Opinion/columns

  • An honest-to-God typo

    An honest-to-God typo

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    Most of the time I can’t stand typos. They bug me. If I’m completely honest, I’m internally judgmental of people who don’t catch their typos, myself included. I love words, I love Wordle, I have a knack for spelling and,…

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  • Grace, guilt and CO2

    Grace, guilt and CO2

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    1. Grace There is more grace in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. That does not let anyone off the hook; it promises that we can face the grim fate of the Earth and the compromises of our lives without being…

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  • Readers write: May 2, 2022 issue

    Readers write: May 2, 2022 issue

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    Ottawa citizen offers different view of life under the ‘freedom convoy’ Re: First letter of “Two views on the ‘freedom convoy,’ ” April 4, page 7. The letter from a Bible study group in St. Catharines, Ont., indicated how peaceful and…

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  • Reflection on Ukraine

    Reflection on Ukraine

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    The horrific images from Ukraine jolt me from my comfort and I reflect on air-raid sirens, bunkers, explosions, refugees, civilian and military casualties. Historical connections to the region seem to draw my curiosity closer. Ukraine is part of my family…

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  • MWC Kansas banners

    MWC Kansas banners

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    The variety of banners at the 1978 Mennonite World Conference assembly in Wichita, Kan., is a representation of the diversity of people at the assembly, with 9,500 people registered from 44 counties, including Canada. The Findings Committee reported at length…

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  • Meetinghouses

    Meetinghouses

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    I spent my high-school years in a congregation that was proud of our basketball hoops. Greenbelt Baptist Church decided to use public schools for worship and Sunday school, homes for Bible study, and a community centre for weekly youth events.…

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  • Christ in you

    Christ in you

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    At the heart of the Christ path is a radical notion that our true identity is found in Christ. Paul says it is no longer he who lives, but Christ who lives in him. He says our true identity, our…

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  • A different frame of reference

    A different frame of reference

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    When I ponder the question of what Mennonites and Anabaptists can bring to the conversation about climate change, I think about the language that many governments and corporations use. The words “fight,” “tackle” and “battle” are commonly used when discussing…

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  • Discussion event to explore the climate crisis

    Discussion event to explore the climate crisis

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    Canadian Mennonite is launching an online discussion series exploring current events that are impacting the church and wider world, and the climate crisis is the subject of the first event. Hosted by Aaron Epp, CM’s online media manager, the first…

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  • Readers write: April 18, 2022 issue

    Readers write: April 18, 2022 issue

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    Reader objects to terms used in Canadian Mennonite In the last few years there has been a marked increase of “coded language” in Canadian Mennonite. By this I mean terms which have ideological implications beyond their dictionary meanings. For example,…

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  • Listen, debate, decide

    Listen, debate, decide

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    In a few months Garry Janzen, the executive minister of Mennonite Church B.C. will retire. He’s served MC B.C. for 14 years in that role. When he informed MC B.C. leadership about his upcoming retirement, we gathered to create a…

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  • Ukraine immigrant

    Ukraine immigrant

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    What would you carry if you emigrated to another country? Twenty-three-year-old Anna Neufeld wore this locket in 1917 when her fiancé, Cornelius Tiessen, left, and brother Peter, both pictured in their Red Cross uniforms, served on medical trains during the…

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  • ‘A striking lesson in hope’

    ‘A striking lesson in hope’

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    I continue to wander roads surrounding Laird, Sask., with my faithful hound, Bran. These spring days, as the snow slowly recedes, I have discovered a bonanza. Cans and bottles wait to be scooped up! I expect the dollar value of…

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  • Mission for now

    Mission for now

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    Since this is the Spring Books and Resources issue of Canadian Mennonite, let me recommend a book that speaks directly to some of the headline news of the past few weeks. No, it’s not something on Ukraine. It’s a book…

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  • Becoming the enemy you hate

    Becoming the enemy you hate

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    The story of Israel warns us of how easily we can become the very thing we hate. The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt, oppressed by Pharaoh and forced into slave labour to perpetuate the greatness of the kingdom. They suffered…

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  • Readers write: April 4, 2022 issue

    Readers write: April 4, 2022 issue

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    Marriage is a spiritual union of soulmates Re: “God didn’t create you wrong,” Feb. 21, page 4. Nicolien Klassen Wiebe shows how Mennonite churches have been struggling with questions around the growing number of transgender and gender-diverse members in our…

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  • ‘It is hard to be afraid when you understand’

    ‘It is hard to be afraid when you understand’

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    Our new Voices Together hymnal invites us to expand our circle. This involves getting to know people with different abilities, cultural ways, histories, faiths and stories that shaped them. It involves welcoming everyone as members of our human family. In…

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  • Ontario Women in Mission gathering

    Ontario Women in Mission gathering

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    Spring! A time to shake off the cold and grey, decorate the church auditorium with quilts and share lunch and spiritual sustenance. This is the annual spring meeting and lunch of the Ontario Women in Mission at Bethany Mennonite Church…

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  • A difficulty for all of us

    A difficulty for all of us

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    War seems close to home for many of us when it hits Ukraine. My paternal grandparents (and my husband’s) fled Crimea as refugees nearly 100 years ago, getting married in Kitchener, Ont., and then moving to Manitoba. Conversations are being…

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  • Good Friday and the important travel companion

    Good Friday and the important travel companion

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    Can you believe that I proposed to my wife in a cemetery? It wasn’t premeditated. We went for a walk and ended up there. That’s when it felt right. I got down on one knee like a sentimentalist and said,…

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