Invitation to freedom: A lenten practice
Who wants to talk about sin? Not me, that’s for sure. Most people I know are pretty stressed out; they want good news, not something that makes them feel worse. As I write this my autocorrect keeps changing the word “sin” to “sun.” My computer can’t even believe I want to talk about it. In…
Healthy interpersonal confession
As the saying goes, “Confession is good for the soul but bad for the reputation.” Have you ever wondered what Jesus thought about his reputation? Word around town alleged he was an illegitimate child, a glutton, traitor, blasphemer and drunkard who hung out with debauchees and was probably demon possessed. His unorthodox behaviour, controversial teachings…
Confession as a personal spiritual practice
This Lenten season I find myself reflecting on the spiritual discipline of confession. What does a healthy practice of confession look like both individually and collectively? Confession played a huge part in my childhood faith. I was taught that you couldn’t pray or be right with God if you had unconfessed sin in your life,…
Lament for those ‘suffering in silence’
For 40 years, women who had been sexually violated by John Howard Yoder were left suffering in silence while the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) professor became one of the most influential theological voices of the 20th century. On March 22, 2015, AMBS publicly apologized for long ignoring their cries for justice. In a “Service…
