Five thoughts on queers and messy church
1. The church is wounding people deeply based on sexual orientation. This is not what God wants. We must do better.
1. The church is wounding people deeply based on sexual orientation. This is not what God wants. We must do better.
Letters in response to sexuality issues
Re: “There is hope for those who want to leave the gay lifestyle” letter, Oct. 17, pg. 7.
As an archivist, I’m curious about history and trends, and changes in the way Mennonites live and worship. At this time of year, my curiosity turns toward Advent. How has our approach to the season changed over time?
It was a difficult family matter and it called for our best conflict-resolution skills. In the end, we reached a compromise, a good solution, and the best we could manage given the circumstances. Here’s what happened.
‘As Amos as possible’
Re: “I’m a human being,” Sept. 5, page 12.
Troy Watson’s column reminded me of a story in Jewish lore. It went something like this:
I wonder if it’s enough to be an outspoken white man.
In my early years of Christian zeal, I learned from radio host and author James Dobson that men and women were different but equal, and that it was actually gracious of me to recognize them as the weaker sex. (I still strive to be gracious—to James Dobson and the people who introduced me to him.)
I recall watching footage of the 1994 Rwandan genocide from the comfort of my living room. Images of machete-wielding young people have staying power in the personal video recorder that is my brain. Almost one in seven people perished in just over three horrible months.
Should governments fund spiritual care?
Re: “Financial crisis looms,” Sept 19, page 22.
With this issue, we begin a three-part series of back-and-forth letters between two elderly twin sisters, Faith Elaine Linton and Joyce Gladwell, on the topic of homosexuality. Elaine, who is preparing to give a seminar on the subject, begins, to which Joyce responds. Joyce and Elaine were born in 1931 in Jamaica. They were educated at St. Hilda’s, an Anglican boarding school for girls.
As people move closer to the magic age of 65 that society has deemed the age of retirement, they may find themselves wondering if they are ready for the transition.
In The Princess Bride, a 1987 comedy film, the haughty princess takes great pleasure in giving orders to her farmhand. He readily complies, often with the slightest of smiles on his face—perhaps even a smirk—and the words, “As you wish.” The princess eventually realizes that her servant’s accommodation is a declaration of his love for her, a love which she returns.
The adage, “those who do not remember their history are doomed to repeat it,” acknowledges the benefits of looking back in time. Historical reflection not only keeps us from repeating mistakes, it encourages and guides us towards right ways of living and acting.
Readers say YES to Jets’ logo
If you could choose a church from scratch, what would it look like? Much of our angst about being the church seems rooted in our desire to look good. Are we a fellowship providing what people want? Do we roll out the programs and splashy events people will flock to?
I don’t know how to talk to my four-year-old about God. I tell him God is the one who makes things grow. I think I once told him God makes the wind blow. I ask if he wants to thank God for anything at bedtime. I’ve told him love comes from God.
Throughout our world, disasters occur and urgent financial aid is needed to help affected areas on a constant basis. The pleas are unending from aid agencies, especially here in North America.
Impact of Menno H. Epp will last
Re: “Longtime Bible school teacher/pastor dies,” Sept. 19, page 30.
The tribute to Menno H. Epp immediately prompted my own.
One Saturday afternoon I was deep in thought driving home on mental “autopilot.” When I returned to awareness of my surroundings, I was disoriented, as I had inadvertently driven to work instead of home.
That provocative question came not at a church revival meeting, but from a researcher speaking to a mostly secular audience about trends in Canadian philanthropy. Regular congregants give a disproportionately large share of all charitable donations, Penelope Burk told hundreds of fundraisers from across Canada at a national conference in Toronto, Ont., this spring.
After the long and sometimes exasperating car trip with her husband, Martha joked to her friends, “Anytime I got mad at him, I just climbed in the back seat with my book and stayed there till I cooled off.” Those who have been trapped in a car for extended hours with a frustrating companion—not to mention their own heated anger—might identify with the pride and satisfaction of Mart
The Mennonite Church Canada assembly this summer in Waterloo, Ont., and delegates’ engagement with the Being a Faithful Church process have provided me with many reasons to be grateful:
Magazine makes for good ‘devotional’ reading
A place to belong: These few little words became especially important to me as I reflect not only on the upcoming 60th anniversary of Mennonite Women Canada in 2012, but also on a recent experience that helped me to see that such a “belonging place” had been missing in my own life since we moved and changed churches a few years ago.