A Reformed Biweekly 74th Year of Publication | August 26, 2019 | No. 3099 $2.50

Theme Issue: The Smart Phone News. Clues. Kingdom Views.

DYING TO THE GENIUS OF YOUTH

Rising to ministry in Christ. | Peter Schuurman

– what we worship – is the keel of our spiritual life. My local small group is just finishing The New Copernicans: Millennials and the Survival of the Church (2018) by John Seel. This writer is insistent that we need to move beyond the nega- tive research studies that claim young adults are narcissistic, en- titled and lazy, caught in the spin of self-centred, middle-class Mor- alistic Therapeutic Deism. In fact, Seel claims that young people are the carriers of a new paradigm of Copernican proportions, and this paradigm is not only more holistic SATIRE, SACKED and true (more right-brained), it’s more Jesus-like. Risk-averse news outlets axe political cartoons. The message of the book is a warning to Christians: Change Angela Reitsma Bick your ways, or like the self-satisfied Titanic you will crash and drown on the iceberg of the new cultural ON JUNE 26, MICHAEL de Adder stopped printing daily political frame! Current membership de- posted to Twitter his cartoon of cartoons completely on July 1st, cline in the church is a symptom U.S. President Donald Trump after outrage over an anti-Semitic of the church’s increasing irrele- golfing next to the bodies of two illustration of Israeli Prime Min- A FRIEND TOLD ME HE AND HIS WIFE HAVE A HABIT OF SITTING OUT vance – its pride, its judgmental migrants: it was based on a haunt- ister Benjamin Netanyahu in its on the front porch on Fridays after work and just having sweet conver- attitude, its disembodied emphasis ing photo of asylum-seeker Oscar international edition. Times car- sation about the week. His teenage daughter approached them last week on doctrine. Instead, what youth Alberto Martinez Ramirez and toonist Patrick Chappatte wrote and innocently asked, “Why do you sit here and talk?” want is a body of Christ that is his young daughter. Though the on his blog that “this is not just After they briefly explained the preciousness of this ritualized time more relational and experiential, drawing was never published in about cartoons, but about jour- as a couple, their daughter responded: “Why not just text each other?” more open to mystery, spirit, print, de Adder was fired from a nalism and opinion in general.” As if that would be more efficient and normal. He then recognized that beauty and justice. In a word: it New Brunswick newspaper chain Media outlets are shrinking, leav- his daughter lives in a different world: she has never known a world needs to be more authentic – not a few days later. His employer ing little appetite for risk. People without texting. fake or cool, but like real people stated that the image was not a seem to take offense more quickly. Numerous congregations today are focusing their attention on young who connect with the “longings factor in their decision, but the We’re polarized, with no patience adults. In some circles, it’s become an obsession. The young adults want and losses of others in a manner event prompted other Canadian for anyone else’s point of view. bands! They want crowds! They want to see passion! that is deeply human.” Our focus cartoonists to express concern These are all reasons why a free What do young adults want, and is what they think they want what should not be on inviting youth to over censorship in news outlets, press is needed more than ever, they really, really want? This is the first thing Jesus asks young adults join “us” in the church, but rath- particularly with respect to Don- including visual commentary and around him in the gospel of John (1:38). Not because his mission was er “joining together on a shared ald Trump. humour, Chappatte says. “Who to give them what they want, but because it’s a way to get right to the spiritual pilgrimage to a yet unde- South of the border, the will show the emperor Erdogan heart of things – or rather, to the soul of things. Our desires, our loves clared destination.” 168-year-old New York Times that he has no clothes, when Continued on page 3 Continued on page 2

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SATIRE CONTINUED

Turkish cartoonists can’t do it?” “By choosing not to print edi- torial cartoons in the future, the Times can be sure that their editors will never again make a poor cartoon choice,” cartoonist and syndicator Daryl Cagle told the Washington Post. He runs the syndicate that Christian Courier uses. “Editors at the Times have also made poor choices of words in the past. I would suggest that the Times should also choose not Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte, New York. to print words in the future – just to be on the safe side.” Cartoons in CC Angela Reitsma Bick Christian Courier subscribes to an international syn- Angela is Editor of Chris- dicate of 60 cartoonists, which includes Patrick Chap- tian Courier. This caricature was drawn years ago by her patte, formerly of the NY Times. Interestingly, during friend Faith Erin Hicks, Ca- President Obama’s time in office, the number of car- nadian cartoonist & author toons for and against him were roughly equal. In 2017, of Comics Will Break Your Heart. however, the syndicate had to change its formatting: so many cartoons depicted the new U.S. administra- tion negatively that it created a special section called “Trump-Friendly Cartoons,” at a 1:10 ratio to the rest of the site.

Cartoonist Dave Whamond, Calgary. Smart phone sketches For this theme issue on the Smart Phone, we’ve includ- ed political cartoons from around the world. As you’ll see, the devices have become as ubiquitous in caricature as they are everywhere else!

Page 1 cartoons: Rick McKee, Georgia, U.S. (top) and Gatis Sluka of Latvia (bottom). This box: Paresh Nath from the United Arab Emirates.

2 AUGUST 26, 2019 | CHRISTIAN COURIER News

GENIUS CONTINUED “And this only thing . . . is every- thing.” PRECIOUS GENIUS What must first occur is that Meanwhile, some friends and we – adults, millennials, Gen Y I read another book that gave a and whatever – kill our story. It seemingly opposite message: An- sounds harsh, but what Root is drew Root in Faith Formation in simply saying is that we must en- a Secular Age (2017) argues that ter the death of Christ, and our starting from anxiety about de- false stories – that we are good, cline in the church is to configure that we are smart, that we must be our faith as first of all about in- beautiful or successful – must be stitutional membership, and that crucified with Christ. misses the soul of things. That One we have be liberated from is to say, it too easily misses the these oppressive and paralyzing aim of faith as centred in the ex- narratives, we enter into a new perience of our mystical union story of being united with Christ with Christ. and his kingdom. Now our story Secondly, the oft-proposed is “I am ministered to; I am grate- solution to waning faith – to fo- ful; I am gifted to be a minister, cus on the youth and what they too.” want – further exaggerates what Finally, and perhaps most im- our culture fetishizes: the “genius portantly, the household of faith of youthfulness.” This not only can be a friendship of rest. When denigrates what is elderly and an- tempted to make worship a con- cient; Root argues it reinforces a tinuation of the culture of perfor- consumer culture of cool that must mance, hype and spectacle, God’s constantly re-invent itself in order ministry invites all to come, be si- to survive. Being hip is an end- lent, find rest and pray. The body less pursuit that can only exhaust of Christ – at its best – makes and paralyze those caught up in space in which we can receive, its spell. To a large degree, the cult let the old stories die, and be born of authenticity is part of the prob- into a fresh plot. When Christ’s lem: it magnifies the “Big Me” passion directs our pilgrimage, (David Brooks’ term) of expres- we are freed from the pressure to sivist individualism that leaves perform for God, to feel intensely so many disconnected and lonely. spiritual, or to demonstrate our Community requires at least some fervent commitment to the faith. compromise with something larg- I have named a number of books er than yourself. Some conformity about youth adults, and they arise to an agreed pattern of life. from people with lots of experi- Faith, insists Root, is about dy- ence with young adults. But we ing to our self, our self-branding still need to have conversations and our self-sufficiency and -en with each other, and consult each tering a “negation of negation” in other. Just as not all churches and Christ, a death that leads to a new adults fit the stereotypes suggest- story and new life. This is what ed of them, so not all young adults young adults need, and if they per- fit what the studies assess about haps dug down deep enough into their generation. Talking to young their desires, they would find they adults – from church and beyond really want this: God’s help and – is a best practise. God’s love. This is first of all a In many ways, what every deeply mysterious encounter, a young person needs is to find a participation in the energy of God, community in which to minister and only secondarily about institu- and be ministered to. The virtu- Cartoonist Angel Boligan of Mexico City, Mexico. tional commitments. al networks of cyberspace are Some studies may show, as Time PASSION AND BURNOUT condition or an exit strategy; it is not sufficient to carry any of us magazine highlighted in an article There is one more vital piece to consider that I’ve hinted at already. a “permanent residence” of con- through the crushing blows that entitled “The Me, Me, Me Gener- Journalist Anne Helen Petersen wrote a viral article in January 2019 stant motion and uploading, nev- bruise our tender souls. We don’t ation” (May 20, 2013) – that mil- entitled “How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation.” She says er-ending work. need more text; we need a good lennials want more selfies, more millennials suffer from “errand paralysis” and “post office anxiety” – Root doesn’t talk about this at word made flesh. mirrors, more technology. But meaning they are so overwhelmed with advice and ambitions that they all, and yet he inadvertently ad- John Seel says more profoundly often cannot perform simple “adulting” tasks like mailing a letter. dresses it in his last few pages on Peter Schuurman that they want mystery, acceptance The products of “intensive parenting,” these young adults are no the household of faith. The body Peter is a Contributing Editor and a more holistic expression of clone of 1960s rebels. They seek approval, straining to self-optimize of Christ, he insists, is not about with CC, Executive Director of faith. Andrew Root says what we and self-brand while locked in a system that makes only piecemeal self-improvement or entertain- Global Scholars Canada and all need is to experience God. Not employment possible. They are burning out. Left anxious by a world ment or culture wars. “The only the author of The Subver- sive Evangelical: The Ironic the idea of God, but God – enter- described as “relentless” with pressure, they continue to perform, thing that the church offers the Charisma of an Irreligious ing into his death and in his life. perform, perform their endless to-do list. Burnout is not a temporary world is ministry!” he proclaims. Megachurch.

@ChrCourier ChrCourier CHRISTIANCOURIER.CA | AUGUST 26, 2019 3 Editorial

handful of new terms here. VISIT THE OUTERNET, TARRY AWHILE David Brooks says our entire lives now mimic a digital cocktail party: multiple strands of endless Angela Reitsma Bick | Editor [email protected] small talk. We’re addicted to Angela savoured a break from email during her June & July sabbatical, spent mostly in the Outernet. anything new – within the last five minutes – which is known as neomania, Tony Reinke explains. Likewise, if you get anxious answer that, but it’s just about without access to your phone, impossible! Very few people live that’s nomophobia – literally no- tech-free anymore, to provide mobile-phone-phobia. comparison. Contemporary Reinke also identifies outrage churches are more likely to porn: our impulse to judge, jump on the digital bandwagon punish and get riled up with than offer thoughtful resistance righteous indignation by things to sweeping tech trends, in my we find online, a cultural appetite experience. The task of finding a fed by click-seekers. Canadian singer-songwriter Danny Michel healthy digital diet, if such a thing Smart phone and app performing on July 6. exists, is left to individuals (or to developers understand that our families, as Crouch encourages). attention is a commodity worth money in the attention economy, Cal Can our devices lead to Newport says. virtue or have they all become He also believes that if your phone continually distracts you from vices? And does that imply a your own mind, you may be suffering solitude deprivation. (This is series of bad habits, or actual easy to remedy! Go for a walk and leave your phone behind.) wrongdoing? Those questions Reinke finds a prophetic warning about the information age from are worth a dozen more books King Solomon – “Of making many books there is no end, and much and conversations (and songs)! study wearies the body” (Eccl. 12). Simply put, our physical bodies All I can say is this: I don’t cannot carry the volume of our data ingestion. One solution might be want to spend my life staring Crouch and Newport’s digital declutter: a 30-day break from optional down into a small screen. technologies during which you explore and rediscover meaningful real-world activities. NEOMANIACS I usually keep some paper handy to jot down quotes while I’m The glowing rectangles care nothing reading, but with these books I found myself fascinated more by for our values, and we do precious the vocabulary. Let me share a little to examine theirs.

Or try digital minimalism as defined by Newport: a philosophy of OUR KIDS LOVE A SONG BY STEVE POLTZ AND DANNY MICHEL technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number called “Devices.” With a chorus of “Get off your devices / They’ve all of carefully selected activities that support things you value, and then become vices,” these Canadian singer-songwriters don’t mince words happily miss out on everything else. about the negative impact of phones and tablets. “What’s a vice?” the kids wondered at first. Their two guesses HYPERCONNECTED worked as well as the original: is the device our personal Vice Why did we devote an entire issue of Christian Courier to the smart President or do we hang onto our phones with vise-like grips? This phone? Because “the pace of technological change has surpassed sparked a great conversation about homonyms, homophones and bad anyone’s capacity to develop enough wisdom to handle it,” as Crouch habits. says; we desperately need each other’s insight and advice. More “Get off of that Internet / Come out to the Outernet / You’ll have a crucially, the glowing rectangles care nothing for our values, and we good time I bet.” do precious little to examine theirs. It sounds bald here in print, but Poltz and Michel never take Does this phone redeem the time I give it? themselves too seriously: when we heard Danny Michel play it live, Cartoonist Angel Boligan Does it bring healing in an area of brokenness? he pretended to forget the lyrics and stopped to look them up. . . on of Mexico City, Mexico. Does it deserve $84 a month in data charges? his phone. Does it help me draw closer to God or sense his goodness? During my sabbatical, I read three books on how technology is For how many of us, I wonder, is the quiet, honest answer “no”? colonizing our lives. Danny Michel’s joke fits a pattern – even the Cited books Sensing the same problem, a new company called Yondr now people sounding the alarm about how dependent we’ve become on our The Tech-Wise Family: Ev- creates phone-free spaces for artists, organizations and educators by glowing rectangles have a phone in hand. Andy Crouch, for example, eryday Steps for Putting physically separating people from their devices. You can hire Yondr ends each of his suggestions for putting technology in its proper place Technology in its Proper for your wedding or concert! Each guest is given a phone case. The with a “Crouch Family Reality Check,” where he admits to the ways Place by Andy Crouch, 12 case locks. Guests carry the locked cases until the event is over. he’s fallen short. Ways Your Phone is Chang- “We provide a haven,” the company says, “to engage with what We are essentially all always connected, for better or for worse. ing You by Tony Reinke and you’re doing and who you’re doing it with.” And culturally, we’ve come to this point so quickly that it boggles Digital Minimalism: Choos- This is surely proof that we’ve lost all self control, and are clinging my mind. What’s the impact on our brains, bodies, faith, relationships ing a Focused Life in a Noisy – just barely – to perspective. Thankfully, Yondr isn’t necessary in our and creativity (just to name a few) when we spend more time on the World by Cal Newport. house, not yet at least. If our kids catch anyone on an iPad or phone Internet than in the “Outernet”? The three books I mentioned try to for too long, they’ll break into song: “Get off your devices. . . .”

4 AUGUST 26, 2019 | CHRISTIAN COURIER Letters

CC on the high seas

Founded in 1945

An independent biweekly that seeks to engage creatively in critical Christian journalism, connecting Christians with a network of culturally savvy partners in faith for the purpose of inspiring all to participate in God’s renewing work within his fallen creation.

EDITORIAL TEAM & PRODUCTION STAFF Editor: Angela Reitsma Bick [email protected] News Editor: Sean Schat [email protected] Features Editor: Amy MacLachlan [email protected] Reviews Editor: Brian Bork [email protected] Contributing Editor: Michael Buma [email protected] Contributing Editor: Peter Schuurman [email protected] Circulation: Sarah Smith [email protected] Admin: Ellissa Spyker Ray Scheepstra, shown here reading his copy of Christian Courier on board is a volunteer – doctors, nurses, engineers, photographers, [email protected] in Gran Canaria, is currently off the coast of Africa, while serving teachers, cooks and more. Development: Brittany Beacham [email protected] on board the Africa Mercy as an Electrician. It’s Ray’s fifth trip since 2017. Thanks for the photo, Ray! Safe Website & Social Media: Mercy Ships is an international humanitarian organization that travels! Mikaela Gossman-Bond @ChrCourier provides free health care for those who cannot afford it. Everyone Layout and design: Kevin Tamming [email protected] Layout and Ad design: Naomi Francois collidemedia.ca COMMUNION WITH GOD MOVING FORWARD? Christian Courier is published by the Prayer, particularly daily, private prayer, is perhaps the most essential Over the decades I’ve been informed, inspired and encouraged by a Board of Reformed Faith Witness: component of our relationship to the Divine (“What I Didn’t Know host of articles in Christian Courier that truly reflect your goal artic- James Dekker, Peter Elgersma, About Prayer,” Christina Van Starkenburg, July 8). The acronym ulated in the sidebar on the editorial page. However, the issue of July Sylvan Gerritsma, Ron Rupke, Gary Van Eyk (Chair) and Emma Winter. ACTS – adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication (petitions) 8 left me very concerned about a recent trend, perhaps to be more – is helpful to structuring my prayers. The acronym expands prayer culturally relevant. Two contributions especially (and several others), The publication of comments, beyond requests, becoming more truly communion with God. I also “Love before Law” and “Pro-Choice – a Second Look,” I believe do opinions or advertising does not imply agreement or endorsement by find the Anglican Book of Common Prayer an inspirational source. not fully reflect a Biblical-Reformed perspective. The current Chris- Christian Courier or the publisher. Nick Loenen tian Reformed Church position on sexuality is the Biblical one and the Richmond, B.C. committee tasked with studying this does not have to “attempt to justi- The paper is published the second and fourth Mondays of the month. fy” our doctrine. It’s my prayer that the report due next year will help us to engage in a forthright and loving way with all members ques- CANADA MAIL ‘WHY DO OLD PEOPLE STAY?’ tioning their sexual orientation and subsequent lifestyle. Incidentally, Publications Mail Agreement No. 40009999 Thank you, Lauren Tamming, for “Drifting or Ditching?” (July 22). one reference (given in the article) was 1 Corinthians 13, “especially Return undeliverable addresses to: First about your writing style: we love the alliteration of the “rites, verse 14.” I couldn’t find it in any Bible. Christian Courier rhythms and rhymes,” and “the colour of the carpet.” The piling up of Regarding “Pro-choice,” it contains many good points such as help- PO Box 20022 Grantham St Catharines ON L2M 7W7 verbals: “abandoning, breaking up, deserting, disconnecting, drifting, ing women who choose life for their child. The reason for a drop in the dropping out, leaving, quitting, rejecting, renegotiating, running and number of abortions is complex. Could it be that the pro-life move- (ISSN 1192-3415) walking away.” The metaphor of “boats and life vests.” Your words ment can claim some success in this area? The main problem I have SUBSCRIPTIONS: matter very much. You may have read Marilyn Chamber McEntyre’s with the article is the term “ideology.” Is that the same as principle(s)? To subscribe, Caring For Words in a Culture of Lies. If you haven’t, then maybe My thoughts on this topic are guided by Psalm 139:13, 14 “For You email [email protected] she’s read your “Drifting or Ditching?” She should. created my inmost being…Your works are wonderful.” or call 1-800-275-9185. One year (20 issues): $65, six months (10 Your essay addresses the question: Why do young people leave the Philip Stel issues): $35, Two years (40 issues): $120 Christian Church? May I suggest a supplemental, rhetorical question? Victoria, B.C. Please contact circulation if you cannot Why do old people stay? My wife and I yearn for more than “a flashy afford the subscription price but would like to receive Christian Courier. promo video for a new sermon series.” We long for the “steady, cen- EDITOR’S NOTE: Yes, 1 Corinthians 13 does not have a verse 14! turies-old liturgy.” In the Fall we try to attend the Vesper Service in a This should have been a reference to verse 4: “Love is patient, love is CHRISTIAN COURIER nearby Anglican Church. When we enter, our liturgical longing is met kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” Thanks for PO Box 20022 Grantham St Catharines ON L2M 7W7 by the visual imagery in the stained-glass windows: Come ye who are kindly and patiently catching our error. weary. . . .We smell the carpet; we grip the box pews that have stead- New number: ied and comforted worshipers for over 150 years. We sit. We stand. 1-800-275-9185 christiancourier.ca Then the mighty organ fills the sanctuary, the choir enters: young peo- Renewal note ple in robes from Redeemer University College. Readings, reflections, We apologize for any delay with your renewals over the summer We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of prayers, music: a “deeper connection to something real and bigger months. than ourselves.” These are the “rhythms, rhymes and rites” that we Due to staffing changes and vacation time, your renewals may continue to crave. be processed slightly slower than usual but we expect everything Allan Romkema & Bessie Adams to be caught up very soon! Printed in Canada Oakville, Ont.

@ChrCourier ChrCourier CHRISTIANCOURIER.CA | AUGUST 26, 2019 5 News

SMART OR WISE?

What happens to wisdom when our screens leave no room for long, slow thinking? | Dan Galenkamp

I REMEMBER THE DAY I GOT MY FIRST CELL PHONE, a gift from my parents for my 16th birthday. After years of begging, they finally caved. They decided that since I was old enough to drive, I would need a phone in case of emergency. For years, I had watched my classmates obtain the latest models. Colour-screened clamshells abounded in my high school hallways. Much of my free time in the months leading up to my birthday was spent obsessively researching the phone I hoped to purchase. My first phone was an LG Rumour. It was white, glossy and came with a sleek slide-out keyboard. I loved it. I used it to text my friends, take photos of whatever struck my fancy and play solitaire whenever my classes weren’t exciting enough. My next phone allowed me to browse the Internet. And the phone after that had data, so I could browse the Internet anywhere. I rarely used it to call people. I had no idea how much this technology was going to change my life. My phone’s primary use was to escape through social media, on- line games or text conversations. My face-to-face conversations de- creased. I isolated myself from people, and my faith suffered. The discreet, handheld device was “smart,” but it wasn’t wise.

THE NEVER-ENDING TECH RACE Most of the news today is about what’s next for technology. Scan through the headlines and you’ll notice a common theme: progress. Countless articles are published each month on which new smart- phone models are launching soon, what new features they’ll have and how they’re going to make our lives better. The marketing for smartphones goes even deeper into this theme. Huawei’s mission is to “build a fully connected, more intelligent world.” Samsung’s new Galaxy Fold, which has a touch screen that folds in two, promises the ability “to multitask like never before,” while their Galaxy Note9 “has the power and speed to fuel your al- ways-on lifestyle.” A new commercial for Apple’s iPhone XR shows people on their couches and in their beds falling asleep with their phone screens shining brightly in their hands. “You’ll lose power be- Cartoonists Schot, in De Volkskrant, the Netherlands (above) and Luojie from the China Daily, China (below). fore it will,” the ad teases, going on to tell us that the XR has the longest battery life of any iPhone ever. should work itself out in all cir- can become idols and a means Today, my phone is five “gen- Are these really features worth celebrating? Multitasking like never cumstances. for us to try to find happiness or erations” behind. It’s still smart; before sounds like getting more distracted than ever before. An al- The Bible says a lot about wis- joy. Today, there is more infor- I can still browse the Internet ways-on lifestyle sounds exhausting to me. And longer battery life dom. The book of Proverbs fo- mation available to us than ever wherever I am. I am complicit means more reliance on and addiction to my phone. While Huawei cuses on the topic. Solomon asks before. We inhale data, googling in this too. But I think it’s time works towards building their fully connected and more intelligent God to give him wisdom. James questions we want answers to, to talk more about how this tech- world, they neglect to mention that both the connection and intelli- and Ephesians both reference it. looking up the weather instead nology is affecting us as Chris- gence is artificial. Are we not using our smartphones enough as it is? In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul makes of going outside or looking out a tians – and our faith. Lest we get it clear that the wisdom of the window, and consuming episode sucked into the myth of progress BIBLICAL WISDOM FOR AI world is nothing compared to the after episode of the latest TV presented by our technology, the Artificial intelligence and God’s wisdom are two very different con- wisdom of knowing Christ. He show. tantalizing escapist tendencies of cepts. One is more focused on “head” knowledge, progress and how goes on to tell us that the condi- This glut causes more confu- our screens or the vortex of infor- we react – and escape – to virtual realities. The other is more focused tion of the heart must be contrite sion than anything, preventing mation glut, we should stop and on our heart’s knowledge, our faith, the state of our souls and how we to receive God’s wisdom. Jesus’ the formation of wisdom. We’re think. And perhaps, with a little interact with our actual, physical reality. summation of the Sermon on the bombarded with nonstop infor- prayer mixed in, a measure of I’m not nitpicking subtleties here. Twenty-first-century technology Mount also comes to mind. He mation, messages and stimuli. God’s wisdom will be given to wasn’t present in biblical times, but the Bible tells us a lot about how ends his sermon with a flourish, All of this data is decontextual- us. we should interact with it. What I find intriguing is the idea of wisdom. speaking of a wise and a foolish ized, and because of this, trying Dan Galenkamp

Wisdom requires long, slow thinking. It’s a daily, lifelong process of builder. One builds their house on to string meaning together can Dan is a freelance writer growth. It transcends knowledge, information, intelligence and data. a solid rock, the other on shifting be a grueling ordeal. We’ve be- from Jordan Station, Ont. Wisdom isn’t seers and oracles sitting on mountaintops. It’s hard sand. come data gluttons, sitting down He enjoys writing about issues of justice, especially work. I like John Piper’s definition. In simple terms, Piper defines Our phones may not be hous- every day to eat at a never-ending how Christians and churches wisdom as “hearing and doing the Word of God” (desiringgod.org). es, but they are significant build- smorgasbord. Our brains are too respond to them. He lives in a small house with his wife But he takes it a step further, stating that wisdom must include dis- ing blocks in our lives. By that, overloaded to maintain a rela- and two cats, all of whom he cernment of how this hearing and doing should be applied – how it I mean to say that smartphones tionship with Christ. loves dearly.

6 AUGUST 26, 2019 | CHRISTIAN COURIER News

them. We tweet out angry mes- us if we have a phone to inter- OFF THE GRID sages, and re-tweet the anger of act with (this week a study came others; we take inappropriate out showing that the use of cell pictures and send inappropriate phones is causing children to Choosing to live cell-phone-free. | Sylvia C. Keesmaat texts. We indulge ourselves in have less positive interactions viewing the same. And they take with adults). They disconnect us energy; they use fossil fuels to do from our creational surroundings, IT WAS THE SUMMER OF 1984 AND I WAS 19 YEARS OF AGE. It was a from a health perspective, from all of this. It is clear that the use since now when we walk city heady time. During my breaks working for the custodian at Redeemer an environmental perspective, to of cell phones harms community streets we are often looking at our College, I would listen to two of my professors debating a reforma- the temporal rhythms of our lives and creation. phones, or talking on our phones tional worldview: “Could all cultural artifacts be redeemed? Or were – all of it undermined creaturely But there is still more. Con- rather than looking at trees and there some things, like nuclear warheads, that were just unremittingly faithfulness. McDonald’s could sider what happens when we are gardens. They create anxiety and irredeemable?” It was an intense debate that waged in the staff room not be redeemed. finished with our cell phones. depression in our children and all summer long. At the time, I sided with the professor who argued Which brings me to cell Ponder how the toxic chemicals teenagers, as study after study that all things could be redeemed. Of course, nothing is beyond God’s phones. When I engage in a simi- leach into the groundwater and has shown. They enable bullying healing hand. Is it? lar assessment of cell phones, it is how they contaminate those who to permeate every aspect of our At the same time, I was being introduced to the breadth of hard to imagine any reason why dismantle the phones. They be- lives. reformational vision through the writings of those at the Institute for I would want to introduce one of come toxic waste. When we are Christian Studies, particularly Herman Dooyeweerd’s modal analysis these things into my life. Think done with cell phones, they harm TRAPPED What do we normally call rela- tionships that cut us off from the earth, legitimate and facilitate bullying and violence, and in- creasingly control the informa- tion we receive and the people we interact with? We call them abusive relationships. And this is exactly how cell phones function in our lives. And like someone in an abusive relationship, we feel that we cannot escape. It would not be a stretch to say that our sense that we have no choice when it comes to cell phone use is the language of slav- ery to sin, to use Paul’s words in Romans 7. To feel that we have no choice is to have an imagina- tion captive to the cultural forces shaped by a story of progress and technological domination, rath- er than the story of the gospel of life. I’m not going to go into the details here. Suffice it to say, that about how cell phones are made. community and creation. shaped by a call to a commun- at the age of 19, invigorated by a new lens for thinking about how Reflect on the toxic chemicals So why are we carrying these ity of care for each other and the to live faithfully in the world, I began to apply a modified version that are in the plastics and how things around? When I mention earth. of this analysis to different parts of my life. The first dramatic result they pollute our groundwater and to people that I don’t have a cell Why would we want these of this was a decision to never eat at McDonald’s again: everything give cancer to our neighbours. phone the overwhelming re- things in our lives? Why would that McDonald’s said about our life as creaturely beings from a social Ponder how the metals in these sponse I get is envy. People tell we give them to our children? perspective (the importance of meals), aesthetically (all that plastic), phones are mined using slave me that they wish they weren’t so When I think back to that old labour (some of it child slave dependent on their cell phones, debate between two of my pro- labour) by companies that dis- but they can’t imagine living fessors at Redeemer, I think that place indigenous communities without them. I would have a different response and engage in murder and theft. It is this lack of imagination now. There are some things that It is clear that the making of cell that should really give us pause. are so unremittingly negative for phones harms community and Not being able to live without the earth and for the flourishing creation. something that was non-exist- of community on the earth that ent a scant 50 years ago sounds there is no way they can be re- HOOKED like an addiction. And, of course, deemed. Cell phones are one of But there is more. Reflect on there are a plethora of studies that those things. how cell phones function in our show we are literally addicted to Sylvia C. Keesmaat lives. We interrupt conversations our cell phones. Dr. Keesmaat is a biblical for them. We depend on them for Oddly enough, while enabling scholar who lives in an off- a frightening amount of (mis) us to be connected no matter grid solar-powered house in Cameron, Ont. A few para- information. We use them for where we are, cell phones are graphs of this piece are from company (good morning, Siri) gradually making us homeless. her most recent book Rom- and interrupt sermons and talks They disconnect us from com- ans Disarmed: Resisting Empire, Demanding Justice, with them. We refuse to commit munity, since we don’t need to co-authored with her hus- Cartoonist Osama Hajjaj of Jordan. to meetings and plans because of interact with the people around band Brian Walsh.

@ChrCourier ChrCourier CHRISTIANCOURIER.CA | AUGUST 26, 2019 7 Reviews PITY AND PUNISHMENT: BLACK MIRROR’S DYSTOPIAN VISION James Dekker

BLACK MIRROR HAS BECOME THAT MOST ABJECT OF THINGS – a TV er of fascism, in all advanced me more than I give you.” Cap- BLACK MIRROR show that we talk about in the past tense even as it airs new epi- economies, is the desire of some italism cannot function unless Produced by Annabel Jones and sodes. The tech-focused science fiction anthology show dominated of the same elites to bring these we treat “What does this person Charlie Brooker conversation when it debuted in 2011, winning awards, insinuating high-tech “disincentives” to deserve?” as the first question to Netflix, 2011-present. itself into your social media feed and (then; creepily) your actual bear on the population centers be answered in every situation. conversations with breathing humans. Because the declared point of of those same economies, so as Even those critical of capital- the show was to serve as a sort of “Twilight Zone” for the era of rec- to obviate the threat posed by ism sometimes seek to put their ommendation algorithms and Twitter mobs – it offered well-acted, organized labor, or the organiz- compassion on an austerity re- tightly-written one-hour teleplays that each focused on some way in ation of other exploited constitu- gime, talking about who does and which technology is making a dystopia around us – the very fact of its encies. So an honest TV show doesn’t “deserve” second chan- sudden, tech-fuelled popularity, the savvy way it was sold, seemed to about technology is ultimately a ces. Too much human sympa- underline or emphasize whatever it was the show meant to say: even TV show about punishment. thy would, indeed, spoil certain criticism of technology must be a product of that same tech. Thus multiple episodes de- kinds of left-revolutionary pro- The common wisdom is that the show lost a bit of bounce after it pict people who have mysteri- jects too. I might, out of pity for moved from BBC to Netflix. Even “Bandersnatch,” a much-discussed ously found themselves trapped his victims, kill a land baron who two-hour 2018 episode that allowed the viewer to choose among in dark and absurd scenarios, has turned security forces against various pathways through the narrative, attracted accusations that the in which they are subjected to his tenants, but to become the show’s format was exhausted. If Black Mirror no longer seems, to inexplicable punishments, with kind of successful and efficient quite so many critics and viewers, like the future of television, that a big reveal toward the episode’s revolutionary who simply kills may be due to a sneaking suspicion that the show is complicit in what end that shows that these appar- all the potential land barons, and it indicts. To watch too many episodes in a row feels a bit listening to ent victims are criminals – they everyone they know, and a few the angriest man in your office indict the nature of work, gesticulat- have committed grave and repul- thousand random others just to ing in the air, while with his other hand he clicks his signature on yet sive crimes, usually involving a be sure matters never reach such another lucrative deal for the company. It’s not hypocrisy that makes child, and immersive virtual-re- a point, I have to unlearn my in- such people tiresome – no one who participates in a large economy ality technologies are being used stinctive creaturely revulsion to can avoid hypocrisy. It’s simply that they can’t tell you the way out against them to facilitate punish- suffering. Black Mirror is truly because they haven’t found it. ment. Some critics of the show subversive, in these episodes, And yet I have found, on revisiting them, that the show’s early see these episodes as flimsy – because it immerses us in hor- seasons have a potency and clarity that make it unlike anything else drumming up our sympathy only ror and pity – and then raises the on television; the best episodes linger like nightmares.They are acrid to hit us with the surprise revela- question of deserts. and clarifying in the way that Armando Ianucci’s work can be at its tion that we’ve been wasting it best, or the films of Jordan Peele and Ari Aster, or dirtbag-left pod- on an unworthy object. Certainly casts like “Chapo Trap House” and “TrueAnon,” or the increasingly the show’s repeated use of this disturbing and brilliant video-essays of YouTube auteur known as basic plot threatens to become ContraPoints. What all these have in common is that they offer, at repetitive. And yet I think these times, an excessively nihilistic vision of contemporary political life episodes are among the most that nevertheless makes you feel relieved that you are not alone in powerful and poignant that the your cynicism and despair. show has done, precisely because The infamous pilot, “The National Anthem,” imagines a terror- they force us to reexamine our ist group that kidnaps a member of the royal family, and refuses to instinct to ration our sympathy, release her unless the Prime Minister performs a degrading, pleas- to turn away from the torture of ureless, and disgusting sexual act on live television. It’s a ridiculous a fellow-creature on learning that scenario; in summary. It even has the unpleasant “can you top this?” that creature has been a torturer savour of something a teenage edgelord would invent to shock his themselves. In forcing us to feel friends. (The show’s creator, Charlie Brooker, is a talented dramatist pity where most would choose to whose major prior dramatic series work, 2005’s “Nathan Barley,” is withhold it, these episodes chal- unwatchable now precisely because it tries so hard to be shocking.) lenge capitalism more directly But the script and the direction fully commit to this ridiculous situ- than the show generally does. It ation; they leave room for pity. We sympathize with the Prime Min- is, after all, capitalism that has ister, who exhausts every option to save the kidnapped princess until taught us to think in these terms he has nothing left to do but … well, this is a family newspaper. We in the first place, to feel that we also sympathize with his wife, who cannot look at him, even weeks must always balance some set afterward. An ugly premise is rescued by Brooker’s willingness to of books, that we must never see it all the way through. waste sympathy. In a recent es- My favourite episodes of Black Mirror – the ones in which the say, “What Lies Beyond Capital- show lives up, for me, to its reputation for originality – are the ones ism?”, theologian David Bentley that seem to deal with technology, but actually deal with punishment. Hart quotes Baudelaire: “Com- Phil Christman The link should not surprise us; the major driver of technological merce is, in its essence, satanic. Phil writes and teaches in Ann development in countries like the U.S. and Great Britain is the need Commerce is the repayment of Arbor, MI. He is the editor of the Michigan Review of Pris- to build new ways to punish native populations of other countries what was loaned, it is the loan oner Creative Writing. for standing between our elites and their resources. The major driv- made with the stipulation: Pay

8 AUGUST 26, 2019 | CHRISTIAN COURIER Reviews ASSESSING THE ARC OF HISTORY

John Medendorp cial Justice. Referencing a quote as in the United States. Dispar- JEMAR TISBY HAS QUICKLY BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME for those from Martin Luther King, Jr., Tis- ities in health, employment, in- in the Reformed tradition who follow conversations about race and by makes ARC a framework for come, education, and opportunity religion in the United States. Founder and president of The Witness: A different levels of action: Aware- across racial and ethnic lines are Black Christian Collective (formerly the Reformed African American ness, Relationships, and Commit- comparable between the United Network), Tisby is a Christian lecturer, writer, and podcaster, focusing ment. We begin our fight against States and Canada. And issues on the history of race and Christianity in the United States of America. racism with awareness: watching of indigenous reparations and He also co-hosts the podcast “Pass the Mic” with Rev. Tyler Burns, documentaries on the history of justice taint the histories of both which has just in the past few months tackled topics as wide-ranging race, diversifying the voices we countries. Tisby’s book offers as R. Kelly, multi-ethnic churches, anti-racism, abortion in the black listen to on social media, read- a helpful rubric for facing these community, and online trolling. ing books and articles about ra- injustices honestly and construct- In his heart of hearts, though, Tisby is a historian. Currently com- cial justice. We deepen our work ing a way forward in hope and pleting his PhD in history at the University of Mississippi, Tisby brings through relationship: intention- truth. a wide-eyed, piercing, big-picture view to every topic he addresses. ally establishing and deepening Second, Tisby’s book critically THE COLOR OF COMPROMISE: Context, subtext, narrative, and background are necessary aspects of friendships with people of other reveals the ways in which “or- THE TRUTH ABOUT THE any conversation, and to Tisby, they are second nature. races. We join the fight through dinary” Christians who benefit AMERICAN CHURCH’S In that vein, “sweeping historical epic” may be the best categoriz- committed, concrete action: writ- from societal structures that af- COMPLICITY IN RACISM. ation for Jemar Tisby’s authorial debut. The Color of Compromise, ing an article, teaching a class, ford them power and privilege all By Jemar Tisby published by Zondervan earlier this year, is an “historical survey” of joining or donating to an organ- too often find ways to justify their Zondervan, 2019. the American church’s complicity in racism. From colonialism to the ization that advocates for racial privilege by accepting and even #blacklivesmatter movement, Tisby outlines the history of the inter- justice, speaking with our elect- defending the status quo, rather section of race and Christianity in the United States of America. Tis- ed officials. “Many Christians than using their power and priv- by’s account is unique finding its focus and overarching argument not today say they would have been ilege to challenge injustice and only in villains and heroes, in egregious acts of racism and heroic active participants in the civil work toward the transformation voices who bravely called for and enacted change, but in the silent, rights movement fifty years ago. of society. In the face of a soci- unquestioning acceptance of the status quo by ordinary, everyday Now, in the midst of a new civil ety that builds walls along racial, Christian folk. In every chapter, from the beginning of racial ideology rights movement, is their chance ideological, political, and nation- in the colonial era through slavery and the civil rights movement to to prove it.” al lines, we follow a God who twenty-first century conversations about racial reconciliation, Tisby “has torn down in his flesh the draws from lesser-known historical resources to demonstrate the com- WHAT HAS CANADA TO DO dividing wall of hostility” (Ephe- plicity of “ordinary” Christians in the racial narratives of the day. WITH AMERICA? sians 2:14). In the face of fear – I am an American pastoring a fear of the unknown, fear of how PROPHECY AND APOCALYPSE church in Kitchener, Ontario. others might react, fear of getting In that sense, Tisby’s writing is both prophetic and apocalyptic. The The issue of race and racism in it wrong – we follow a God who Greek word “apocalypsis” (often translated “revelation”), refers to an the church is important to me, but tells us to “be strong and very “unveiling” or “unfolding” of things previously unknown. Many of us I don’t always know how it trans- courageous, for the Lord your have grown up with a “heroes and villains” narrative of race and ra- lates across the national divide. God will be with you wherever cism – our racial imagination is filled with heroes like Frederick Dou- Many Canadians approach the you go” (Joshua 1:9). glass, Harriet Tubman, John Newton, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin conversation about race and ra- Luther King, Jr., and villains (often faceless and unnamed) like slave cism with an attitude of superior- traders, slaveowners, and the Klu Klux Klan. Many of us imagine that, ity, which I understand. Canada given the chance, we would have fought for the abolition of slavery was an early abolitionist state, or marched with King on Washington. Tisby powerfully unveils this provided refuge for runaway lie, showing throughout the book that white Christians who stood up slaves in the antebellum period, against slavery and segregation were very much in the minority. “Or- and markets itself across the dinary” white Christians preferred not to involve themselves in things world as a tolerant and diverse that they did not see as their problem. immigrant society where people Tisby’s book is also prophetic. The Greek word “propheteis” means of all backgrounds are celebrated “to speak ahead” or “to speak forth.” And Tisby speaks forth truth in and affirmed. So why should a way that cannot be ignored. “The festering wound of racism in the Canadians read a book about American church must be exposed to the oxygen of truth in order to the complicity of the American be healed”. At every point along the way, Tisby demonstrates that if church in the sin of racism? only Christians exercised their faith in a courageous, convicted, and First, despite the progress Can- holistic manner, the arc of history could have gone differently. ada has made in the area of race In the face of such overwhelming horror, it is easy to fall into de- relations in recent years, Canada spair. I have to be honest, parts of this book are so raw and brutal that is not free of racism. About 85% I had to put the book down for a time to mentally process what I had of the population of Canada is read. But Tisby does a masterful job of weaving throughout the book a of European descent (compared thread of hope. If Christians can courageously face the truth of history, to about 75% of the population be convicted of historic and ongoing sins, and wholeheartedly work of the United States), and Can- John Medendorp to repair what has been broken, there is hope for the church. Tisby’s adian minorities regularly report John is a pastor at Commun- historical survey ends with a surprisingly practical chapter titled “The instances of racism, oppression, ity CRC, in Kitchener, Ont. Fierce Urgency of Now,” in which he provides “a useful framework and discrimination. The church for taking decisive action against discrimination”: the ARC of Ra- remains as segregated in Canada

@ChrCourier ChrCourier CHRISTIANCOURIER.CA | AUGUST 26, 2019 9 Features

ment-by-moment commentary. THE SLOW BEAUTY OF BAKING BREAD It was a strange revelation but it wouldn’t be the last time I noticed Coaxing a new creation from flour and water. | Kristine O’Brien it that day. The bread baking workshop was just a prelude to the main I REMEMBER THE MOMENT VIVIDLY: I looked down and realized my yet under my fingers it was myste- phone and saw that it was cov- event celebrating Kendall’s new phone was covered in flour. “That can’t be good,” I thought to myself. riously transformed into food. ered in flour. I left it on the table book, We Will Feast: Rethinking How else would I share this beautiful experience of baking bread? I Of course I am not the first to earlier, beside my little worksta- Dinner, Worship and the Com- need photos! Instagram! Snapchat! be fascinated by this process. As tion, and then got carried away munity of God. It is a beautiful I am not a regular bread maker, unless you count filling the kitchen Kendall wrote last year in Faith with the mixing and kneading. I collection of stories about the appliance that does all the mixing, kneading and baking while you’re and Leadership magazine, “When tried to pick it up so that I could new dinner church movement at work. But I was at a workshop with baker and theologian Kendall disparate ingredients, inedible send a snap to my kids and show happening in North America. Vanderslice – an opportunity to learn from a pro. She spent an after- on their own, blend in a particu- them what a great time I was Chapter by chapter, she explores noon with a small group of us as part of the tour for her new book, We lar way and then face the heat of Will Feast. the oven or stove, they are trans- During the workshop, six of us gathered at a table already set with formed. The resulting treats man- It was only a little flour, water and yeast and bowls, measuring cups and water. I thought it was odd there were no ifest the creative goodness of the spoons or other utensils to use for stirring. As Kendall showed us how God who crafted the world such yet under my fingers it was mysteriously to pour water into the flour and mix it by hand, however, I understood. that baking is possible at all.” transformed into food. We were instructed to put our fingers right into the sloppy, wet mixture The creative goodness of God and stir it with our hands. Gradually the water was absorbed by the flour was being revealed right there and it started to come together as a sticky dough that clung to our skin. at my fingertips! As I mixed and having, but that turned out to be a communities who bring people It was very messy, and I liked it. kneaded, God’s strange miracle of mistake. There was so much flour together with worship and food. There’s something special about getting your hands dirty, whether in yeast came to life right in front of on my fingers, and on my phone, There is St. Lydia’s who meets bread dough, garden soil or finger-paints. Being in contact with raw my eyes. I know that the psalmist that the touch screen wouldn’t in a storefront in a big city; the ingredients means you can experience their texture against your skin. says, “The heavens are telling the even respond. Garden Church that tends fruits You can feel whether they are hot or cold, wet or dry, silky smooth or glory of God; and the firmament It seems that bread baking and and vegetables together and rough and pebbly. You are tuned into the changes and possibilities that proclaims God’s handiwork” using handheld technology are feasts on its produce; and the are found right in the palm of your hand. (Psalm 19:1). But that day, it was mutually exclusive activities. In Simple Church that meets every I was fascinated as my dough went from powdery, to sticky, to smooth. a powdery bowl of dough that re- order to bake bread, I needed to Thursday for supper in a rented Once it was kneaded and shaped into a loaf, I went back to the table to vealed God’s creation, and I was stop texting. I had to stop taking church basement. pat it over and over again. It was soft and supple and unlike anything holding it in my own two hands. pictures to post on Instagram. I At the heart of each community else I had touched before. It was only a little flour, water and yeast and That’s when I looked at my couldn’t give my family a mo- is a desire to use food as an inte-

10 AUGUST 26, 2019 | CHRISTIAN COURIER Features

YOUR PHONE HABITS

We were curious about smartphone usage by CC readers, so we asked you 10 questions (online). Take a look at the following responses and let us know if your habits are similar or wildly different. Email us atfeatures@ christiancourier.ca.

HOURS PER DAY ON MY PHONE: Ranged from: 30 minutes to 6 hours. Most common: 2 hours a day

MY AVERAGE MONTHLY BILL: Workshop participants showcasing Kendall Vanderslice’s new book, We Will Feast. Lowest: $19 Average: $64 gral part of worship, combining fore, which meant that our conver- Highest: $100 the Eucharist, relationship-build- sation was a bit awkward. I wor- ing and a genuine feast. “What ried about how uncomfortable we MY CHURCH USES SMARTPHONE TOOLS FOR these fellowships all hold in com- all seemed as we gathered in a cir- EVANGELISM OR TO CONNECT WITH MEMBERS: mon,” she writes, “is a firm belief cle to hear Kendall’s greeting. She Yes: 52% that Christian worship at the Com- assures me that this is completely No: 48% munion table is much more than a normal at dinner church. “In reali- taste of bread and wine.” Around ty,” she says, “most folks feel a bit I TITHE USING MY PHONE it, each community had a different tense as they stand around the cir- Yes: 5% context and a different style. cle for the first time. . . conversa- No: 90% On that summer day at Crieff tion often begins slowly.” Tension I wish I could: 5% Hills Retreat Centre, where I is simply part of the experience, serve as the director, we certainly but often gives way to meaningful had a different style than any other conversation as the meal and the I HAVE TAKEN A SABBATICAL FROM MY PHONE: dinner church I’d read about. For worship progress. Yes: 36% (often during vacation) starters, we are not a regular wor- Our meal lasted a couple of No: 64% shiping community – our staff is hours. There was a beautiful buf- small and most of our guests visit fet table in the centre of the room MAIN BENEFITS/PITFALLS? for a few days or a week at most. and along with grape juice, the Almost all respondents said connectivity was both the We have no particular tradition of fresh bread baked earlier in our best thing about smartphones, and the worst. celebrating the Eucharist because worship was passed around, still we welcome people of all faiths hot from the oven. We heard a and all branches of the Christian reading from the book of Genesis, Church. And yet here we were, a sang “This Little Light of Mine,” collection of people ready to wor- and remembered the last night Je- ship and learn together. sus spent with his friends. It was an interesting assortment By the end of the evening, our image: Freepik.com of staff members, volunteers, conversation had grown louder board members and local church and there was more laughter than members. Some came from before. One church gave another area churches, while others had advice on how to begin a dinner only a tenuous connection with church ministry. People came for- attention to the notifications. My needed to put it down in order to if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to any Christian community. One ward to ask Kendall questions or hands had been too busy clapping share in communion and commu- keep thinking about it while I go church sent their entire group of offer thanks. All of us were very and passing the salt. My eyes and nity. It wasn’t as if someone made and make another loaf of bread. elders to research dinner church well fed. nose had been filled with beauti- a rule – no phones at the table – as With my hands. as a possible model for a future Once everyone was gone and ful fresh flowers on every table, we have in my family. There was ministry, but another group had the last of the crumbs swept up, and my attention taken up with no instruction to turn off our ring- Kristine O’Brien been hosting dinner churches for I realized that it happened again: the slightly shy, smiling people ers. I didn’t even want my phone. Kristine is a Presbyterian years. The youngest guest had I had neglected my phone. Only around me. I had been fully atten- It would have been a barrier to the minister and director at Crieff barely started elementary school, once had I spent a few hurried tive to the community around me joy and learning and laughter. Hills Retreat Centre near and a number of others were en- minutes trying to take some pho- and God’s presence among us. Since that night, I have started Guelph, Ont. She blogs about simpler, slower living at joying retirement. tos so I could share the experi- I needed to put my phone down to wonder what else is worth put- bloomingreverend.com. Most of us had never met be- ence later, and I hadn’t paid any while I baked bread, but I also ting my phone down for. And now,

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12 AUGUST 26, 2019 | CHRISTIAN COURIER Columns

songs on the radio. Point your cell SONG SLEUTH phone with the Shazam app at the radio and you will get an instant Bob Bruinsma | [email protected] identification of virtually any pop song ever recorded. Since there Bob is envious of his son who doesn’t need a phone app to identify virtual- ly any bird one is ever likely to see and/or hear in Western Canada. are excellent collections of bird songs available, I’ve long thought the same identification should be I AM NOT AN EARLY technology week and the phone worked again. possible for bird songs. adopter. I obtained my first “smart” “But Dad,” she said. “I couldn’t Years ago, I had a King’s Uni- phone from one of my daugh- be without a cell phone for a week, versity computer science student wings and the burbling song of the ters about two years ago. She had so I bought a new one. You can do a study for me about this and, House Sparrow, among others. emailed me to say not to try to have my old one. Isn’t that great?” for a while, I had an intellectual- The app is not perfect. It is cur- phone her since her cell phone was Well, it was, sort of. I refuse to ly property agreement registered rently designed to identify only inoperable. She had dropped it in pay for data. Most public places with the University of Alberta for 200 North American bird songs, the toilet. She begged me not to ask have Wi-Fi; so, besides phoning, I this idea. But I let it lapse. And and it has some trouble when for the details. can get texts and emails there with I am a bird watcher. Most then to my amazement, I learned there are multiple songs happen- I asked her if she had fished it my very basic $20/month plan. And really good birders do as much that an organization called Wild- ing at once, or if there’s a lot of out. “Yes,” she answered. I refuse to spend money on apps. of their bird identification by life Acoustics, in conjunction other background noise, but it’s “Wipe it off and take out Until last week. ear as by eye. Little warblers with renowned bird guide expert, bound to get better with future the battery and then put it into and sparrows are very hard to David Sibley, has just launched editions. So if you’ve ever want- a bag of rice for a week and ‘WILDLIFE ACOUSTICS’ see even if you can hear them. an app that does what I’d always ed to know just what bird is sing- see what happens.” Lo and With mixed emotions, I discovered And their songs are often so dif- hoped for. So I bought it and have ing some amazing song, but you behold, a week later she called me an app, Song Sleuth, and bought it ficult to tell apart. tried it out in my own backyard, can’t see the little critter, spend and told me that she had replaced for the princely sum of $12.99. Let Then I found out about Shaz- where it successfully identified $12.99 and give Song Sleuth a the battery at the end of the rice me explain the mixed emotions. am, an app my kids use to identify the shrill whistles of Cedar Wax- try. Let me know how it goes! SURPRISED BY SOCIAL MEDIA

Katie Munnik | [email protected] ished and supported. In the months since that post, Katie is an Ottawa writer living in Cardiff with her spouse and three growing children. You can also find Katie on twitter @messy_table. I’ve been more connected with many of these old friends. We’ve shared and celebrated news about LAST SEPTEMBER, I BOUGHT my as I got on that plane, I knew my new jobs, new books and new first smartphone. The next day, husband was always just a phone babies, trips with families, new I flew home to Ottawa because call away and I had that phone in plans and old memories. my father had been moved into my pocket. This summer, the Spouse and a hospice and the doctors said he Through the difficult days that I celebrated our own 17th wed- wouldn’t have long. followed, we talked face-to-face ding anniversary. Not a typically I bought the phone because on Skype in the evenings and sent a big anniversary, but we like to my middle child was starting messages whenever we could. It mark milestones. It was a sunny at a new school, and I’d heard was so good to feel close to my day and the Spouse had the idea that the other parents in his far-away family in those days. of taking a photo of the two of new class communicated with us holding our framed wedding each other using WhatsApp. I TWO MOMENTS photo. We looked very happy, thought if I signed up, it would What I hadn’t expected, though, so he posted it on Facebook and, help him make connections was that the phone would con- goodness me, there were a lot of and, hopefully, friends. Until nect me with my past as well as comments. Does that sound disin- then, my phone has been very my present. When my dad died a genuous? Maybe it does, but we basic – no Internet, no pictures, few days after I arrived, I wanted really didn’t expect the outpour- no emojis – just texts and calls. to share the news with my wider ing of love that followed almost WhatsApp, with its ever-unrav- community, so I took a snapshot instantly. Standing under a tree elling open conversation, was of an old photo that hung on my in our garden, we were sudden- entirely new to me, but I’ve parents’ wall and posted it with a ly connected with friends around never been averse to learning note on social media. I expected the world. Some friends said we new things. A slow adopter, per- condolences, but not the scale hadn’t changed a bit which was haps, but not quite a Luddite. of the response. So many old both silly and kind, but so many And then on the first day of friends got in touch, reaching out more wrote to wish us well or of- school, the call came from home with messages, emails, phone fered their own memories of our with news about my dad. With no calls and invitations. Friends wedding celebrations. On a day The anniversary Facebook post. notice and a full September sched- dropped by the house with food. of private celebration, we felt sur- ule, it wasn’t possible for all of us Others offered to drive whenev- rounded by our community. ed digital age, but these two mo- rejoice and weep with those who to go. So the phone was going to er I needed it, and one even flew There are so many difficulties ments bring its worth to light for weep, this connection helps us keep us connected. And though I over from Finland to be at the that come with our distracted, me. As people who try to honour live our love and share our lives felt unsure about so many things funeral. I was astonished. Aston- interconnected and over-connect- the call to rejoice with those who together (Rom. 12:15).

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structive. Wikipedia overcame tributed to decline in the church’s SMART USE OF SMART PHONES early fears about being a source of influence or that Christians used disinformation to become a help- them to transform society. Kathy Vandergrift | [email protected] SMART PHONES GIVE US instant ful reference tool, through careful Churches are starting to use connection to friends far away – regulation, managed by a collec- smart phones to share information, Kathy, a public policy analyst, brings experience in government, social justice work and a Master’s Degree in Public Ethics to her and often distance from those sit- tive, non-for-profit organization through the Bridge app, for exam- reflections. ting next to us. They give access – although it still can’t be quoted ple, in the Christian Reformed to global information – and fake as an authority for research proj- Church, and for evangelism, such news. Increased safety for teens – ects. Facebook, in contrast, has as the Back to God Hour. Using and cyber-bullying. Direct partic- lost credibility and now faces seri- them as a tool to influence culture, ipation in political life – and in- ous allegations of being complicit similar to the way the Reformers terference in elections. Positive in real harm to real people. Is the used the newly invented printing and negative impacts permeate critical difference the profit mo- press, would include at least two every area of life. There is even tive or acceptance of responsible additional dimensions. One would an app to alert parents when a ba- regulation for the common good? be helping church members think by’s diaper needs changing. The critically and strategically about lines between benefit and harm CULTURE-SHAPING their use of smart phones as tools are not always straight or clear. Every area of my life is affected to help shape contemporary cul- At a deeper level, smart phones by smart phones – perhaps the ture. A second would be a strategy seem to bring the world to our fin- least in church world, for better or for the church, as a social institu- ger tips, but they actually deliver worse. I recall learning in history tion, to use its voice and influence us to marketers on a global adver- class how leaders of the Reforma- to help create a culture and public tising platform. Who is in control tion strategically used the inven- policies that reduce the negative and what is controlled may be the tion of the printing press to change impacts of each new communica- opposite of what we think. the societies in which they lived. I tions tool and steer development A comparison between two wonder if my great grandchildren toward responsible use that em- "The New Dictators" by cartoonist Stephane Peray of Thailand. “go-to” places from my iPhone, will learn that smart phones and powers more people to contribute Wikipedia and Facebook, is in- modern communication tools con- to the common good.

adapted to work on a mobile phone – meaning that almost anyone the place of libraries for many PORTABLE CLASSROOMS can learn almost anywhere, any time they want. For people strug- people – and all the world’s col- gling to make ends meet, or working multiple jobs, or stuck working lected knowledge – and cat gifs Lloyd Rang | [email protected] in shift work – the opportunity to complete a certificate or a degree – have a positive impact on peo- online can mean the difference between the grim status quo and a ple’s ability and desire to read. Lloyd works in communications and is a member of Rehoboth better life. But it’s not just literacy and CRC in Bowmanville, Ont. There’s a tendency among certain folks to dismiss online learning learning that is advanced by as less “real” or valuable than classroom learning. However numerous mobile technology. Society, THERE WAS A TIME in the distant And we’re all addicted to our studies support the notion that mobile technology is a powerful tool to too, can progress as a result of past when “distance education” phones, too. A recent Time promote literacy and learning. mobile technology. A few years meant sending letters to an in- Qualcomm survey said that 84 ago, D2L created a unique edu- structor far away by post. In the percent of us can’t go a single cation partnership in Libya with long-distant past, you could do day without a cell phone in our MEDA, a renowned global de- distance education by sending hands. In fact, 44 percent of velopment organization. Using cassette tapes to an instructor in us would leave our wallets at D2L’s Brightspace learning plat- the mail. And just yesterday, dis- home but not our cell phones. form, thousands of female en- tance education was about sitting trepreneurs across Libya gained down in front of a desktop or lap- TICKET TO A BETTER LIFE access to business education top computer and doing educa- Given that broadband cover- courses on mobile devices with tion over the internet. age is almost everywhere – and personalized learning, social But in the here and now, dis- that almost everyone living in content, analytics and game- tance education is all about mo- the world today has access to a based courses. The result? More bile phones. phone – it was only a matter of women entrepreneurs in a con- It’s not just people in devel- time before someone realized the servative country got access to oped countries who are tethered possibility of using the technolo- the courses they need to become to their phones. On a recent trip gy for good, rather than sending more independent. to Jamaica, my wife and I noticed nasty tweets or cat gifs. It’s been said that intelligence that young people – regardless of Companies like Waterloo’s is distributed equally around their social or economic status D2L – which has been in the the world but that opportunity Out of earth's seven billion people, six billion have access to a mobile phone. – were holding the latest genera- business of selling educational lies in the hands of a few. By tion of smart phone. technology now for 20 years – For example, a UNESCO study looked at how mobile reading allowing classrooms to become The statistics support our have recognized that, for many changes reading habits and attitudes towards reading in the devel- portable, it’s possible that more casual observation. Out of the people around the world, the oping world. After interviewing more than 4,000 people in seven people, in more places than ever seven billion people who live phone in their hand is a ticket to countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and before are – right now – hold- on the planet, over six billion a better life. The technology al- Zimbabwe) researchers found that that people read more when ing the means to improve their have access to a mobile phone. ready being used in classrooms they read on mobile devices, that they enjoy reading more, and lives and change the world for By contrast, only 4.5 billion around the world to deliver that people more often read books and stories to their own children the better, right in the palm of people have access to toilets. lessons and tests can easily be from mobile devices. In other words, mobile phones have taken their hand.

14 AUGUST 26, 2019 | CHRISTIAN COURIER "The New Dictators" by cartoonist Stephane Peray of Thailand.

Columns

ful record of a delightful visit. JUST A SEC . . . There. I’ve done it. I’ve said positive things about the smart Curt Gesch | [email protected] phone. There are a few howevers, Curt lives in Quick, B.C., where he is living out his dotage. His however. wife, Betsey, is much younger and has a smart phone which she is able to use when she has Wifi, whatever that is. HOWEVER I’ve always struggled with inter- YOUNG AND PERHAPS foolish, breath and we would have known rupting people before they finish we were trying to figure out the right away that the quotation came speaking. Telephones interrupt, source of a famous quotation from from Two Gentleman of Verona. too, but nothing like cell-phones Shakespeare while drinking a few and if these phones are “smart,” beers at Pat-‘n’-Steve’s house. I ALSO they are even worse. disremember which quotation, but Our friends were taking their fare- I wonder how parents and it may have been “They do not wells when Neil spotted a hawk teachers guide their students in love that do not show their love.” soaring above us. It wasn’t a red- showing respect and courtesy Probably not “You, minion, are too tailed but definitely some sort of when many, if not most, of the saucy.” Someone thought it might buteo. Neil quickly checked on people with whom children asso- be from A Comedy of Errors; two his bird ID app and we could tell ciate are regularly paged, beeped, Cartoonist Osmani Simanca, Brazil. other possibilities were Measure in seconds that the conformation texted, sung to, or otherwise noti- the record: This whole topic drives me bonkers, and in spite of all the for Measure or The Merry Wives of meant it was a relatively rare (for fied of things that may or may not writings I’ve seen about “redeeming technology,” I am convinced that Windsor. Finally, with some hesita- our area) broad-winged hawk. be of any significance. the smart phone – simply by being there – affects human behaviour tion – since it was about 10:00 p.m. This particular app is also very Angela Reitsma Bick, editor of more than sermons do. I would go on but I just got a text from someone and we were students at Covenant useful for identifying bird songs Christian Courier, gave me these about the wonderful hamburger he ate. College, which strictly forbade for those of us who are inexperi- instructions for an issue with a I would like to put a sign up on our door: “You are welcome to smoke drinking – we decided to call Dr. enced or avianly tone-deaf. smart phone theme: “If you don’t in this house, but turn your d--- cell-phone off.” Barker, our English professor and The smart phone also helps a have a smart phone, write about “Our Father who art in . . . just a sec; I’ve got to take this.” repository of every known quota- person cheat on cross-word puz- that!” I have a smart phone but Why is it that at most worship services and almost all concerts, cell tion from Shakespeare. zles and stop dead trivial pursuit usually only use it as a telephone phones must be turned off, but not when friends – guests and hosts – Had this discussion taken place arguments about who is the great- for emergencies. No apps, I guess. gather in fellowship? 47 years later, we could have had est football player of all time. With Angela continues: “Or, if this No conclusions here. I tried the phrase, “Mixed blessing.” It sound- the answer almost instantly, via the smart phone we also video-re- whole topic drives you bonkers, ed OK, but “mixed curse” a little much. Is a smart phone more like a our smart phones. We wouldn’t corded my brother Brian on my you are as always welcome to hunting rifle or more like a mortar? What would be “in-between” these have had to worry that Dr. Barker Kubota, model B2320, the object write about something complete- options? Is there an “in-between?” I don’t know exac. . . would smell the beer on Steve’s of his covetousness. It is a delight- ly unrelated to our theme. :-)” For Sorry, gotta go. Meghan just texted me about my column for CC.

the week. The volunteers and SERVE-ING, PHONE-FREE chaperones came from Blyth Christina Van Starkenburg CRC in Blyth, Ont., Evergreen CRC in Fort McMurray, Alta, Christina is an award-winning freelance writer based in Fleetwood CRC in Surrey, B.C., Victoria, B.C. In her free time, she enjoys reading, dancing and Trinity CRC in Edmonton. and exploring the world with her husband and two boys. “Not having phones made us interact with each other,” said THIS SUMMER, MANY TEENS decided – or, in some cases, had their Jayden Soubliere of Trinity CRC. parents decide for them – to put down their phones for a week and “It helped us to become closer.” head to different cities across the country to participate in SERVE where they helped the homeless, the hungry and anyone else who PEOPLE, NOT PROJECTS needed a hand. This connection served the “It’s a chance for youth to see the scope of what it means to be a teens well throughout their disciple, to make friends, and learn life skills that hopefully translate week in Victoria, because after into home life,” said Pastor William Delleman of Christ Community they arrived at Victoria CRC, Church, one of the host churches. they were divided up into five SERVE mission trips are organized by Youth Unlimited, a non-de- small groups that split up the nominational organization founded 100 years ago as the American teenagers and adults from the Federation of Reformed Young Men’s Society. SERVE mission trips different churches. immerse the teens in missional living and let them come face-to-face Throughout the week the teens with those who actively help others in their hometowns and with and their chaperones woke up those who are in need of help. before seven and headed out to Youth Unlimited believes it’s important for teenagers to go on mis- their workstations by nine. The sion trips because it helps young people’s faith grow, which is a trend teams spent the entire day out they have noticed since the first SERVE trips happened in 1989. That at different sites. They stocked first year there were three sites. This year there were 24 different sites shelves at the Mustard Seed, across the continent. collected and distributed food to One of those sites was Victoria, B.C. On July 6, 33 teenagers and low-income people with Living their leaders arrived at Victoria Christian Reformed Church (CRC), Teens help distribute fresh, free groceries to local residents in need. which along with Christ Community Church hosted the teams for Continued on page 18

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cludes, “is a crisis centuries in age levels to help teachers bring IT’S PART OF MY STORY the making.” this story of Canada into the classroom. Heads up, teachers! FAMILY HEALTH Danielle Steenwyk-Rowaan | [email protected] Kinship and family came up time SOLUTIONS EXIST ? Danielle lives in Hamilton, Ont., with her husband Dan, their Ger- and time again in the executive Many of the Calls to Justice man shepherd-kangaroo cross Roo, and their housemate Brad. summary. Relationships, espe- directed at ordinary citizens like WHAT’S IN THE cially family relationships and the you and me are not difficult. REPORT? YEARS AGO, AFTER WATCHING a play about Anne Frank, I reflected integrity of the family unit, are es- They include actions like learn- 468 family members and on the visceral pull of that story and others like it from the Second sential to safety, to culture and to ing about the Indigenous history survivors of violence spoke World War for me and others who share my Dutch-Canadian heritage. healing. The report shared various and current reality where I live, at community meetings. These stories are part of us – we are characters in them, through our words from Indigenous languages speaking out against racism, grandparents and relatives. that express this very concept, reading the Final Report, hold- 270+ people shared stories Now I wonder: What are the stories we will tell about this land? linking family health and culture. ing governments accountable to in private sessions with What will we say about this place where I am now transplanted Threats to the ilagiiniq (family) the Calls to Justice, and, most commissioners. into soil that was tended centuries ago and is still tended today by identified by Inuit families and poignantly, creating “time and 750 people contributed to people who speak words like meegwetch, shé:kon and niá:wen? Elders, as one example, included space for relationships with In- shared statements. I think the story told about Canada by the Missing and Murdered In- residential and day schools, forced digenous people based on respect 819 people created artistic digenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) report is one of the answers to resettlement, medical relocation as human beings, supporting and that question, so I went in search of it by reading the Inquiry’s executive and child welfare apprehensions. embracing differences with kind- expressions. summary report. Violence was done to Indigen- ness, love and respect.” Here’s what I learned. ous people and continues to be The report also includes pro- done at the level of the family. grams and policies that family of policy and of attitudes toward CENTURIES-OLD CRISIS They go on to say that the West- members and survivors found to those who find themselves target- This report isn’t really about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women ern concept of the nuclear family be healing for them and which ed, daily, for violence – a rever- and Girls. It’s about colonization. Why are Indigenous women, girls is not what they mean by family broke the cycle of violence. sal that begins in transforming and two-spirit people dying? From colonization. From the disposses- – the boundaries extend beyond The solutions are there. This relationships, and addressing sion, both historical and present-day, of Indigenous peoples. that “to include all familial kin- is not an unsolvable problem. discrimination, racism and mis- The report breaks it down into four pathways to violence that ship including but not limited to “The most important aspect to ogyny at the very root.” showed up in testimonies to the tribunal: historical, multigenera- biological families, chosen fam- change in the relationships be- The stories of these women and tional and intergenerational trauma; social and economic margin- ilies and families of the heart.” tween Indigenous women and girls, the stories that their family alization; institutional lack of will and maintaining the status quo; the people or institutions with members dared to share, are my and ignoring the agency and expertise of Indigenous women, girls NEW CURRICULUM the ability to help protect them is story, one of the stories of this and LGBTQ+ people. The more these pathways intersected in an The Inquiry created a resource list challenging what one witness de- place that I call home. May we be individual’s life, the more likely she was to experience violence. and curriculum notes called Their scribed as, ‘the way it is.’ There transformed in the listening, the “Violence against Indigenous women and girls,” the report con- Voices Will Guide Us for various needs to be a dramatic reversal telling, and the retelling.

CHANGES SPECIAL THANKS in Christian Courier, I have had how to structure these columns It is also my hope, as I dissemin- a faithful, behind-the-scenes so that the thoughts and ideas ate this research, to turn to some- editor in Cara DeHaan. As come across clearly. My writing Rudy Eikelboom | [email protected] thing I may now have the time someone who suffers from a fair would not have been possible all Rudy, who will become a pastoral elder at Waterloo CRC, was till July and experience to address more degree of dyslexia, I find writing these years without her help. Chair of the Psychology Department at Wilfrid Laurier University. systematically: the relationship presents interesting challenges This year Cara becomes a can- between what I have learned and wrinkles. Cara has helped didate for the office of minister UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS HAVE three areas of responsibility: teaching, about God’s creation through me immensely by showing me of the Word (and Sacraments) research and service. The amount of time given to these three large tasks science and our faith built on and received and accepted a call varies with institution, ability and preference. At our institution, like God’s Word and among God’s from Faith Christian Reformed many others, the proportions suggested are 40 percent each for teaching people. These monthly columns Church in Burlington. After and research and 20 percent for service. For the last 10 years (nine years will continue to provide a snap- passing the classical examina- plus one sabbatical), I have been Chair of the largest department at my shot of one small issue raised tion, she will be ordained as a university, and the service part of my time has been much more like 75- in the dialogue between faith pastor in our denomination. It 85 percent, with teaching and research taking up 15-25 percent. After and science and are a pleasure has been a blessing and joy to three terms, I have now stepped down as Chair and will have more time to write. However, I feel led to watch Cara complete the train- for the things that attract most faculty: teaching and research. (No one expand my thinking and writing ing for this responsibility, and becomes a professor to be an administrator!) to pull together some of these I pray that she and the congre- I have enjoyed the challenges and rewards of overseeing the psych- insights into larger analyses and gation she serves may reflect ology program at Laurier and have learned a lot about how universi- more substantial blocks of writ- God’s love for all of his creation. ties function. But I will be glad to turn back to research, and to teach- ing. In this way, I hope to more However, with this change in ing and learning with students the skills and knowledge that will help actively engage with those who her career, I have lost my editor. them in the future. In my time as Chair, my students (I continued have already been working in Fortunately, the church is a large to supervise individuals) carried out considerable research, and one this vineyard. Where this will community, and a new editor, of my first tasks will be to bring this research to the larger scientif- lead is not clear, but with our Andrew White, has agreed to ic community by preparing and submitting articles for publication in Lord’s grace I pray it may be help me with these columns. I peer-reviewed journals. Since this research was funded by govern- blessed. am thankful that we are part of ment grants, there is an obligation to you, the taxpayers, to add our My career is not the only one the larger body of Christ and can findings to the body of scientific knowledge, something that does not that is changing in its focus. For learn and support each other as happen if the experiments are just buried in student theses. all the time I have been writing Cara DeHaan graduates. we all seek to serve our Lord.

16 AUGUST 26, 2019 | CHRISTIAN COURIER MERRITT FUNERAL HOME Inc. 287 STATION ST., SMITHVILLE, ONT. L0R 2A0 Tel. 905-957-7031 • FAX 905-957-1371 1-800-461-9498 E-mail: [email protected] www.merritt-fh.com Serving families for four generations since 1921 Thomas C. Merritt Managing Funeral Director

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Continued from page 15. people put into their work was SERVE, and watching them ex- noticed by those they helped. periencing the joy of service,” Edge, washed cars for Sanctuary “They are so thankful for even said Smith. “Where’s your joy Youth, pulled invasive plants for little things,” said Soubliere. His level? [Helping others] brings Saanich Parks, and so much more comment and the surprise in his a joy that regular fun activities for other local organizations. voice as he said it were echoed by can’t. There’s something about Then, when their work was done, many of the other participants. service that’s really powerful.” they headed back to church sweaty, While Victoria was where the The power of serving others tired and full of spirit. Once there teenagers intended to come to impacted the young individuals they would have a bit of time to volunteer, the hard work they who came to the Victoria site. shower, relax and play games as put in did not start on the West “It’s eye-opening,” said Elijah a larger group before dinner and Coast. First they had to raise VanBoom of Trinity CRC about chapel. money for their trip. The chap- his experience helping someone At their commissioning service, erons joked about how the teens who was new to the community. Pastor Delleman spoke about his all took time to rake leaves or “It changes the way you see experiences with SERVE in the wash cars, among other activ- people who are homeless, or who past. He told the congregation and ities, just to come to Victoria to have an addiction,” continued SERVE participants about the time do the same thing again. VanderPloeg. he learned to see the individuals he “They were weeding all “It changes the way you look at was helping as people not projects. day, dragging wood out of the the world,” finished Conner Van- Delleman encouraged this year’s way,” laughed Hilary Smith, Boom of Trinity CRC. crop of teenagers to learn from his one of the chaperones from In the evenings there were mistake and do the same. Trinity CRC. “They’re really games for the teenagers to play, The participants took his mes- good at it.” and on Wednesday the host sage to heart. “When you see them Even though the chaperones churches took the teams on a day as people needing help and not as chuckled about how the teens trip to see Hatley Castle, where a project, you treat them different- came to be in Victoria, they the X-men movies were filmed, ly,” said Reuben VanderPloeg from loved watching the youth come and Mystic Beach so they could Fleetwood CRC. together to serve the needs of run into the ocean. own communities, and their abil- of them will return to their own “You put more thought into what the community. Going on this trip was valu- ity to look for the story behind communities and volunteer fur- you are doing,” continued Jake Ol- able for these teenagers and their the situation. ther. Because, as Beth Schelp of thuis of Trinity CRC. EYE-OPENING chaperones. It strengthened their Now that they have had a Fleetwood CRC points out, “All The thought and effort the young “I enjoy taking the kids on faith, their commitment to their taste of missional living, many the work we do is worth it.” Hulse & English BAKKER Funeral Home SIGN UP FOR CC’S FREE BARRISTER & SOLICITOR RAMAKER'S IMPORTS INC. 75 Church St. St. Catharines WEEKLY 1 Keefer RoadEMAIL We specialize in 905-684-6346 - 24 Hours NEWSLETTER. St. Catharines ON L2M 6K4 DUTCH FOOD / CHEESE / Email: [email protected] CHOCOLATE / TEXTILES & GIFTS hulseandenglish.com Visit christiancourier.ca and click East of Lock 1 - on site parking 579 Ontario St, St. Catharines ON L2N 4N8 Holly Rousseau - Managing Director “Email Sign Up” under the Info 905-688-9352 Fax: 905-934-3344 905-934-6454 Serving the community over150 years menuAlbert at Jthe Bakker bottom of the page to subscribe. [email protected] ramakersimports.com [email protected] RAMAKER'S IMPORTS INC. St Catharines > 905.646.0199 Beamsville > 905.563.7374 We specialize in Burlington > 905.643.6978 DUTCH FOOD / CHEESE / CHOCOLATE / TEXTILES & GIFTS European Deli and Gifts 579 Ontario St., St. Catharines ON L2N 4N8 118 Wyndham St. N. Guelph Fax: 905-934-3344 905-934-6454 519-822-4690 [email protected] www.dykstrabros.com 760 Upper James St., Hamilton DYKSTRA BROS ROOFING LTD, R.R.#1 BEAMSVILLE ON L0R 1B1 ramakersimports.com 905-383-2981

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The business directory ads are 2.4068 by 1.6708 inches - can that be simplified? Will send individually and also greyscale ones in proper .pdfs when I know these are ok. They are currently for the second issue of the month but can put 4 in one issue and 4 in another or so when there are two issues in the month. Classifieds

OBITUARIES JOB POSTINGS VANDER MEULEN, Andy FULL TIME REPAIR & MAINTENANCE FULL-TIME ASSOCIATE PASTOR Andy passed away peacefully at Hospice Simcoe, Barrie, on Thurs- CARETAKER - Live in/Live out Drayton Christian Reformed Church in day, August 8, 2019 at the age of 79. Vancouver Westside – This position is re- Drayton, Ont., Canada, is currently looking Loving husband of Theresa Vander Meulen. sponsible for complete maintenance and re- for a full-time Associate Pastor. pairs, including oversight of a cleaning crew Cherished father of Craig Vander Meulen (Tara), Robert Vander The Drayton CRC feels called to “share God’s and summer student, in the upkeep of a 140 grace and hope” by a team ministry. Though Meulen, Jason Vander Meulen (Melissa Durrell) and Eric Vander unit, 55+ senior’s complex. Meulen. Adored ‘Pake’ of Maggie, Charlotte, Kennedy and Mar- there is overlap in some responsibilities to cus. The candidate must have hands on skills to encourage inter-generational ministry, each undertake repairs and suite turnarounds in- position has a unique emphasis. The Associ- Andy will be sadly missed by extended family in North America cluding painting, flooring, plumbing, etc. ate Pastor’s ministry is more intentional about and The Netherlands. All take comfort knowing that he has gone to The successful candidate can apply sound engaging children, youth and young adults. be with his Lord and Saviour. principles and problems solving techniques For further information or a copy of the job The Funeral Service was held at First Christian Reformed Church, August 14, 2019. In lieu to evaluate and resolve mechanical condi- description, please email Lisa Geerlinks at of flowers, memorial donations to Hospice Simcoe or Timothy Christian School would be tions to maximize operating efficiencies, and [email protected]. appreciated. use technical knowledge and maintenance history to develop and implement preventa- YOUTH MINISTRY LEADER Messages of condolence may be forwarded to the family through adamsfuneralhome.ca tive maintenance programs. Jennings Creek CRC in Lindsay, Ont. is LOPERS, Doreen Trijn (Steenbergen) Preference is given to those with profession- searching for a part-time youth ministry Doreen Lopers of Drayton peacefully went home to be with her al accreditation or a combination of educa- leader. tion and experience with 3-5 years directly Lord at the Chartwell Nursing Home, Elmira on Tuesday, July We are searching for an individual to join us related experience. Must be able to demon- 23, 2019 in her 99th year. in the faith formation of our youth through strate exceptional interpersonal and leader- Beloved wife of the late Fritz Lopers (1966). discipling, mentoring and building relation- ship skills, oral and written communication ships. If you love God and have a desire to Beloved mother and grandmother of Hank and Mary Lopers of skills, problem solving skills and computer help teens grow into the person God intend- Milton, Pam and John Mulhall, Rebecca and Trevor Johnson; skills. A Class 5 driver’s license is manda- ed them to be, then you are the person we are Jake and Anne Lopers of Whitby, Michael and Tracy Lopers, tory. All candidates must be legally entitled praying for. Derek and Jessie Lopers, Tim Lopers, Calvin and Laura Lopers; to work in Canada and complete a criminal Helen and Brian Gorringe of Guelph, Jason and Kim Gorringe, record check. To learn more about this opportunity contact Shannon and Jeremy Ware; Susan Scheerer and the late Laverne [email protected]. Please forward a cover letter, resume and Scheerer (2011), David and Sylvia Scheerer, Dwaine and Jody statement of faith to: [email protected] Scheerer, Dan and Lisa Scheerer, Daryl Scheerer and Rachelle Pantaleon; John and Paula Lopers of Fergus, Ryan and Amy ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Lopers, Andrea and Cory Catteau; Alice Lopers and Mike Simm of Guelph, Cassandra, Wholesale nursery looking for Courtney and Mark, and Cameron; Rosanne Lopers and Bob Sweetman of Toronto, Nick, a full-time Administrative Adrienne and Kashu, Simon; Richard and Marianne Lopers of Victoria Harbour, Morgan, Assistant. Jacqueline and Thomas; Edward and Faith Lopers of Maryhill, Matthew, Devan, Jordan and Responsibilities would in- Danielle, Emily and Kyle; Lois and Gary Wierts of Arthur, Kayla. clude assisting in human re- Cherished Oma of great-grandchildren Patrick, Isaac, Lauren, and Nia; Christian, Brandon, sources, accounting, reception and general Alicia, Sophie, Devyn, Jordyn, Charlie Rose, Eli and Luke; Jorja, Travis, Rowan and Benton; office duties. The successful applicant must Connor, Carlin, Aiden, Anna, Thomas, Julia, Kai and Noah; Isabelle, Charlotte, and Reid; possess excellent organizational, communi- and Lomayana. cation and time management skills, be detail Survived by sisters-in-law Cora Lopers and Anne Lopers in Canada, and sister-in-law Hen- oriented, capable of multi-tasking and be able nie Lopers and brother-in-law Egbert Slomp in the Netherlands. Predeceased by siblings and to work as part of a team. Wages will com- their spouses Roelof (Bep), Jen (Hendrik), Geertje (Klaas), Lam (Henk), Cor (Hette), Mien, mensurate with experience. and Tiny (Bouke); son-in-law Laverne, granddaughter-in-law Samantha, infant grandson Resumes can be emailed to hr@willow- Paul and infant great granddaughter Adyson. Also predeceased by Lopers siblings and their brooknurseries.com, dropped off between spouses Egbert (Grietje), Aal (Jaap), Jan (Mien), Lucas, Femmy (Roelof), Martijn (Ger), the hours of 8:00-4:00 Monday to Thursday Grietje (Dick), Henk, Albert (Hilly), and Klaas. Dearly loved by a large number of nieces and or 8:00-noon on Fridays, or mailed to: nephews and their children, both in Canada and the Netherlands. Willowbrook Nurseries Inc. A Celebration of Life Service was held in the Drayton Christian Reformed Church on July 935 Victoria Ave., R.R. #4 27, 2019. As expressions of sympathy, donations to World Renew or the Alzheimer’s Society Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0 would be appreciated by the family. Arrangements were entrusted to the Heritage Funeral to the attention of Human Resources. Home, Drayton. (heritagefuneralhomes.ca) (No phone calls please) We thank you for your application, however only those con- FOR RENT You are invited to join us for the sidered will be notified. Apartment: Beautiful Langford B.C., just 15TH ANNUAL DUTCH ROOM NEEDED minutes from downtown Victoria. Our apart- HYMN SING Student coming from Den Hague, Nether- ment is for rent from Oct. 2019 to Mar. 2020. Wednesday, Aug, 28, 2019, 1:30 p.m. Fully furnished. Two bed and two bath. lands, seeks room in Guelph. He will be doing at Westmount CRC, 405 Drury Lane, graduate work at the University of Guelph. WIFI and all utilities included. Min. rental Strathroy, Ont. for three months. $2,650/month. If you have a room to spare, contact Ineke Underground parking. Invite your friends to join you! Medcalf at [email protected] or call Ph: 778-265-8855 or [email protected] Refreshments and fellowship (with 905-937-3314 for more information. Dutch treats) follows the program. VACATIONS There will be a free-will offering for ADVERTISING & CLASSIFIEDS the Bible League. Email advertising to [email protected]. Family ads, events and job postings can be HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION Contact Marianne Kingma at 226-373- submitted online or emailed to: [email protected]. IN HOLLAND 4401 or [email protected] for Next issue dates: September 9 & 23. with vehicle rentals and tours. more information. chestnutlane.nl Family ads & recent job postings are also online at christiancourier.ca

@ChrCourier ChrCourier CHRISTIANCOURIER.CA | AUGUST 26, 2019 19 Woodland Towers in AURORA Pending PrICe INCJulyre 31ASe

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20 AUGUST 26, 2019 | CHRISTIAN COURIER