When inadequate is enough
Categories: OpinionScripture credits King Hezekiah for reestablishing Passover. Apparently, the temple had been shut down and it had been a while since any regular worship routines had been practiced. So, good king Hezekiah decided to turn things around and get Passover…
Say no to moralistic therapeutic deism
Categories: OpinionA major sociological study of American youth concluded that their understanding of faith could be called “moralistic therapeutic deism.” On page 16 of the magazine, Ryan Dueck makes a related observation about “therapeutic church” and says it’s a problem. From…
To set a soul aflame
Categories: OpinionOne of my abiding critiques of the progressive church circles I inhabit is that they often lack what I call existential urgency. God is, we think, very interested in our positions on social issues and is very eager to affirm…
Readers write: January 16, 2023 issue
Categories: OpinionFeeling like a pandemic leper I really appreciate the three articles Will Braun wrote regarding the polarization of vaccines (“The sweet solace of polarization,” Oct. 3, Oct. 17, Oct. 31, 2022). I am immunocompromised and was the first member of…
Maria Kroeker
Categories: OpinionIn 1893, Maria Kroeker married Johann Neufeld in Reinland, Man. The couple moved to Lost River, Sask. in 1911. Then, in 1926, when the Saskatchewan government insisted that Mennonite children attend government schools, Maria and Johann moved their 11 children…
What exactly do regional churches and MC Canada do?
Categories: OpinionAnnual congregational meetings are just around the corner, a time when budget lines designated for regional churches are often queried. I’m reminded that many people do not have the history or know the people who stand behind the dollar figures.…
On boycotting church
Categories: OpinionI was a young adult in the time of the boycotts of South Africa. They were debated at length among my friends. How could it be right to boycott oranges from South Africa when that would negatively impact the masses…
Chin song adds breadth to newest hymnal
Categories: OpinionIn 2017, the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship awarded members of the Voices Together hymnal committee a grant to explore Mennonite worship in communities that worship primarily in languages beyond English. Katie Graber, Bradley Kauffman and Darryl Neustaedter- Barg represented…
Makin’ space
Categories: OpinionMy youngest son, Cai, has developed a passion for working out, so for Christmas he asked for a home gym. More specifically, an Olympic barbell, bumper plate weights, an adjustable bench and a power rack. It was pretty expensive, so…
Apocalypse, peace, identity
Categories: OpinionWhen Sofia Samatar took an American literature class at Goshen (Ind.) College more than 20 years ago, she wrote a paper about Walt Whitman, who is sometimes called the “good grey poet.” Among the thousands of student papers I read,…
Actively watching
Categories: Opinion“I spy with my little eye, something . . . .” Most of you probably know the game. It’s one that has become a fun and important little ritual for me and my three-year-old daughter while I drive her and…
Readers write: December 12, 2022 issue
Categories: OpinionTwo views on ‘sweet solace’ Re: “The sweet solace of polarization” series, Oct. 3; Oct. 17; and Oct. 31. At the heart of the gospel message is the admonition of Jesus to “love your neighbour as yourself.” It is impossible…
Jesus doesn’t stop where we think he should
Categories: OpinionI’ve probably preached half a dozen sermons on “Doubting Thomas” over the last decade or so. Thomas shows up faithfully in the lectionary readings each year after Easter Sunday. Thomas, the recalcitrant empiricist. There are many of us, I suspect,…
Vernon Ratzlaff in Eqypt
Categories: OpinionVern Ratzlaff, centre, worked much of his life within Mennonite institutions in western Canada and internationally, serving as a church pastor, Bible school teacher and radio preacher. From 1982 to 1987, Vern and his wife Helen served as Mennonite Central…
‘Stella makes a difference’
Categories: OpinionI have a friend named Stella (a pseudonym), who will soon be 89 years old. She recently informed me that she had just taken delivery of a new car. I quizzed her about the new car. “There’s no gear shift,…
Christmas delight?
Categories: OpinionChristmas is a difficult season for many people, myself included. As a Christian, I “should” be celebrating the birth of Jesus. The angels sing of “great joy” as the lowly and the mighty come to bend the knee at the…
Soil lover
Categories: OpinionAs I read through the accounts of the kings in the Bible, Uzziah’s story doesn’t strike me as being overly unique. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, at least for a while. Eventually, his own…
Hymn reflections inspire and comfort
Categories: OpinionInspired by J.S. Bach and his prolific contribution to church music, Carla Klassen’s These Songs We Sing is a lovely collection of 52 short meditations and reflections on favourite hymns. The book emerged from Klassen’s music blog, The Hymn Project,…
Who is my Samaritan?
Categories: OpinionIn a conversation with an educated religious scholar, Jesus agreed that the most important thing is to love God and love one’s neighbour as oneself. Then the scholar asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbour?” In typical Jesus fashion, instead of…
Pain, longing, hope and joy
Categories: OpinionOn a Monday in the fall of 2014, Christopher Clymer Kurtz was supposed to be teaching middle-school English, but was distracted with an idea for a song. On Tuesday of that week, he worked out a melody. On Friday, his…
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