What happens when we read together?
When my family moved to Canada, I was amazed to learn that the Canadian Broadcasting Company ran a reality show featuring—of all things!—books. Each year, the Canada Reads program selects five books it encourages Canadians to read, with each title being championed by a public personality. Over several months, CBC runs interviews with each of…
Recommended reads
“Rainy days,” Calvin and Hobbes cartoonist Bill Watterson once wrote, “should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.” As part of Canadian Mennonite’s biannual Focus on Books & Resources section, the magazine spoke with 14 people about the novels, poetry collections and non-fiction works that have impacted them. Consider…
Readers write: April 12, 2021 issue
Reader calls on Mennonites to reject COVID-19 vaccines Re: “A duty to love our neighbours,” March 1, pages 1 and 18. I am deeply saddened that so many leaders of the Mennonite church are endorsing vaccinations for COVID-19, and that this magazine would print such a one-sided article. Surely there are some leaders who at…
Called to hear
I have a selective hearing problem. When I’m at home on a Thursday night, weary from a day’s worth of important religious listening, the certain pleas of a younger family member of mine to discuss the latest plot twist in an all-too-predictable cartoon become easy to ignore. When I’m at work on a Friday afternoon and…
Herman Walde
Herman Walde stands in front of the sign of First Mennonite Church in Edmonton, where he served as pastor from 1963 to 1966. Historically, as Mennonites became more accepted, their churches began to look like the churches of their neighbours. Later Mennonite churches began posting signs telling people of the church’s name, when services were…
A precious gift
I visited an elderly friend in a small-town hospital. Gaining permission to see “Esther” (all names are pseudonyms) involved a slight untruth, but it was merely a sin of omission, as I simply withheld “retired” when I identified myself as her minister. I slept reasonably well that night. Esther had fallen and experienced an awkward…
What does UN ‘peace’ mean?
“Making Peace with Nature” is the peculiar title of a scientific report recently tabled by the United Nations. That’s an attention-getting title for a peace-church eco-geek. My inquiring mind begs to know: How does the UN conceptualize “peace with nature” and how does its version compare with an Anabaptist understanding? Rooted in Scripture, Mennonites understand…
Matters of life and death
I waffle a lot when it comes to death. Sometimes I welcome the idea, especially when faith in being united with Christ is high, when the weight of the world and its heartache is great. But other times I fear death, when I realize how quickly life passes by, or when my faith flitters and…
Panel discussion explores economic justice
“Loose the chains of injustice . . . set the oppressed free and break every yoke.” These words from Isaiah are not confined to dusty village squares thousands of years ago—they speak to us today. They compelled David Driedger, associate minister of First Mennonite Church in Winnipeg, to organize a panel discussion on the church…
