Readers write: January 6, 2020 issue
Categories: OpinionSilver Lake, MC Eastern Canada apologize for not speaking up sooner Re: “Decades-old sexual abuse comes to light.” On Aug. 24, 2018, Canadian Mennonite published a story about the long-term sexual abuse experienced by Ruth-Ann Klassen Shantz over 30 years…
An incessant demand
Categories: Opinion“Where are you, Mennonites?” A colleague and I are in a Winnipeg café discussing the current land struggles of many Indigenous peoples. I listen intently as she speaks of the Unist’ot’en, Muskrat Falls and the Tiny House Warriors. I nod…
Westgate students at rally
Categories: OpinionIn 1968, 115 Westgate Mennonite Collegiate students joined 2,000 members of Students for Educational Equality and Democracy (SEED) for a rally at the Manitoba legislature in Winnipeg. These students of private and parochial schools were seeking provincial funding, as recommended…
To the river
Categories: OpinionAfter the hour-long drive home from my sister’s with my four very energetic kids, I had had enough! Trying to quiet down hyper kids while driving is not an easy feat. Not wanting to yell at them over and over,…
Canadian turkey and Salvadoran turkey
Categories: Opinion“The turkey tasted just like my mom’s turkey.” So said Sandra, a recent newcomer to Canada from Colombia. She was part of the First Mennonite Church (Kitchener) annual Christmas dinner. Our congregation’s tradition is to have both Canadian turkey and…
‘Random acts of generosity’
Categories: OpinionHenry “Sherlock” Friesen is a long-time Abundance Canada client. He follows a well-thought-out generosity plan that includes making regular charitable donations from his gifting fund. This methodical approach to charitable giving suits his analytical nature. He’s the first to admit…
Paradoxical faith
Categories: OpinionI’ve become aware of various patterns and cycles in my life. One of them is a regular oscillation between two different “kinds” or phases of faith. Sometimes I remain in one phase for years and sometimes I alternate between the…
Ten New Year’s resolutions for an unexamined life
Categories: Opinion10. Accomplish more by scheduling longer and more frequent committee meetings. 9. Make the world a better place by pointing out how everyone else needs to change. 8. Spend more time getting angry at people online. 7. Constantly download new…
“’Twas in the moon of wintertime” not included in new Mennonite hymnal
Categories: Web First – OpinionChoosing whether or not to include a song in Voices Together is more complicated than whether or not people like singing it. The song known as “Huron Carol” or “’Twas in the moon of wintertime” is one example of a…
Readers write: December 9, 2019 issue
Categories: OpinionMCC recommendations for new federal government The following is a shortened version of a Nov. 8 letter sent from the Mennonite Central Committee Ottawa Office to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, with copies to the leaders of the four opposition parties.…
Freedom of speech for Christian media?
Categories: OpinionWhat is our responsibility as followers of Jesus to media outlets? Secular media outlets have a freedom-of-speech right to publish whatever their editor thinks will draw consumers to them. However, do Christian media outlets have the same right to freedom…
Ted Regehr
Categories: OpinionAt the Public Archives in Ottawa in 1968, Ted Regehr, head of the Government Records Section, standing, helps research assistant Ernie Dick locate government files related to Mennonites. The two were assisting historian Frank H. Epp with a monumental history…
Hope and optimism
Categories: OpinionChristmas is the season when we talk about how the birth of the baby Jesus brings hope. Hope implies some sort of betterment to come. So Jesus is our hope. But hope for the future is a crucial question for…
‘Tell God I say yes’
Categories: OpinionThey come through the church door into the foyer. My limited vision can make out only their forms, but I recognize them, desperate folks who stop by on occasion to check out the food supplies available that day. “Felix” and…
Readers write: November 25, 2019 issue
Categories: OpinionPlanting forests versus fearing the future Re: “Faithful practices on a dying planet,” and “Planting trees, nurturing a dream,” Sept. 30, pages 4 and 16, respectively. I was astounded by the contrast between the despondent lament offered by Gerald…
‘Where there is no vision…’
Categories: Opinion“Not another visioning process” was a common reaction when I presented the idea of a year of visioning and discernment at Mennonite Church Alberta’s 2018 annual delegate sessions. The restructuring of MC Canada meant a shift in responsibilities for MC…
Rosengart church
Categories: OpinionMennonites lived in Prussia/Poland for more than 400 years, but our understanding of the Mennonite experience in this area requires further study. This is the former Mennonite church at Rosengart (now Rozgart), near Elbing (now Elblag). Peter Klassen (1930-2019) has…
Choosing forgiveness
Categories: OpinionIn my work with single, high-risk mothers and women who experience abuse in intimate relationships, many conversations about forgiveness have arisen. I recently shared about choosing the path of forgiveness and I could instantly feel the tension rise. Their bodies…
We belong to each other
Categories: OpinionIt was Sunday morning on a Mennonite Church Canada Joint Council meeting weekend. We divided up into three groups to visit three different congregations and then we regrouped over a late pizza lunch to hear about the visits. The first…
Unlearning ‘Christianese’
Categories: Opinion“Christianese” is what some people call insider jargon Christians use to talk about God and faith. One of the primary problems with Christianese is that it doesn’t make sense to outsiders. Someone once compared it to legalese, which has its…
Opinion/columns
