Modern ghosts of a horse-drawn scandal, Part 3
Eight men went to prison, the media gaze moved on, and colony life resumed. But the saga of mass rape in the Bolivian corner of our family of faith is far from over. When word of a serial rape crisis on the Manitoba Colony in Bolivia emerged in 2005, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) faced pressure…
Modern ghosts of a horse-drawn scandal, Part 2
Eight men went to prison, the media gaze moved on, and colony life resumed. But the saga of mass rape in the Bolivian corner of our family of faith is far from over. According to the official version, seven Mennonite men drugged and raped more than 130 women and girls on the Manitoba Colony in…
Readers write: October 8, 2018 issue
A call for more conscientious coverage of abuse disclosures Re: “Decades-old sexual abuse comes to light,” Sept. 10, page 13. It is with concern and disappointment that we write regarding Ruth-Ann Klassen Shantz’s disclosure of abuse perpetrated by Lawrence Pentelow, a man in power at a Mennonite institution. The way we talk about sexualized abuse…
Modern ghosts of a horse-drawn scandal, Part 1
Eight men went to prison, the media gaze moved on and colony life resumed. But the saga of mass rape in the Bolivian corner of our family of faith is far from over. The crime could not have been more salacious, nor the scandal more sensational. And the truth of it all could not trace…
Online extras: Modern ghosts of a horse-drawn scandal, Part 1
Eight men went to prison, the media gaze moved on, and colony life resumed. But the saga of mass rape in the Bolivian corner of the Mennonite family of faith is far from over. This supplement accompanies Part 1 of “Modern ghosts of a horse-drawn scandal,” a four-part series on the ongoing legacy of the…
‘This is a holy and good thing’
What does “turn the other cheek” mean when you’re abused by your pastor? What does “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” mean when you’re dealing with gendered power imbalances within your group of friends? What does “made in the image of God” mean when you’re an LGBTQ member of a church experiencing…
Readers write: September 24, 2018 issue
Supporters of Ruth-Ann Klassen Shantz speak out on her behalf Re: “Decades-old sexual abuse comes to light,” Sept. 10, page 13. We have known Ruth-Ann Klassen Shantz for 20 years as a strong, confident woman, not knowing that underneath she was trapped in the living hell of a traumatized teen. We have supported Ruth-Ann as…
Broken boundaries
The allegation of sexual abuse at a church camp (on page 13) reminds us of the sad reality that sexual abuse touches the church community in profound ways. The example of Christ and our peace theology compel us to recognize and to address the violence that happens in our midst. In the past, Canadian Mennonite…
Decades-old sexual abuse comes to light
Ruth-Ann Klassen Shantz has a long history with Silver Lake Mennonite Camp in Sauble Beach, Ont., and a story she has kept long hidden. But earlier this year she shared with the camp’s board of directors her allegations of long-term sexual abuse by a former camp director. Describing herself as a “camp kid” in her…
#ChurchToo conference tackles painful subject
Many troubling issues and questions arise when a Christian leader engages in professional sexual misconduct. At the #ChurchToo conference at Columbia Bible College over two days in late May 2018, pastors, church leaders, abuse survivors and other interested individuals came together to learn how to deal with sin and forgiveness while confronting offenders and promoting…
