Spring 2021 List of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality The End of Religion: Encountering the Subversive Spirituality of Jesus, Expanded Edition. Bruxy Cavey. Herald Press, 2020, 375 pages. Cavey has updated and added five new chapters to his original book by this title, published in 2007. Jesus challenged the religious institutions of his day, says Cavey, and our spiritual connection with…
Digital corner
To watch “Who cares? The elderly among us… ” (length 1:27:30). In the light of COVID-19, a panel explores how the pandemic has challenged systems that care for elders and offers insight into the experience of seniors. Part of the Face2Face series offered by Canadian Mennonite University at cmu.ca/face2face. “Voices Together Launch III: For the…
Social media is distracting and can be harmful
Indiscriminate use of social media is bad for us, warns Ed Cyzewski. While technology is convenient and promises to make us more efficient and keep us in touch with more people, it actually harms our mental health and does little to foster true relationships. Smartphones and other devices also hinder our spirituality, mostly by consuming…
COVID clean-up leads to inspiring discovery
When COVID-19 hit in March, Doris Daley of Trinity Mennonite Church in De Winton, Alta., decided to clean the house. Many families, stuck at home, have taken this “unprecedented time” to throw out expired food, wash the windows and clean out junk drawers. She chose to do a deep dive into old boxes that had…
‘The Daily Bonnet’ creator publishes book
Andrew Unger shot to fame after creating the Mennonite satire website, “The Daily Bonnet.” Now he is branching out, adding to his repertoire a longer feat: his first novel. Once Removed was published by Turnstone Press in September. The story follows Timothy Heppner and his life in Edenfeld, a small Mennonite town. He is a…
Living at ‘home together’
Using the metaphor of home, a new book relates the history of the Menno Simons Centre, a residence community for university students in Vancouver for more than 30 years. ‘Home Together’ Home Together: Student Ministry at the Menno Simons Centre by Thomas Bergen was introduced at a virtual book launch on Oct. 24, with some…
Pastor channels love of stories into children’s books
When Kevin Drudge needed a children’s story for his church’s Sunday morning worship service, he decided to write one himself. But what began as a one-time occasion has become more than two dozen stories and a deal with a publisher. Kevin Drudge’s children’s books are fun, relatable stories with a simple yet meaningful biblical message.…
Fall 2020 List of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality Born Again and Again: Jesus’ Call to Radical Transformation. Megan K. Westra. Herald Press, 2020, 226 pages. Westra examines the meaning of salvation, calling for radical transformation of life rather than praying the sinner’s prayer. She discusses the Christian approach to such things as race and gender, politics, finances and attitudes toward creation. …
A story that ‘wanted to be told’
After high school, Susanna Compton took a gap year before heading off to university. She turned that experience into her first published book. Her former pastors from Wilmot Mennonite Church in New Hamburg, Ont., Glyn Jones and Susan Allison-Jones, had moved to Botswana with their daughters, where they were involved in Mennonite ministries. With their…
Updated history of Mennonites in Canada commissioned
The last time a history of Mennonites in Canada was published, it covered the period from 1920 to 1970—the year Pierre Trudeau was prime minister, Canada was converting to the metric system, the federal voting age was lowered to 18, and the October Crisis rocked Quebec. It was a long time ago, in other words.…
