Background on Israel-Palestine
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God have mercy on the Middle East
As we prepare to send this peace-themed issue of the magazine to press, all eyes are on Gaza. Israeli tanks sit poised at its northern border, ready to invade. Long lines of transport trucks laden with aid sit at its southern border, as a humanitarian catastrophe unfolds. The people of Gaza, mostly civilians, sit in…
Memory carrier
“Sir,” said the man, “you and your family can be very proud of your son.” I could tell the man at the door was important by the way his brass buttons shone, and the way Father stood stiffly and Mother wrung her hands. They turned their backs, and I knew I wasn’t supposed to hear.…
Readers write: October 20, 2023 issue
Pay attention to artists Thanks for your willingness to address tough issues facing the church and other institutions in our society. I appreciate your attempt at enlarging the tent by listening to voices that have been marginalized. It is hard work to really listen to a voice that is different from the majority, and much…
Wanner Mennonite Church
This photograph shows Wanner Mennonite Church at worship in July 1950. In the mid-20th century, it was a new pattern for many Ontario Mennonite congregations to have men and women sitting together in a worship service rather than men on one side and women on the other. What is your congregation’s “social geography?” Who sits…
Whose side are you on?
In Joshua 5, we come across one of those wonderfully strange biblical stories that shakes our preconceptions and leaves us with more questions than answers. Israel is encamped at Gilgal, preparing to besiege Jericho at God’s command—so they firmly believe. Suddenly Joshua sees a man whom he does not recognize standing in front of him,…
The guy with the toothpick
A good friend, Wes Neepin, died this past week. I’ve written columns about Wes in the past but used a pseudonym, because I never got around to asking permission to tell his stories. Anonymity seems less important now. Wes was in his nineties. He was born in a tent in northern Manitoba. He was kicked…
To remember is to work for peace
At this time of year, I begin to rummage through the various drawers of miscellany in search of those red Mennonite Central Committee buttons that say, “To remember is to work for peace.” Maybe you wear such a button too in the run-up to Remembrance Day. One year I offered an extra button to a…
An Open Letter to the Psalmists
Dear Psalmists, Sometimes I delight in your comforting words of God’s grace and compassion. You paint an alluring and alleviating picture of a loving, caring and ever-present shepherding God who loves us and knows us. Sometimes I am assured by your confident words of God’s power, protection and steadfastness. You’ve built a strong case for…
