Join the resistance
Since President Trump took office a year ago, U.S. Christians have been bitterly divided over whether his actions and words are good, bad or even worth being concerned about. Some peace-minded Christians...
[read more]Godless state’s good way
The Netherlands is one of the most secular countries in Europe, yet it upholds principles of equality and compassion better than the predominantly Christian United States. Post-Christendom, as practiced by the...
[read more]Evangelist overthrown
For those who think evangelism is too hard, or don’t like the idea in the first place, the best advice might be: Go and join God’s work in the world. Wherever we go, God arrived before us. Whomever we talk...
[read more]A time to grow
The seasons of the church calendar reflect the highs and lows of our walk with Christ. Much is written about the valleys of Advent and Lent and the heights of Christmas and Easter. Less talked about are the...
[read more]Shaped by persecution
As part of a privileged Christian majority, do Mennonites in North America still carry remnants of their martyr past? For centuries, persecution shaped the character of Mennonite communities. Early Anabaptists...
[read more]The tax reform we need
The pliable instructions Jesus gives for paying taxes leave plenty of room for interpretation: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt....
[read more]Pushing nuclear buttons
On New Year’s Day, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claimed “a nuclear button is always on the desk in my office.” In this respect he is no different from any other commander of a nuclear power —...
[read more]True evangelical faith
The most important religion story of 2017, according to the Religion News Association, was “Trumpvangelicals.” Until a couple of years ago, no one could have imagined such a discordant blend. Yet now the...
[read more]Convictional inaction
Since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump in 2016, the role white evangelical Christians played in his victory has been thoroughly analyzed — and puzzled over. Christians and non-Christians alike...
[read more]Year of the tribe
Among the trends of 2017, tribalism stands out. All around us, people define themselves by separating one group from another. Republican or Democrat, black or white, Christian or Muslim. The distinctions...
[read more]Christmas imperfections
The screams were interrupted by yet another festive tinkle of shattering glass. Another ornament hit the hardwood floor, sending shards of Christmas cheer in every direction. The kids were helping decorate....
[read more]Dusting off the soul
“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Often attributed to Pablo Picasso, this quote belongs to a 19th-century German writer, Berthold Auerbach, who cited music as the cleansing agent....
[read more]Oil for our lamps
In Jesus’ parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25, the women get drowsy and fall asleep while waiting for the bridegroom, who is running late. It’s not an Advent parable, but it is a warning for those who...
[read more]Freedom to resist
Some Mennonite colleges play the national anthem before sporting events. Some don’t. Some say it’s a chance to reflect on liberty. Some say it’s a chance to honor those in the military who fight for that...
[read more]Toxic masculinity
Public shaming of sexual predators is pushing toxic masculinity out of the shadows. A surge of reports of men’s abusive behavior has raised awareness that sexual harassment is appallingly common — and not...
[read more]Identity redefinition
Anabaptist denominations are having an identity crisis. Or at least an identity redefinition. This is happening in several ways: making or considering name changes; ending old affiliations, beginning new ones...
[read more]Healthy worship diet
Are hymnals still relevant? It’s a question worth asking in light of the MennoMedia “Resonate” project, which will produce a new hymnal for Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada in 2020. It...
[read more]A white man with guns
Was it terrorism? No. The shooter was white. The mass shooting that took the lives of at least 59 people and injured hundreds at an Oct. 1 country music concert in Las Vegas revealed much about American racial...
[read more]Fates intertwined
The closing of Grace University in Omaha, Neb., is a sobering reminder not to take the existence of a small Christian college for granted. Grace was never officially Mennonite, but its founders were. Most were...
[read more]Honorable protests
Few protests are remembered for 500 years, like Martin Luther’s. Or even 50, like anti-Vietnam War marches. Demonstrations by National Football League players this fall may be historic or fleeting, but...
[read more]No halfway liberty
The protest that shook the world began 500 years ago this month. On a church door in the Saxon town of Wittenberg, an obscure German monk posted 95 statements of dispute with Catholicism. It was Oct. 31, 1517....
[read more]Gifts without limits
There’s room for everyone on the spectrum of Mennonite beliefs about women in ministry. On the traditional side are conservative and plain groups who agree the pulpit is for men only. In the middle are U.S....
[read more]Boundaries redrawn
Gerrymandering — drawing a political district’s boundaries to assure a political party’s hold — isn’t new. It celebrated its bicentennial a few years ago. Newspaper columnist Leonard Pitts elaborated...
[read more]Tearing down idols
On a 1986 trip to the Soviet Union, students from Tabor and Bethel colleges could count on seeing two things in every city: a monument to the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and a statue of Vladimir Lenin...
[read more]Always reforming
The church is always reforming. Exhausting as it is, it’s a necessity. Just as our bodies continually fight death by renewing themselves every way they possibly can, healthy church bodies must do the...
[read more]About Me
