Tag: theology

Justice, Ministry

Madonna Alley

melissaannekuipers
Mary mother of Jesus
The Madonna statue in the Mary Garden in the forgotten alley

“The writers of our ancient texts grasped at metaphors and imagery to represent that which we cannot see and cannot fully grasp. They tried to hold the unholdable through word pictures. God is a lion, a lamb, a sun, a friend, a lover, a king, a vine, a potter, a loaf of bread. And the creative Creator, who walked in the garden with Eve and Adam and dwelt in the confines of the tabernacle and grew till snug and tight within a peasant’s womb, allows God’s self to be held within the humble flesh of words. God is willing to be held, chooses to be held, intends to be held, longs to be held, loves to be held.”

You can find my Advent reflection, “Madonna Alley,” in the recent issue of The Christian Courier.

Published articles, Uncategorized

Inheriting Privilege

melissaannekuipers

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Over the past few years I’ve been on the continuing and unending journey of sorting through stuff I’ve inheriting, as well as some of my own childhood stuff I stuffed in the attic of the family home I grew up in. It’s a bit overwhelming at times.

Somehow the process of sorting through so many things that I’ve inherited–stuff I want and stuff I’d like to just ignore–brought to mind the ways in which we inherit privilege, whether we want it or not, whether we want to deal with it or not. I wrote a piece a few months ago about checking our privilege as spiritual practice, and I think it’s an essential ongoing exercise for white Christians. You can check it out in The Banner here.

Published articles

The Problems with Personality Typography

melissaannekuipers

I’ve been honoured to be a contributor at The Banner, a Christian Reformed Church publication, for the past two years. I write four times a year for a column called “As I Was Saying.” Most recently I’ve written about my unabashed affection for personality typographies and tests. I love them. So do many Christians. But they have some limits and drawbacks. I take a quick look at some of their strengths and weaknesses in my article “The Limits of Personality Typography.”

To peruse some of the other pieces I’ve written for The Banner online, go here.

Published articles

When the Sickness is Over

melissaannekuipers

In keeping with the parenting during pandemic theme, I wrote this article back in March and Plough magazine published it. “When the Sickness is Over” looks at parenting a toddler while in social isolation, as well as some reflections on the theological concept of already-not-yet.

parenting, Published articles

The gift of nurturing small things

melissaannekuipers

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I’ve written a few reflections on daily life during COVID-19. “The gift of nurturing small things in isolation” was published in The Christian Century. Here I reflect on raising a baby in a pandemic, giving and receiving living things when we are living apart, the joy of caring for small things like succulents and sourdough starter, and some theological concepts around creation.