Tree plantings mark deepening of Menno-Lutheran relations
Mennonites planted two trees in the Luthergarten in Wittenberg, Germany, in early October to mark the deepening of Mennonite-Lutheran relations. The project, initiated by the Lutheran World Federation, is being developed in anticipation of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 theses on a church door in Wittenberg in 2017. Churches from…
Who’s in charge of the house?
One of the things that I enjoy most about winter is that it’s curling season. Each Monday morning I join our local clergy curling club for some spirited fun on the ice. Curling is a great sport. All that vigorous sweeping helps me to stay physically fit, and the “chess on ice” aspect of the…
Less brag-worthy wisdom
In my last column, “Yet another outspoken white man,” Nov. 14, 2011, page 10, I tried to indicate my struggle with male dominance among us Mennonites. I listed 21 white men that have influenced my thinking as a social-justice, activist-oriented follower of Jesus. It was one good man after another. Indeed, the men helped my…
Start with why
On a rainy Lower Mainland Friday night my son and I hit the slopes. It turned out to be a beautiful evening on the mountain, where the rain turned to snow and the coniferous trees hung with powder. The line-ups were short and the runs long. I ski. My son snowboards. As the night drew…
Readers write
Gender identity not just based on biology Re: “Letters to my sister,” Oct. 31, Nov. 14 and 28. These letters reflect an honest attempt at informed dialogue which is often missing when discussing how to view homosexual persons. I agree with Joyce Gladwell’s statement, “Our understanding of homosexuality is a work in progress.” This reality…
Salvation comes to a rich house
Money, business, salvation and the kingdom of God. You won’t often find these words sharing the same sentence, but they do belong together in the Gospel of Luke. It turns out Luke has a lot to say about how we manage organizations that produce goods and services, and about how this is very closely related…
Listen to our prophets
Reflecting recently on 57 years of writing as “an icon of Canadian literature,” Ruby Wiebe told an overflow audience at Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo, Ont., that one of the lessons learned in all of his storytelling was that “Mennonites tended to always view their neighbours—whether in the Ukraine, Paraguay or the western Canadian Prairies—as…
New book recalls English school controversy
On Oct. 1, 50 people gathered in the fellowship centre at Saskatoon’s Bethany Manor to launch the new book, The Pembroke Years: 1919-1968. Bill Janzen, chair of the Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta, spoke at the launch. As a former Pembroke School student, it was Janzen’s initiative that originally started the Pembroke School book project.…
A journey of peace
On Nov. 10, 2011, the community of Menno Simons Christian School participated in our annual peace festival, focusing on the meaning of the MCC button, “To remember is to work for peace.” We reflected on those who have been—and continue to be—affected by war, and how we, as a Christian peace community, can make our…
