNP to foreign aid but not even coming close to delivering.
At the U.S. National Prayer Breakfast, Bono recognized that weâre good at charity, yet challenged, âItâs not about charity after all, is it? Itâs about justice.â Our God requires justice.
We are the ones who need forgiveness. In confession and cleansing we will find compassion for those we have so wronged.
âLeanne Cooper Mississauga, Ontario
Death Before the Fall?
Your article âDeath Before the Fall?â (March 2006) took me back to the time I attended a university lecture on origins, evolution, and the fossil record. The lecture was given by a visiting paleo-anthropologist who had come to faith through his study of the fossil record. His interpretation of the fossil story supported the biblical accounts of creation, the flood, and a young earth.
Did death exist before the fall? We may never know. But I would suggest that a Christian apologetic ought not unquestioningly rely on an evolutionary interpretation of the fossil record.
âRalph Hart Brantford, Ontario
You asked Rev. Tidd to open a can of worms that should have stayed closed. Proverbs 25:2 says, âIt is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.â It is thus not to Godâs glory if we âkingsâ try to understand and explain the matters God has concealed. To give speculative answers to the questions the author poses is to distract us from the central and known truth of the Bible: Jesus died for our sins, and he wants us to live his will for our lives and to spread the good newsâall to the glory of God. There is no time for unproductive distractions in Godâs kingdom!
âAndries Van Andel Belleville, Ontario
I applaud Rev. Mark Tiddâs intent to understand natural truth as well as Scripture; but he misstates the assumption heâs challenging, the theology is more intertwined than he realizes, and the evidence for prefall animal death is not as strong as he thinks.
For my first and second points, Genesis 1:2930, 9:13; Isaiah 11:69; and Romans 8:1921 make it clear that plants are to be eaten and thus can be destroyed, that carnivorousness was instituted by God only after the flood, and that vegetarianism is a hallmark of the coming peacefilled kingdom of God.
For the third point, there are still some scientists today who believe that a worldwide deluge after the fall explains the death we see in many geological formations, such as Solomonâs limestone.
Lastly, Godâs character is at stake in these issues: does God really care about his creation, or is he merely the corn king of C.S. Lewisâs preChristian beliefs?
âAlan Bolind Urbana, Ill.
Corrections
Regarding âNew Church Benefits from Roaring â20sâ (March 2006, p. 15), the Roaring 20âs restaurant thatâs home to Epicenter Community Church, Ellenton, Fla., is still very much open for business. The Banner apologizes for the error.
