Actually, love your enemies
A couple of years ago my sister and I had hammock party at the park with our friends. The goal of a hammock party is to set up all your hammocks close enough together that you can still hear each other without yelling. On this occasion my sister and I, or rather my sister, packed up…
Jeep Weekend
If I’m not careful, I find myself surrounded by similar-minded individuals who are great at reflecting my own perspectives and values back at me. In a society that continues to grow increasingly polarized and tribalistic, the ease with which this can happen worries me. After all, part of what made Jesus’ ministry so dynamic stems…
Doing church conflict well: Q&A with Janet Schmidt
Janet Schmidt has worked in mediation, facilitation, coaching and training for 35-plus years. She also taught related university courses from 1994 to 2009. Schmidt attends River East Church in Winnipeg. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Q. What unique dynamics come into play when conflict occurs in the church context? A. Two…
Peace on the screen
A rant is taking shape in your brain, anger is seething in your gut, your finger is poised over the “post” button. What could possibly go wrong? One option is to step away from your device, take a deep breath, and think “reconciliation.” That is the advice offered in the new book, Posting Peace: Why…
Watch: How did we become so polarized?
Why does polarization so frequently characterize our discourse? How can people find common ground? Those were two of the questions at the heart of “Us and Them: How did we become so polarized?”, a panel discussion held at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) earlier this month. “So many people today live in their own echo chambers,…
Listening to those who have left
A Mennonite elder once told me, “We need to listen to people who leave the church.” John Reimer (a pseudonym) is one such person. A soft-spoken grandpa, he recently left a Mennonite Church Canada congregation that professes open-mindedness and inclusivity. I wanted to know why. Reimer had been at the church for a couple decades but…
Conversing in the ‘big tent’
“If we step back and review the letters to the editor in this magazine over the past several years, we generally find debates in the church and religion framed in terms of conservative and liberal. “Each side thinks the other is at best misguided, perhaps even profoundly wrong, and misinterprets Scripture. There tends to be…
On Blogging
I have to admit I feel little bad about my comments on Paul’s most recent post below. He offered a light hearted reflection on how we can complain about ‘problems’ most people would like to have. The post triggered a history of comments I have heard (and made) over time. I responded critically. I do…
