New wine in new beer kegs
What would you do if a dead preacher left you $13,000?
Viewpoints
Resisting the pursuit of more
I really like our new phone. It’s a cream-coloured touch-tone, the kind with the handset that rests on a cradle. When I use it I have to stay in one room, and I can’t walk too far in any direction, so I usually sit and play with the white cord while I talk and listen.
Our empathy needs to be tangible
The Idle No More movement may exhilarate some while perplexing others. What it hopes to gain for aboriginal Canadians is probably clear, at least in broad strokes; what it means for all of us is not so clear.
Readers write
‘Freedom of speech is hard work’
I am writing to share my thoughts on the relationship Canadian Mennonite has developed with the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA).
The priority problem
Fewer Christians are reading their Bibles today. Not exactly a news flash. The real question is, why are so many of us no longer reading our Bibles? I think there are three primary reasons:
Elder wisdom
“Mom, does my hair look okay at the back?” asked the pastor just before she exited the washroom to enter the hall where she would officiate at a wedding.
Navigating change
On Jan. 11, I joined an Idle No More event initiated by Mennonites in Winnipeg on the same day aboriginal chiefs met with the prime minister. One driver who was temporarily stopped by the marchers enthusiastically shouted out her car window, cell phone in hand: “I’ve just tweeted your event!” Within minutes, another voice from a passing car yelled, “Get a job!”
Readers write
Free speech more important than charitable status
Facing up to ‘horrific colonial realities’
It started with a few women in Saskatchewan. Now, it has spread across Canada and the U.S., all the way to France, New Zealand and Palestine.
Living with mental illness in the bleak of mid-winter
Elizabeth Wall, left, with the teddy bear she received from the First Mennonite Church women’s Bible study group and her light therapy box. Right: Theresa Driedger has some practical suggestions for dealing with seasonal depression.
Living with illness in the bleak of mid-winter By Elizabeth Wall
Non-domination is an article of my faith
We should not dominate each other. I really believe this. It is one of the most meaningful affirmations of the Christian faith I have. Can those among us who are strong be confident enough in our faith to follow the one who made himself weak for the sake of others? Does not the seed of evil lie in the moment we compromise the freedom of another person?
Holy space
I have underestimated its presence. I know I have. I miss it routinely although it is all around me: in front of me, even in my very arms.
Church in the streets
Religious life in Canada continues to change dramatically from previous generations. A new Forum Research Poll recently commissioned for the National Post indicates that two-thirds of Canadians say they are spiritual, but only half say they are religious. Among younger-age groups, fewer are attending church or engaging in religious practices.
Readers write
Stop being ‘so extremely politically biased’
The Bible is theological
In our denomination we give less and less attention to the practice of theology. One wonders why. Perhaps it is because we falsely believe theology to be a strictly “academic” activity separate from church life (when in fact churches have been sorting out what it means to follow God from the beginning). Almost certainly the reason falls out of a false dichotomy between head and heart.
Scripture in the postmodern shift
There are numerous schemas that map out differing views of Scripture. One of the most straightforward suggests everyone believes the Bible is either:
- fully divine, or
New eyes
When my friend told me she was knitting a scarf for her husband, I foolishly exclaimed, “But you don’t knit!” Foolish, I say, because she should know if she knits or doesn’t. She corrected me, and let me know she’d actually been a knitter for decades. Similarly another long-time friend confessed she bites her nails, something I would never have imagined, given her calm and serene manner.
Let’s NOT just have a quick prayer!
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…” (Proverbs 9:10)
Readers write
Mennonites and climate
Is theology biblical?
In our denomination the academic discipline known as theology is given a lofty position. But when I look at the influences that have formed me as a Christian, theology is just one among many.
A funeral state of mind
At the risk of sounding creepy, I like the way we Mennonites do funerals. Specifically, I like the way people act during the funerals and for a few hours after funerals. If only we could stay forever in a funeral state of mind.
A gospel shaped for me?
There’s no end of hand-wringing these days in our churches of how to keep young adults interested. The “next” generation is leaving the church faster than hockey fans from a lockout and we’re all asking why.
Readers write
Continue the critique
Re: “‘Political reminder’ disturbing,” Editorial (Nov. 12, 2012, page 2).
With Petraeus, echoes of that other warrior David
Former Gen. David Petraeus' resignation was announced on Friday, Nov. 9, 2012.
It's tempting to view the sex scandal surrounding retired Army Gen. David Petraeus through a religious lens.
Beyond politics
I’m a sucker for politics. I read the papers, stay up late on election nights and get far too emotionally involved. But at the same time, I maintain a fundamental suspicion of partisan politics. While I know and respect people in the political sphere, I will never buy a party membership, go door-to-door with pamphlets, or bang a sign into my front lawn.
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