In praise of restraint
I have too much stuff and it’s not good for my soul. But let’s barge through whatever guilt we may lug around about material excess and look deeper. At a winter meeting of the More-with-Less Revival group I’m part of, one person said she could feel the “less” but not the “more.” Another person echoed…
A bullet point editorial
This issue of CM contains much intense material. I want to take this opportunity to not add to that, (though I had started writing about an unanswerable question I inherited when I took this job). Instead, I offer quick thoughts on a bunch of elements in the following pages (with page numbers in parentheses). I…
Risking Introspection
I recently met someone who is new to Anabaptism after decades in other churches. He was unrestrained and exuberant about the distinctive gifts that Anabaptist churches can offer young people in our society. I could have spoken with him for hours about Anabaptist values. At the same time, some discussions of Anabaptist identity feel tired and self-absorbed. With that risk in mind, this issue of the magazine explores the essence of Anabaptism (pages 9, 12-19). We do so with one hope and five caveats.…
Longing for transformation
I recently attended the Mennonite Church Manitoba annual general meeting (AGM) in Winkler. I find those events both energizing and demoralizing, which is why I have attended only a few in my life. You visit with good people, listen to inspiring words, weather the budget anxiety, then leave with the hollow feeling that key realities…
Do I see a hand?
I was sitting on Dave Scott’s porch on the Swan Lake First Nation a few years back when he started talking about a handshake treaty between his Ojibwe ancestors and Mennonites. I had never heard of this. Later, I discovered no Mennonite historians had either. Last year, a group of southern Manitoba Mennonites went to…
Four tributes, two announcements
With this issue, we bid farewell to columnists Ed Olfert, Joshua Penfold and Joon Park. While we are excited to welcome new columnists, the end of existing columns is a loss. Seasons change. Ed has written about ordinary people, marginal people, broken people and beautiful people, all reflecting the image of God. He has written…
Brave birds still fly through fog
The other Sunday, the chairs in our sanctuary were pulled up to round tables. You know you’re in for something different when that happens, and this extrovert with opinions to spare was pumped. I was going to share the heck out of whatever needed sharing. I couldn’t contain my glee when I discovered there were…
Highlights from 2023
Below are some bits that caught my attention from the last year of Canadian Mennonite magazine, and 13 headlines I like. Thanks be to God. A wall still exists, invisible and seemingly insurmountable at times, that separates “original” Mennonites . . . and new Mennonites. . . . I long for deep, authentic…
Survey says . . .
Starting in April, this magazine will be printed 12 times per year instead of 22. Many readers encouraged the change. In the Canadian Mennonite (CM) survey, carried out from July to October, we heard from nearly 350 people. In addition, CM board members and I spoke directly with pastors, church leaders and others across the…
What kind of peace church are we?
As Israel obliterates Gaza, and hostages await sunlight, it’s easy to look away. Indeed, sometimes we must. Not everyone can take every war to heart. But this war demands something of us collectively. Mennonite Church Canada issued a brief statement on November 2, calling churches to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia in Canada and pray for…
