A bullet point editorial
This issue of CM contains much intense material. I want to take this opportunity to not add to that, (though I had started writing about an unanswerable question I inherited when I took this job). Instead, I offer quick thoughts on a bunch of elements in the following pages (with page numbers in parentheses). I…
Longing for transformation
I recently attended the Mennonite Church Manitoba annual general meeting (AGM) in Winkler. I find those events both energizing and demoralizing, which is why I have attended only a few in my life. You visit with good people, listen to inspiring words, weather the budget anxiety, then leave with the hollow feeling that key realities…
Call and promise
“I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.” This is God’s beautiful promise in Jeremiah. Indeed, we need shepherds after God’s heart. In our feature, Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe shares the experiences of three young women who have heeded the call to pastoral work. These women serve to…
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…
‘Midnight’ musings
At times, it’s shocking, violent and gory. It’s also one of the most compelling pop culture depictions of Christian faith and religion in recent memory. Midnight Mass, a limited series released on Netflix in 2021, follows Riley Flynn, a former venture capitalist, who has returned to his isolated, dwindling hometown on Crockett Island. He’s just…
The institution of messiness
In the past few weeks, I’ve spoken with five people who have been deeply wounded by church institutions. I’ve met countless more in previous years. I regularly receive notes from estranged church folk who want a place to belong and have vital contributions to make, but have been pushed aside. One of the people who…
Tell us what you think
Have you completed our opinion survey? If not, here is your invitation to do so. We need your help to re-think how Canadian Mennonite (CM) can best serve the church. Please use the link below. CM is actively researching new ways to gather and deliver news. We are looking at various options to engage our…
Birding with Alvin
I don’t get out much. That’s true for my personal life. My wife and I are homebodies and we jokingly refer to ourselves as “indoor kids”—a nod to the kind of children who choose watching TV or reading a book over getting outside and running around. It’s also true for my work life. Since Canadian…
Of beets and chainsaws
If integrity is the currency of change, the Wiederkehr family of Mildmay, Ontario should have a chunk of change to spend. In a world of compromise, greenwashing and homesteaders Instagramming their idealism, the Wiederkehrs have done far more than most to actually extract themselves from the consumerist machine that treats earth as waste bin and…
Uncommon global access
The fact that Mennonites are spread throughout much of the world provides the global Anabaptist community with rare access to on-the-ground, first-person comment from both hotspots and forgotten corners of the globe. Sometimes we make good use of this access, sometimes we do not. In this issue—the first of three digital-only issues this summer—we hear…
