Significant tidings
What are the significant stories in this issue? When I asked this question in the office, the answer came back: “They’re all significant.” This, our Christmas issue, is chock-full of stories to pay attention to—with our prayers and actions. Two international stories stand out—some good news and some heart-breaking news. Our Anabaptist sisters and brothers…
God with us with God
“Are you ready for Christmas?” The question came from Ed, a cheerful clerk at Save-On-Foods, as I was picking up some milk. What kind of response was he seeking? Was he asking if I had I finished all my Christmas shopping? If so, the answer would be, yes, mostly, meager though my efforts are. Or…
Readers write: December 11, 2017 issue
More responses to Maple View’s paid supplement on sexuality Re: “Honour God with Your Bodies” insert, Sept. 25. As an advocate for respect, diversity and equality, I am deeply disturbed that you would publish this. I hope you are aware that this looks like you support the view that sexual orientation is a choice, and that…
No more of that old ‘soft-sell’ gospel
“All you gotta do is . . . .” How often have we in the church uttered these words? We petition new committee prospects with this blasé plea. We invite people to faith in Christ saying, “All you gotta do is ask Jesus into your heart.” These are the words of the “soft-sell.” They are…
Moving forward
“You can’t really talk about mission without talking about the End.” This was a conclusion that a colleague and I came to after reflecting on Bible verses that hold these two images together. From expansive, cosmic hymns (Colossians 1:15-20 and Ephesians 1:3-14), the joyful anticipation of creation’s new birth (Romans 8:18-25), and the foretelling of…
Abraham Dick
When Abraham Dick broke his back in 1938, the family struggled to keep up with the work on their farm near St. Agatha, Ont. Then one day in early November, they were surprised to hear the roar of tractors. Many neighbours had shown up unannounced to do the fall plowing. This picture of the event…
Congo crisis grinds on
“As many as 250,000 children could starve in Kasai in the next few months unless enough nutritious food reaches them quickly,” says David Beasley, World Food Programme’s executive director, in an Oct. 30 release. Kasai is a region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo suffering the aftermath of a gruesome armed conflict that displaced…
‘Our need for weed’
It’s not often that you see the words Mennonite, church and university in the same sentence as marijuana. Yet, “Our need for weed? Sparking conversations in the church and community” was the title of the Nov. 15 Face2Face event at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU). A panel, which included a police officer, a rehabilitation counsellor, a…
Two friends, two faiths
At a time when world news seems to set nations against each other, the chatter and laughter of an obviously diverse crowd can be inspiring. On Oct. 28, men and women of a variety of races and ages wore hijabs, clerical collars, T-shirts and suit jackets while mixing together and enthusiastically engaging in the fifth…
Breaking bread together
Palmer Becker began to attend the Kitchener (Ont.) Masjid when he returned from teaching at Bethlehem Bible College in 2009. While in Bethlehem, he had heard the daily calls to prayer and had gone to pray at the mosque. When questioned why he hadn’t gone to the Church of the Nativity instead, he said, “I…
