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The immeasurable power of surrender
When David Fitch speaks about church and power, his starting point is not any big thoughts from the seminary classrooms he’s so familiar with or even his experience as pastor of a majority-Black church. It’s the “cesspool” of the Chicago financial sector, where he spent 10 years as a dangerously successful broker and financial manager.…
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Sorting good from bad without being defensive
I was interested to attend the annual Bechtel Lecture about Anabaptist beginnings at Conrad Grebel University College delivered by Karl Koop, professor of theology and history at Canadian Mennonite University last Friday. He discussed the widespread social upheaval of 1524-25 which surrounded and informed our forebears, noting that the Schleitheim confession that Anabaptists adopted in…
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Bearing witness: Martyr Story of Anna Jansz
Anna Jansz was born in 1510 to a well-to-do family living in the town of Briel on the island of Putten near the North Sea coastline of South Holland. Following her marriage to Arent Jansz, she and her husband accepted baptism in 1534 from Maynaart von Emden, a Münsterite Anabaptist leader who had been sent…
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The challenge of Anabaptist leadership
In the faith community of my youth, church leaders were held in extremely high esteem. The expectation of respect for leaders weighed heavily, for better and worse. To respond to a call, to serve and to be an elder or pastor in the church, meant equal parts responsibility and regard. Growing up, I was taught…
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A view to worldly culture
“You’ve given in to the culture.” I’ve heard this plenty as a Christian – in churches, schools, on social media. From what I can make of it, it is ultimately an allegation of compromise or failure. One Christian party charges another with abandoning the faith to embrace “cultural” (“worldly”) ways. Accusations of giving in often…
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Planning a people’s Bible
Anabaptism began in 1525 in Switzerland, when bold young Christians challenged authorities with the radical idea that Scripture spoke clearly to ordinary people who studied the Bible together. Nearly five centuries later, plans are taking shape for a special Bible to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism and breathe new life into grassroots Bible study.…
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Watch: Anabaptists worldwide respond to COVID-19
How is COVID-19 affecting Anabaptists worldwide? How does our faith offer hope in this uncertain time? Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is updating its YouTube channel regularly with videos featuring church leaders from around the globe, explaining how the pandemic is impacting believers where they live. MWC is offering these for congregations to share on their…
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A global conversation through books
“Although each congregation has its own history and social and cultural background, it is common to experience the same sorts of conflicts, troubles and situations,” says Ellul Yongha Bae, a Mennonite church leader and publisher in South Korea. “[Mennonite World Conference] communications is very helpful to show that, as Mennonite churches, we have raised similar questions…
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Swiss forgive, don’t forget
It took about 490 years for government officials in Bern, Switzerland, to ask for forgiveness for persecution of Anabaptists in the region. It took less than two to get a response from Swiss Mennonites. Delegates from every congregation in the Swiss Mennonite Conference (SMC) gathered to offer forgiveness to the government of the canton of…
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What does it mean to be Anabaptist today?
I am not one of those people who says, “I’m not religious, I just love Jesus” or “I don’t belong to any denomination, I’m just a Christian.” Rather, I have sometimes said, “Those who are sure of their unique convictions are often more open to genuine dialogue than those who accept all beliefs as equally…
