Of genitals and gender
The timing of Mennonite Church Canada’s current segment on human sexuality couldn’t have been better.
Volume 18 Issue 8
‘Peace be with you’
As in many environments today, “peace” was a conventional salutation in the ancient world. In the Gospel of Luke, when the risen Jesus appears among the disciples in Jerusalem, he extends to them a greeting of peace.
Readers write: April 14, 2014 issue
Writer stands up for the victims of John Howard Yoder’s abuse
Re: “MennoMedia questioned over John Howard Yoder disclaimer” letter, March 3, page 11.
There are a number of misconceptions in this letter that need to be addressed:
Thinking biblically about sex
Be honest, you’re only reading this because of the title.
Yup, you have issues. But so do I.
My understanding of sex was shaped within the context of my small-town church community and wider family. Pretty much everywhere there was blushing at that dirty word.
A cry for equality
Some may consider the following to be stated too strongly, but these are the realities for many native people.
What gets missed at meetings?
Meetings are always interesting, as they take on personalities of their own. And groups develop their own style or flavour. The 2014 Mennonite Church Alberta annual meeting was no different.
An affirmation of celibacy
Having read “Between horizons: Biblical perspectives on human sexuality” (the fifth Being a Faithful Church [BFC] document), I found myself questioning once again how we approach the intertwined issues of singleness and celibacy—abstaining from sexual activity.
Breaking down walls in the name of Christ
Elaine Klassen and Noreen Neufeldt ham it up in the kitchen as they prepare food for delegates at the annual Mennonite Church Alberta assembly hosted by Lethbridge Mennonite Church. (Photo by Donita Wiebe-Neufeld)
Dan Graber, MC Alberta area church minister, left; Elias Miranda, pastor of Word of Life Mennonite Church, Calgary; Thomas Pham, pastor of Edmonton Vietnamese Mennonite Church; and Jon Olfert, Camp Valaqua director, lead the 2014 MC Alberta assembly delegates in a time of remembering those who have passed away in the last year, and celebrating those who have joined MCA through baptism. (Photo by Donita Wiebe-Neufeld)
Cheryl Bear-Barnetson poses with a copy of her 2013 book, Introduction to First Nations Ministry, at the MC Alberta assembly. (Photo by Donita Wiebe-Neufeld)
“As a child, I didn’t see the wall,” Arlyn Friesen Epp told delegates to the 85th annual Mennonite Church Alberta assembly, as he spoke of growing up in small-town Saskatchewan with no real knowledge of, or connections to, first nations people other than negative stereotypes.
Fewer Canadians studying at AMBS
Maclean’s magazine sits on the library shelf at the Mennonite seminary in Elkhart, Ind., but there are few Canadians there to read it.
War doesn’t work
According to Ernie Regehr, for statistical purposes a war is defined as political fighting—not criminal violence—that engages the security forces of the state; as well, it is a situation in which “at least 1,000 people [combatants and civilians] have been killed directly by the fighting during the course of the conflict, and 25 or more are killed annually.”
The role of faith in our culture
On Jan. 17, 2014,Tim Kuepfer, pastor of Peace Mennonite Church, Richmond, B.C., was invited to join a local Muslim youth gathering for the commemoration of the birth of the Prophet Mohammed. What follows is an adaptation of his message to this gathering.
Lessons from the West Bank
It isn’t easy to distil six months of life in the Holy Land into an hour’s conversation. This is evident in the way Jerry Buhler searches for the right words and sometimes stops to rephrase what he’s trying to say.
A tale of two voyages
Chau Dang, pastor of Calgary Vietnamese Mennonite Church.
Several years ago, Chau Dang, pastor of Calgary Vietnamese Mennonite Church, enthusiastically recounted for me the Caribbean cruise from which he had just returned. Coming from all over North America, at least 150 Vietnamese friends, 35 from his extended family, had been reunited to celebrate a week of cruising balmy waters.
A flood of bleak images
Those who miss the days of Hollywood biblical epics will be happy to see that one of the first stories we hear in Sunday school has come to the cinema as a grand, big-budget spectacle. Darren Aronofsky’s Noah has opened to widespread critical acclaim and blockbuster status, defying the expectations of those who thought it was too controversial to succeed.
