CRC Justice Seekers

Site Moderators

  • Karen Bokma
  • Peter Vander Meulen
  • Kate Kooyman
  • Meghan Kraley

Latest Activity

Hollywood is finally catching onto the fact that people care about justice issues - and that says nothing about the thousands of documentaries already out there. What movies, mainstream or otherwise, are worth checking out?
12 hours ago
It is sad to see that many African leaders are seeing Copenhagen as a place to get money blaming climate change on the west and therefore seeking monetary compensation. Even though the west has contributed significantly to global climate change, t...
13 hours ago
Theresa Miedema Writing about social capital in polarized societies on this beautiful morning.
15 hours ago
Theresa Miedema updated their profile
15 hours ago
Theresa Miedema updated their profile photo
15 hours ago
Derek Drenth added a blog post
I don’t know anyone who got back recently from a trip but I know someone who is leaving soon... Rereading journals is fun and cool to see what was all written. One major lesson: that is impossible there are too many. Mission statement: I want to b...
on Saturday
Kate Kooyman added a blog post
Curious which congregations are engaging with the Belhar confession, as Synod encouraged, and in what way. Sermon series? Sunday school classes? Guest speakers? What's happening that you're aware of in the CRCNA to wrestle with this important conf...
on Friday
on Friday
Did you even watch the interview before posting this? Moyers and Goldstone address each and every issue that you raise. Goldstone explicitly states that Hamas was nowhere near him when he conducted his interviews. This is only one example of somet...
on Thursday
Whether or not Goldstone calls himself a Zionist Jew, he obviously has not internalized what it means for the Jews to have a place to go and a defensible homeland. He might not be a liar, but he should never have accepted the mandate handed to him...
on Thursday
Micah Schuurman added a blog post
This video is worth watching. The Palestinians build houses illegally because it is almost impossible for them to get building permits. They build anyways (sometimes it is only an addition to their existing house) and then get evicted. In such cas...
on Wednesday
on Wednesday
The US House of Representatives just overwhelmingly passed a motion to urge President Obama to condemn Goldstone's report. The rationale given in the motion is that Goldstone's report is biased. I just don't understand. What do they mean by biased...
November 4
What books should we add to the endless list of mustreads? Add books (with reviews) that should be added to all of our bookshelves in our search for justice!
November 3
A place for deacons to share their special concerns and questions, gain insight and inspiration from others, and feel connected to those that carry out the office across our denomination.
November 3
Pam DeWilde is now a member of CRC Justice Seekers
November 3
Micah Schuurman added a blog post
In this incredible interview, Moyers asks all the tough questions. He doesn't pull any punches. He lays out all the arguments against Goldstone's report on the investigation into war crimes in the war between Israel and Gaza last winter. Please, t...
November 3
he word Palestinian came into use around the time of the first World War. Regardless, I'm not sure why it is so significant that the Palestinian identity did not exist until WWI. Whether they had a distinctive name or not, there were people on the...
November 2
Micah, Israel has been attacked 5 times (by external forces) and sometimes having Judea and Samaria as a buffer was beneficial to their survival. Maybe people would appreciate a short history lesson. Many have no idea there never, ever was an inde...
November 2
Tracy Young added a blog post
The Office of Social Justice is excited to share the CRC Teachers' Lounge with you - a place for Christian K-12 educators to access justice-related resources for the classroom, share ideas and lessons plans, and give one another support. Last spr...
November 2
 

Welcome, Justice Seekers!

This community was created for Reformed Christians to encourage and support one another in our individual and communal roads toward justice. Things you can do on Justice Seekers:

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Blog Posts

Derek Drenth

october blog

I don’t know anyone who got back recently from a trip but I know someone who is leaving soon...
Rereading journals is fun and cool to see what was all written.
One major lesson: that is impossible there are too many.
Mission statement: I want to be committed to being the hands and feet of God in loving the world through providing materially, emotionally, and spiritually for others.
My mentor and I concluded that God is constant in every culture and does the same things but can work in different… Continue

Posted by Derek Drenth on November 6, 2009 at 10:12pm

Kate Kooyman

Belhar in your congregation?

Curious which congregations are engaging with the Belhar confession, as Synod encouraged, and in what way. Sermon series? Sunday school classes? Guest speakers? What's happening that you're aware of in the CRCNA to wrestle with this important confession?

Posted by Kate Kooyman on November 6, 2009 at 1:26pm

Micah Schuurman

House Evictions in East Jerusalem

This video is worth watching. The Palestinians build houses illegally because it is almost impossible for them to get building permits. They build anyways (sometimes it is only an addition to their existing house) and then get evicted. In such cases, either the house gets bulldozed or Jewish Settlers move into the house.
This is one of the clearest examples of racism in the state of Israel. It amounts to ethnic cleansing. I… Continue

Posted by Micah Schuurman on November 4, 2009 at 7:00pm

Micah Schuurman

Thoughtful Intervew of Richard Goldstone by Bill Moyers.

In this incredible interview, Moyers asks all the tough questions. He doesn't pull any punches. He lays out all the arguments against Goldstone's report on the investigation into war crimes in the war between Israel and Gaza last winter.
Please, take 50 minutes to watch it.

Here is the link.

Posted by Micah Schuurman on November 3, 2009 at 1:51pm — 3 Comments

Tracy Young

Calling Christian School Teachers!

The Office of Social Justice is excited to share the CRC Teachers' Lounge with you - a place for Christian K-12 educators to access justice-related resources for the classroom, share ideas and lessons plans, and give one another support.

Last spring, GR Christian High School teacher Jane Hilbrands came to the OSJ with a great observation and a question. The CRC, she noted, has so ma… Continue

Posted by Tracy Young on November 2, 2009 at 3:39pm

Micah Schuurman

Israel expands its land grab

Here is an article from the Washington Post.

This time, Israel is claiming that they cannot give up the Jordan Valley. Once again, the Israeli government is claiming that it is for security purposes.
Benjamin Netanyahu said that the 1967 borders are "indefensible." I'm not sure what he is talking about. Israel defended herself pretty well in the 1967 war. Furthermore,… Continue

Posted by Micah Schuurman on November 1, 2009 at 11:42pm — 2 Comments

Marc Peterson

Economic Justice?

The media tries helping the administration out by signaling an end to the recession as in this report; "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy grew in the third quarter for the first time in more than a year as government stimulus helped lift consumer spending and home building, fueling an unexpectedly strong advance.

Signaling the end of the worst recession in 70 years, the Commerce Department on Thursday said the economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the July-September peri
Continue

Posted by Marc Peterson on October 30, 2009 at 9:10am — 2 Comments

Micah Schuurman

Water

Gaza water crisis.

West Bank water crisis.

Regarding the second article, the Israeli official isn't telling the complete truth. Israel is in complete control of the water systems in the West Bank from beginning to end. The Palestinians are not mismanaging their water because they DON'T manage their water... Israel does.

Posted by Micah Schuurman on October 27, 2009 at 12:30pm — 5 Comments

Meghan Kraley

The Manufactured Financial Crisis

Introduction

Keith Oosthoek is a brother in the Reformed faith who has been a leader in the banking industry in Canada for almost four decades. We invited him to initiate a discussion on justiceseekers that could help us to have a dialog that is informed, educational, and charitable. He graciously accepted this invitation, and his essay follows (attachment). Says Keith, “I am a person with 38 years in the banking industry and my views are practical -- from a sinner who loves Jesus, but n… Continue

Posted by Meghan Kraley on October 21, 2009 at 4:22pm — 2 Comments

Micah Schuurman

Capital Punishment

I wrote this two years ago while at Dordt. I presented the paper in a panel discussion. Any thoughts?

Suppose for a moment that there are no problems with implementing capital punishment. Suppose that the death penalty is not biased against minorities. Suppose that it does not discriminate against the poor. In other words, imagine a world where the death penalty is completely just. What does the “ideal” use of capital punishment look like?
It looks something like this. A man commits murder. The… Continue

Posted by Micah Schuurman on October 18, 2009 at 2:44am

 
 

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