Miller had major impact on the church
The story of Orie O. Miller is also the story of how Mennonites in the 20th century moved from being isolationist and the “quiet in the land,” to being a church with strong institutions involved in North American society and around the world. In many ways, Miller was at the centre of these changes. He…
‘Freud might have had fun’
Leona (Unger) Rogalsky was born into an Evangelical Mennonite Conference (EMC) family in southern Manitoba in the 1930s. During her childhood, her family spent some time in the Gospel Hall, a Pentecostal church in Steinbach, but they were convinced to return to the Mennonite fold by her father’s brothers, a minister and a deacon in…
A lesson I want my kids to learn
As a parent of young children, I read a lot of picture books. Some books I read under duress—my children love them and I tolerate them—and some books I read to my kids despite the fact that they will never become their favourites. Then there are those books that appeal to both me and my…
New definitive history of Mennonites in Ontario
In Search of Promised Lands: A Religious History of Mennonites in Ontario By Samuel J. Steiner. Herald Press, 2015, 877 pages. Sam Steiner has pulled off an amazing feat. He has written the definitive history of Mennonites in Ontario in an interesting way that makes it accessible to ordinary readers. This is a very complicated…
Pastor brings compassion to same-sex debate
A letter to my congregation: An evangelical pastor’s path to embracing people who are gay, lesbian and transgender into the company of Jesus. By Ken Wilson. Read the Spirit Books, 2014. Into the fevered and polarizing debates about churches responding to those who are same-sex attracted comes a clear, compassionate and discerning voice, that of…
Church growth is the wrong narrative
“Church growth strategies are the death gurgle of a church that has lost its way,” is how Stanley Hauerwas describes this book, noting that, “God is making us leaner and meaner.” This insightful analysis of contemporary churches comes from a pastor who wanted to become a great leader by using “successful” pastors as his model.…
Mennonites extend influence via media
Steven Carpenter’s new book, Mennonites and Media: Mentioned in It, Maligned by It and Makers of It, offers a summary of both the ways Mennonites have been portrayed in popular media and the ways they have used it in North America to convey distinctive Mennonite insights. While not exhaustive, the book provides a representative study…
Cookbook reflects old-style Menno cooking
In the 1940s, Mary Emma Showalter began a cookbook project, collecting old Mennonite recipes that were handwritten in notebooks because she feared that soon the notebooks would be discarded. As Mennonites began moving beyond their home communities during the Second World War, they were learning to cook new foods and were less apt to use…
Pastor’s first novel invites discussion
William Loewen has written a theological book disguised as a novel. This makes it challenging to classify, but it also opens new possibilities for how it can be used. I would recommend this book for a book club or other group discussion, especially for young adults who are exploring their own spirituality. Loewen, pastor of…
Helping us not to forget
After getting a coffee I sat down to read The Winter We Danced. On the table next to me I noticed a book someone left behind. On the cover was a bold notice stating “2.5 million copies sold.” The book was a contemporary work of fiction re-telling the conquest narrative of America expanding into the…
