White Christian nationalism
During three decades of travel to the U.S. for work, I’ve enjoyed many conversations about faith and politics. These discussions have become more polarized in recent years, with my conversation partners often repeating odd, sometimes contradictory views. In 2015, I was seated at the bar at an upscale restaurant in West Bend, Wisconsin, chatting with…
MC Canada leaders denounce white nationalism
The day after thousands of truckers and other protesters converged on Parliament Hill to call for an end to COVID-19 mandates and other public health restrictions, Mennonite Church Canada’s executive ministers released a statement decrying the white nationalism being expressed at related protests that are springing up across the country. Released Sunday, Jan. 30, the…
Race explored in 2021 Bechtel Lecture
This year’s virtual Bechtel Lecture, “Blackness, whiteness and the Anabaptist ‘imagined community’ in print and mission,” featured two speakers: Diana Braithwaite, an accomplished blues, gospel and jazz performer, and founder and director of the Rella Braithwaite Black History Foundation, where she researches, preserves and shares the story of Blacks in Canada. Timothy D. Epp, an…
Herald Press releases ‘Lamenting Racism’
Racial injustice is a blight on our society, yet many Christians have been hesitant to speak up about racism. In Lamenting Racism (Herald Press, January 2021), a multiracial team of leading pastors and theologians invite believers into the practice of biblical lament as a powerful way to confront racism. Through their conversations in six thought-provoking…
Learning together, apart
Whether you call it Sunday school, faith formation or Christian education, one aspect of a congregation’s life together is how we nurture faith in people of all ages. Last spring, with the coming of the COVID-19 restrictions, many churches saw drastic changes in their faith education programs. I chatted recently with folks who have responsibilities…
White Mennonite static
The Mennonite church has the opportunity to become a dependable partner in the work of dismantling racism. The church as a whole has a record of racism—both overt and covert—that has been attested to by generations of Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) community members both within and outside the church. The question is…
Canadian voices on racism
What follows is a companion piece to “White Mennonite static” by American scholar Tobin Miller Shearer. To read Mennonite Church Canada offers several resources, through its office of Indigenous-Settler Relations, including the “TRC Trilogy”: Wrongs to Right; Yours, Mine and Ours; and The Quest for Respect. Borrow or purchase from commonword.ca. The Skin We’re In.…
‘Be on our side’
Acknowledging that “the church has been awakened and reawakened to racial injustice in our midst after the death of George Floyd,” MennoMedia, an agency of Mennonite Church Canada and MC U.S.A., dedicated one of its ‘adaptive church webinars’ to addressing racism in churches. The July 9 webinar, entitled “Expanding our witness: Equipping ministry for anti-racist…
We shouldn’t be colour blind
I’ve been embarrassed of my heritage for most of my life. I’m the son of immigrants who came from Germany and the Philippines. Even though I was born in Canada, I know that to many people, I look like I came from somewhere else. That’s why I’ve always cringed when people ask me where I’m…
Regional churches of Mennonite Church Canada call for prayer
As rallies and protests continue across the United States and Canada in response to the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, the five regional churches of Mennonite Church Canada released a statement yesterday asking congregations to set a specific time of prayer this coming Sunday, June 7. The statement asks…
