Issues With The Banner Part 7 - "The Fish Run"
Wherein even when an article isn't expressing theologically questionable ideas, I am still left questioning the editorial choices of the CRCNA's intellectual elite
As explained in my introductory post, I have been slowly going through the March 2023 issue of the Banner and pointing out articles I have concerns with. I’ve been doing this not because I particularly enjoy criticizing the Banner, but because I’m trying to illustrate what I see as the wide-spread nature of the publication’s failings and the sometimes subtle ways concerning and unorthodox views are expressed in its pages.
In one issue, a total of nine articles quickly jumped out at me as expressing questionable beliefs or being of dubious value. Below is the seventh of those articles
"The Fish Run" by Clayton Lubbers
I am baffled as to what is beneficial about this article. The writer spends 400 words talking about adfluvial fish, and then the last 2 paragraphs awkwardly trying to shoehorn God into it. The great word of wisdom he leaves us with is:
The trick is to develop the spiritual habit of listening—to look for those telltale cues from God, to begin to hear God’s voice through people, events, and, yes, even thoughts we have when we focus on God. The more we spend time focusing on God and God’s Word, the more God directs us in our streams of life.
An article that was worthwhile would have offered some practical advice on how to develop the spiritual habit of listening, but such advice is sadly absent. As with the article by Shiao Chong earlier in the March issue, this comes off as an essay written by a bored middle schooler who's just trying to fill some space but doesn't actually have anything of substance to say.
In all fairness, the writer should at least be commended for recognizing that the Banner is, ostensibly, a religious publication and making an effort to awkwardly shoehorn God into an article that is mostly focused on, what I would assume is, a personal hobby. That is more than could be said of the gentleman who wrote an entire article about wristwatches and wristwatch enthusiasts.
Beyond that, I believe we can also be grateful that, while what he says is generally empty and useless, it is not false, which, sadly, is a step up from other articles in the March 2023 issue that seemed to promote some truly questionable and concerning beliefs such as the idea that native-born Canadians are “settlers”, the concept of the family should be redefined, and Christ engaged in unChristian actions.
I am baffled as to the considerations that go into choosing articles for the Banner. My hope would be that even if the editor and staff at the Banner have no particular concern about doctrine or a desire to publish scripturally sound articles, that at least they would have some intellectual self-respect and try to publish articles with intellectual and creative merit, but this article would suggest they don’t care about that either. I'm shocked that it was considered good enough to be published in the CRC's leading spiritual/theological magazine because I can get insight like that which it offers by talking to my six-year-old.
Me: Hey, how do you be a good Christian?
Six-Year-Old [shrugs]: I don't know. Think about God maybe. [Goes back to playing with Legos.]
To me, the fact that this was published is evidence that the editor and staff at the Banner do not take their jobs seriously and do not properly recognize their spiritual responsibility to be good stewards of the resources they have been entrusted with. Hard-working CRC members gave some of the fruits of their labor as an offering to God by tithing to their local congregations. A portion of those tithes went to the Banner in the form of ministry share dollars. Instead of recognizing that these funds were given to honor and glorify God, the editor turned around and used that money to publish an article that is devoid of any kind of spiritual or even intellectual value.
I don’t understand why there is not shame down through every level, from the editor who decided this article was worthy of being published, to Synod that tolerates this level of emptiness and lack of stewardship from the denomination’s magazine, to the classes and congregations that continue to throw the tithes of their members away on things like this, to the individuals themselves who continue to throw their money away on something that is this devoid of spirit or life.
Is this evidence that the CRCNA is dying? Because when I see an article this silly and useless being published in the flagship magazine of the denomination, what I see is spiritual, intellectual, and creative decay.