Stewards of the conversation
“Many members are not happy with the direction and general content of the magazine,” writes a Mennonite pastor, in a solicited follow-up note after one of his members cancelled his subscription. The member was unhappy because Canadian Mennonite has put “homosexuality as a priority,” rather than reflecting our church life. In a further phone conversation,…
Facing history with courage
“History,” wrote American poet Maya Angelou more than 20 years ago, “despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has completed four years of hearings and investigations, witnessing testimonies from some 7,000 survivors of Indian Residential Schools and their legacy.…
Definition: ‘Settler’
The term “settler” for Canadians of European descent was popularized by Roger Epp in his 2008 book, We are all Treaty People. This term acknowledges—rather than ignores—the conflicted history of the colonial project that began in Eastern Canada in the late 1500s. In the Canadian west in the late 19th century, the Canadian government aggressively…
Making ‘restorative solidarity’ work
In an appendix to Ambassadors of Reconciliation, Vol. II: Diverse Christian Practices of Restorative Justice and Peacemaking (Orbis Books), which I co-wrote, I explored the question of how principles and practices of restorative justice might be applied to historic and continuing violence, as is the case regarding indigenous justice in Canada. In this article, I…
Readers write: March 2, 2015 issue
‘A biblical and better way’ is neither Re: “A biblical and better way,” Jan. 19, page 4. I was saddened and disappointed with Ronald J. Sider’s feature article. I have much respect for what he has done for the church over his career, but sadly he seems to have abandoned the Anabaptist Mennonite approach to…
Something exciting
Summer is an exciting time, and one that most of us tend to look forward to. Warm temperatures, long weekends at the lake or on the porch, summer sports, and, for many in the younger generations, a break from school. This summer looks like it will be a particularly exciting one. At the risk of…
Fifty shades of . . .
I mostly managed to ignore it the first time it came around. But now when I go to the movies, there are huge, impossible-to-miss posters blaring the news that a film has been made based on the book I tried to ignore. My entertainment dollars usually go toward activities that inspire and elevate humanity. Stories…
Lend a Bible camp your helping hand
A number of people glanced over as they passed the elderly woman working in her front lawn. She had finished planting flowers in the garden and was now struggling to plant a sapling to replace a tree felled by a wind storm the previous summer. “Can I help you?” offered a young man stopping in…
‘Competent adults’ to get right-to-die
The Supreme Court of Canada's February decision to legalize physician-assisted dying shifted the moral landscape in Canada. Three-quarters of Canadians welcome that shift, but some people of faith don't. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), which includes Mennonite Church Canada as a member, intervened in the case and was “deeply disappointed” by the outcome. [http://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/Assisted-suicide-What-next]…
