Since Anabaptism’s birth nearly five centuries ago, adherents have been persecuted for their faith by civil authorities, from Austrian archdukes to American courts to Vietnamese police. For the Mennonite...
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Every so often I find myself humming a hymn I heard several years ago: I found God in myself, I found God in myself, and I loved her fiercely, oh, I loved her fiercely. The song is both breathtaking and...
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Matthew seeks to trace how Jesus prepared his followers to spread his good news to “all nations” that they might obey what he has commanded (28:16-20; for the commands, see especially the Sermon on the...
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On a recent visit to the Middle East, I heard firsthand about the awful costs of the Syria war. A Syrian Orthodox bishop, Selwanos Boutros Alnemeh, told of the “irreversible damage” that had been done to...
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Infinity Wars, the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, brings together multiple threads woven through many of the previous 19 films. It’s fun to watch the Avengers finally meet up with...
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Someone once suggested to me that advertising exists to convince us we aren’t good enough. Whether it’s shampoo, car or a smart phone app, all can (and should) be improved upon. In my more cynical moments...
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The story of the Democratic Republic of Congo casts a long, disturbing shadow. The legacy of colonialism thrusts malevolent roots into the kingdoms of the Congo basin, which sustains the second largest country...
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Jesus engaged in numerous conflicts and controversies, leading ultimately to his crucifixion. The Pharisees were his most prominent adversaries. We should note that Jesus often took the fight to the Pharisees....
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I recently visited China with my younger brother Chad and returned home with a wealth of sensations and memories. China is a country both traditional and modern, atheistic and Christian, wealthy and poor,...
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The community Good Friday service is going as usual. Teenagers are sharing on the last words of Christ. We’re ready for the phrase, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” “A...
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A recent Doonesbury comic strip by Garry Trudeau featured a pastor giving an announcement from the board of elders to a congregation about what evangelicals currently view as sin. The list of behavior that...
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“Baptists are good at getting people converted, but Mennonites are better at making disciples.” It’s a stereotype and, like most, holds a grain of truth. Yet its days are numbered. The whole Western...
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Since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 2008, Canada has been wrestling with the legacy of its residential school system for indigenous children. The topic has fueled discussion in the...
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A new and inspiring biography tells the story of a pastoral couple with a deep love for God and the Mennonite Church. With lives spanning most of the 20th century, Harold and Arlene Eshleman navigated a time...
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This quarter we look at the justice of God, primarily in the message of Jesus with a bit of Paul. The Gospel of Matthew, more than the other three Gopels, tells us about conflicts Jesus faced with religious...
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At Casa de Esperanza, an Anabaptist/Mennonite community in Oaxaca City, Mexico, Pastor Luis Rey Matias-Cruz invited a 20-something member of his congregation to assist in setting up tables for a midweek meal....
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I felt a surge of pride to be Mennonite while reading Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning, a history of U.S. racist and antiracist ideas. He described the 1688 Germantown Petition Against Slavery as...
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Don’t expect to be popular if you advocate Sermon on the Mount values at a time when even prominent Christian leaders schmooze politicians who trumpet greed, nationalism, racism and adultery. Alone in the...
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Do you remember a time when every Sunday started with three hours of church followed by a long meal, often roast beef and root vegetables that roasted in the oven while we sat in the pews? Perhaps the meal was...
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Blow the trumpet! The content of these 12 verses in Leviticus 25 is plain. Instructions from Yahweh to Moses presuppose that the Israelites are now living in the Promised Land. Each household has been allotted...
[read more]He arrived in the Beachy Amish community as Bill Sousa, a drifter with an aimless soul. He left as Ernest Collins, a convicted felon who rejected his brief dalliance with Anabaptism. Nearly 40 years later, his...
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During maybe the latest spring since we moved to our current home in 1993, I worked on my chain saw, then riding mower. I learned about expertise and limits. I wondered about connections with Planet Earth as...
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Glancing at my calendar, I realize it’s already been almost a year since the Mennonite Church USA convention and barely more than a year until the next one. Recently the team planning the 2019 convention in...
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As a Vietnamese Mennonite working for peace, I have found Matt. 26:52 — “Put your sword back into its place” — a significant verse. Everybody knows war is terrible, and we should work to prevent...
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Like all religious groups, Mennonites have always wrestled with how to maintain basic group beliefs and practices while still inhabiting a particular cultural context. In Christian parlance, they’ve...
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