Bob Bruinsma

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I'm almost done calling myself a Christian

Jan 17, 2025 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma

“. . . the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” (Acts 11:26)The word “Christian” is used only three times in the Bible: when King Agrippa used it ironically to mock St. Paul’s testimony by sneering, “Soon you will persuade me to play the Christian” (Acts 26: 28); when the Apostle Peter urges his readers not to consider it a disgrace to suffer as a Christian (1 Pet. 14:16); and when newly converted persons were first called Christians in Antioch.
Esmeralda and the Garden of Delights

Nov 18, 2024 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma

Before reading this story, please read Luke 18:9-14. Once upon a time, in a place far away, there was a land called The Kingdom of No Clocks and No Sheep. You see, the queen of that kingdom once had a dream that her only son, the prince, would either be killed by a sheep or by a clock falling on him. She told her husband, the king, about her dream and he immediately passed a law that there would be no sheep allowed in the royal garden and no clocks in the palace.
A label in search of a disease

Oct 30, 2024 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma

Quite frankly, I am not sure what the term dyslexia means, and from the voluminous scholarly literature on this topic, it’s clear there is little consensus about its meaning there, either. After earning a doctorate in Reading Education from the University of British Columbia in 1981, I spent twenty-eight years teaching at The King’s University in Edmonton, Alberta as a Professor of Education.
Learning to read

Sep 4, 2024 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma

Did you know that Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a tireless advocate for universal schooling for the young? He championed free schools for all children as an important aspect of public welfare. In his Letter to the Mayors and Aldermen of All Cities of Germany on Behalf of Christian Schools, he said: “What would it avail if we possessed and performed all else, and became perfect saints, if we neglect that for which we chiefly live, namely, to care for the young?
Unplayful games

Jul 31, 2024 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma

“You cannot serve God and Mammon (Wealth).” Matt. 6:24Here we go again. The Olympics are upon us once more, this time in Paris, France. Perhaps it seems appropriate that CC’s editors have chosen the theme of A Theology of Play for this issue. What could be a greater display of the world at play than the Summer Olympics? NOT. Play – verb – caper, disport, frisk, frolic, gambol, romp, skip; noun – amusement, exercise, game, elbow room, freedom.
‘Burn Down the Stadium!’

Jul 8, 2024 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma

“One should act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can, at the same time, will that it becomes a universal law.”– Immanuel Kant“I will show you a still more excellent way.”– I Cor. 12:13Many years ago, I and three other undergraduate friends would meet for discussions over pizza and beer nearly every Sunday evening at one of our parents’ homes.
Give a soft answer

Jun 26, 2024 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. Prov. 15:1-2Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matt. 5:5Louisa and I were having a leisurely breakfast in our housecoats last week when our doorbell rang. Louisa answered the door to discover a former federal Conservative MP on our doorstep doing some early campaigning in hopes of winning back the riding from our current NDP MP.
Beans or beef?

May 10, 2024 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (Genesis 2:8)I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. (Rev. 21: 2a)The rapid urbanization of much of the world has increased the lament for the loss of rural culture and a pastoral way of life. And while it is true that fewer people are living in rural areas, a staggering amount of the world’s land has been transformed for agricultural purposes.
Hands and feet

Apr 12, 2024 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. (I Cor. 13:1)Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. (St. Francis of Assisi)There are 206 bones in a human body. Of these, 54 bones are in our two hands, and a further 52 are in the feet. So, the bones of our hands and feet comprise more than 50 percent of all the bones in our body.
Tuition justice

Mar 22, 2024 | christiancourier.ca | Bob Bruinsma

Recently, the National Post and Canadian Press reported that since 2021, 70 percent of all tuition paid to Ontario’s post-secondary schools comes from international students. The federal government is planning to reduce the number of foreign students because too many are being used as cash cows for our own domestic educational programs.