Bananer Lecture

PDF copy of the Bananer

Last Saturday, Steve “Chuck” Sieberson and Luke Reinsma spoke for the first time about the Bananer, their spoof of the Banner, the CRC’s monthly publication.
Their lecture was a part of Calvin’s homecoming weekend. Sieberson and Reinsma, both graduates of the class of 1970, returned to campus for their class’ 40-year reunion.

Although it was their first shared public speaking engagement on the topic, discussing their satirical publication was nothing new for Sieberson and Reinsma, both now professors – Sieberson at Creighton University and Reinsma at Seattle Pacific University.

“We’ve talked about the Bananer off and on for 40 years – so it wasn’t anything new. But we had a good time – I hadn’t read some of that stuff in 20 years, and (some of) it still holds its own,” commented Reinsma.

Sieberson and Reinsma began with a description of the context of Calvin, the Banner, and the Christian Reformed Church from 1968 to 1970. They explained the divided cultural temperament of the day, a split between the “Leave it to Beaver” morality crowd and Vietnam War protesters.

They shed some insight about their thought-process, motivations, and intentions at the time with the spoof. They shared background information on stories, like the notorious “I Saw the Devil” article and the profile of “Warp College.”

Despite the obvious controversy it usually stirs up, Reinsma thought the audience, which consisted primarily of fellow 1970 graduates, reacted well to the presentation.
“The reaction seemed pretty good. We were waiting for the son of John VanderPloeg [the Banner’s editor at the time] or a very angry parent to rise up in righteous – and legitimate – indignation, but it didn’t happen,” said Reinsma of the audience.

As a team, their sarcastic humor and natural chemistry made Sieberson and Reinsma an enticing pair. Their improvised humor, yet organized presentation, made the “lecture” both enjoyable and revealing.

“We wanted it to be funny and light on its feet and informative and interesting all at the same time. I hope it was all of those things, although it’s hard to tell from a speaker’s point of view,” Reinsma said.

Henry Smeenk printed the original Bananer, despite qualms of the reaction it might draw. A fellow graduate of the ’70 class and attendee of the session, he commented, “I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a great retelling of a great piece.”

At the time of its publication, the Bananer shook the Christian Reformed Church to the core. Now, 40 years later, it remains one of the CRC’s most defining and controversial moments. An event of that magnitude demanded a look-back. Saturday’s lecture did just that.Sieberson and Reinsma’s session successfully recasted the lampoon in its original light: edgy, funny, and well-intended.