Majority-world theology
Categories: OpinionIt’s too bad Christianity became a European religion. At the beginning of the seventh century, only about a quarter of the world’s Christians were on that continent. The majority were strewn across vibrant communities in Africa and Asia. It’s that…
False false prophets
Categories: OpinionAre you ever afraid to say something because it might not be the popular opinion? Do you struggle to muster the courage to speak out within your congregation because you’re worried you’ll offend someone’s well-intentioned but misinformed idea? Do you…
Children become disciples of Jesus by invitation, not demand
Categories: OpinionAuthor Natalie Frisk brings her own parenting experience as well as years of pastoring children and youth into this engaging book, full of practical points on how to be intentional about teaching our faith to our children. She is…
Readers write: May 24, 2021 issue
Categories: OpinionDoctors, prof and more weigh in on controversial vaccine letter Re: “Reader calls on Mennonites to reject COVID-19 vaccines,” April 12, page 7. I am disturbed by the publication of the letter calling on Mennonites to reject the vaccine offered…
‘Follow that wild turkey!’
Categories: OpinionI have grown accustomed to our regular Sunday morning live-streamed worship services and the Zoom call that follows. Oh, I might try to change it up occasionally and take the computer to the kitchen, but I am somehow predestined to…
Fruit basket
Categories: OpinionHelene (Heese) Toews, seated, is honoured by Katie Dyck with a fruit basket, circa 1972. At a Conference of Mennonites in Canada meeting in 1945, Toews read a paper to a gathering of women on “the true role of women”…
A communion in communion
Categories: OpinionWhere or when is the next Mennonite World Conference? This was the question posed to all of us as Mennonite World Conference (MWC) staff and volunteers at a recent Zoom gathering. Some people quickly figured out it was a trick…
‘Truth balm’
Categories: OpinionYou are at the centre of every experience you’ve ever had. You’re hard wired to be self-centred. It’s your default setting because, from your relative position, you are the centre of the universe. Most of us eventually come to understand…
Readers write: May 10, 2021 issue
Categories: OpinionVenn diagram needs political domain Re: “Avoiding an environmental shipwreck,” March 29, page 4. Thanks for Tim Wiebe-Neufeld’s feature article. I applaud his call to both personal and congregational responsibility to make decisions based on environmental considerations. While his colourful…
Dreaming of a good night’s sleep
Categories: OpinionTo some, rest is a four-letter word. There are a myriad of reasons why people avoid sleep: some restrict it in a counterproductive attempt to increase work output; others devalue sleep for the preference of entertainment; still others are reluctant…
Helena Reimer
Categories: OpinionTo celebrate Manitoba’s 150th birthday, the Trailblazer’s Award was established. Helena Reimer (1905-1993) of Steinbach, Man., was a recipient. Reimer was a nurse, educator, administrator and a pioneer. She was one of the first nurses in Canada selected to participate…
Saying goodbye, then hello again
Categories: OpinionFrom 1992 to ’95 I worked at Rosthern (Sask.) Junior College as dean in the men’s dormitory. It was my first step away from the farm. I was 40 when I moved there, and the experience was rich and challenging.…
Vaccination colonialism
Categories: OpinionSome of us are getting vaccinated against COVID-19, and more are on lists, anxiously waiting for supplies to become more robust, and hoping dearly that the end of the pandemic is in sight. Imagine being the Indigenous people of a…
Whoever has a nose, let them smell
Categories: OpinionIt was the first Sunday of Advent and we had lit a single candle in our living room as part of our online worship service. Our Advent wreath was neatly set up on the coffee table, safely away from anything…
Readers write: April 26, 2021 issue
Categories: OpinionThe value of solar power Re: “Avoiding an environmental shipwreck,” March 29, page 4. A few comments related to Tim Wiebe-Neufeld’s feature on reducing his carbon footprint by using solar panels. Before people run out to buy solar panels in…
Helping each other follow Jesus
Categories: OpinionHow can we help each other to follow Jesus? I’m sure I’m not alone when I relate that my own journey of discipleship has sometimes felt more like a solo expedition than a corporate adventure. I have longed for more…
B.C. baptism
Categories: OpinionA baptismal group from 1967 at Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church in Abbotsford, B.C. Baptism was an important event in the life of an individual and the church, and people dressed for the occasion. Baptism was often done in the spring around the…
‘I shall not be moved’
Categories: OpinionStrong, hopeful and resilient. Are those words that describe you today, after a year of pandemic restrictions, with all the predictions of doom in regards to climate change, and ongoing evidence of systemic and individual racism directed against people of…
Are you okay with okay?
Categories: OpinionIt’s been a while since you dared listen to the whispers of your innermost being, calling you to discover who you truly, fully are. That inner voice suggesting there is a power at work within you capable of doing far…
Digging into diet
Categories: OpinionMy family farms, raising plants and animals on a small scale—40 hens, five cows, two sows—both to feed ourselves and as a source of income. So I read with great interest “What would Jesus think about factory farms?” a critique…
Opinion/columns
