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Spring 2017 list of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality Anabaptist Essentials: Ten Signs of a Unique Christian Faith. Palmer Becker. Herald Press, 2017, 182 pages. Becker has written a concise explanation of the core values of the Mennonite/Anabaptist faith, using the three central points of Jesus, community and reconciliation. He provides a fresh look at what Mennonites believe, using clear and simple…
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An insider’s story of the Amish beard cutters
The strange case of the Amish beard cutters five years ago thrust a normally quiet American community into the national spotlight. The bizarre attacks seemed so out of character for a Christian community whose traditions emphasize nonviolence and forgiveness. Now, five years after those attacks, a new Herald Press book—Breakaway Amish: Growing Up with the…
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Learning from the ‘teachers of trust’
If a person has a body that is physically and intellectually disabled, is it ethically right to use technology to keep that body small and childlike so that it is easier to care for? As Jason Reimer Greig addresses this question, he explores the meaning of life. He argues that, while modern society has come…
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Questions answered without words
Poetry has always spoken to me. Whether it is the blank verse of Shakespeare, the doubling images of Hebrew scripture, or the lyrics of song, popular or otherwise. But I had not found the time for regular reading and contemplation until a spiritual director on an eight-day silent retreat suggested that my spiritual path sounded…
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Fall 2016 list of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality All You Need is Love: Honoring the Diversity of Women’s Voices in Theology. Jennifer Castro, ed. Women in Leadership Project, Mennonite Church U.S.A., 2016, 195 pages. The 20 papers in this collection were presented at a Women Doing Theology conference held in Virginia in 2014. Among the papers included is one by Kimberly…
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Spring 2016 List of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality Deuteronomy: Believers Church Bible Commentary. Gerald E. Gerbrandt. Herald Press, 2015, 600 pages. This is the 29th volume in the Believers Church Bible Commentary series. Deuteronomy, a collection of speeches by Moses that reflect on Israel’s past and future, explores the meaning of faithfulness. Each section of text has explanatory notes, comments about…
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Cookbook reflects old-style Menno cooking
In the 1940s, Mary Emma Showalter began a cookbook project, collecting old Mennonite recipes that were handwritten in notebooks because she feared that soon the notebooks would be discarded. As Mennonites began moving beyond their home communities during the Second World War, they were learning to cook new foods and were less apt to use…
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Listening to the characters’ voices
John Siebert had two things to say to Carrie Snyder as she finished her readings from her latest book, Girl Runner, at Conrad Grebel University College on March 4. The executive director of Project Ploughshares, who had read the book while travelling on business, said, “First, you made me cry,” referring to the ending of…
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Spring 2015 List of Books & Resources
Theology, Spirituality Christian, Muslim, Friend: Twelve Paths to Real Relationship. David W. Shenk. Herald Press, 2014, 187 pages. Using many examples from his own experience, Shenk gives advice on developing friendships with Muslims. He describes some of the teachings of Islam so that Christians can be respectful as they talk about the gospel. Each of…
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Further east of Edensville
Spurred by requests from his thoroughly modern children to tell them stories of his growing-up years in the Ontario Swiss Mennonite homeland of Waterloo County, Maurice Martin, a retired pastor and area church worker, wrote One Mile East of Edensville and self-published it in 2013. His home on the farm was “the centre of innocence,”…
