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]Muted voices in World War I, and today
An unsuccessful effort to locate artifacts related to World War I conscientious objection was an unexpected blessing for developers of an exhibit that will be featured at a symposium on the topic this October...
[read more]Hutterite elder sought progress, lamented division
Jacob Kleinsasser, a Hutterite elder whose broad vision for the betterment of Hutterite society included embracing education as a positive force, died Aug. 8 at Crystal Spring Hutterite Community in Manitoba....
[read more]Would we stand strong?
Six Brethren were arrested 300 years ago in Solingen, Germany. What was their crime? In 1716, the six men, ages 22 to 33, had been baptized as adults. This crime was a capital offense, the punishment could be...
[read more]‘From death to life’
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. — Col. 3:15 On Easter morning in April 1528 in Augsburg, Germany, almost 100 Anabaptists were rounded up by...
[read more]Transformed by the Word
Renewal 2027 is a 10-year series of events launched by Mennonite World Conference to mark the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement. “Transformed by the Word: Reading Scripture in...
[read more]Book review: ‘Martyrs Mirror: A Social History’
Martyrs Mirror has shaped the Anabaptist tradition more powerfully than any book besides the Bible. That is the premise of David L. Weaver-Zercher’s masterful new history of Thieleman J. van Braght’s...
[read more]Remembering a faith journey of 500 years
AUGSBURG, Germany — A Mennonite World Conference event looking forward to the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism looked back on the movement’s foundation in the primacy of Scripture. Regional Anabaptists and...
[read more]History: The ‘Anabaptists’ who weren’t
Before the Radical Reformation and before the Protestant Reformation were the Waldensians. While Protestant Christianity celebrates its 500th anniversary in 2017 and Anabaptists prepare to do likewise in eight...
[read more]Reformation at 500
Mennonites have claimed to be a “third-way” movement, neither Catholic nor Protestant. Yet we descend from the Protestant Reformation. Anabaptism emerged from the religious and political protest Martin...
[read more]Events to mark Reformation’s 500th anniversary
The Reformation rocked the Western church 500 years ago as successive groups discovered new things about God through Scripture and separated from the Roman Catholic church. The Mennonite World Conference...
[read more]History: Stones of remembrance
I had my apple strudel and coffee — not to be missed if you’re visiting Innsbruck, Austria — in a café along Maria Theresa Street. I read again the brass plaque marking the 1536 execution of Jacob...
[read more]Martyrs relevant in Thailand
DET UDOM, Thailand — A simple open-air pavilion at the Life Enrichment Church Center served as the location for the third Thai Anabaptist Gathering Sept. 27-Oct. 1. Most of the 150 people who attended were...
[read more]What you might not know about Menno Simons
I recently finished reading The Complete Writings of Menno Simons and thought it might be interesting to list some of the ways Menno Simons might raise some eyebrows… If you can think of any I missed, I...
[read more]To vote or not to vote?
I have never voted in an election. Not because I don’t care about my country. I care very much. I love this country where I live. I love its beauty; love the broad sweep of its land, the diversity of its...
[read more]Book review: ‘Pennsylvania Dutch’
What are the roles of language in forming and maintaining religious identity? This fascinating volume explores Pennsylvania Dutch, a language that, nowadays, is “neither explicitly taught nor read nor...
[read more]War resisters part of World War I story, too
NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — The trophies and destruction left by battles are many, but items that tell the stories of war resisters are scarce. The National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., is...
[read more]‘Our family is here’
(Feb. 18, 2016) We try to imagine how it will be to travel home from Winnipeg, a 2 ½-hour trip, with a family of four who doesn’t speak our language! We’re a bit apprehensive but hopeful that our hand...
[read more]History: No fires, no foes in Münster
It’s 300 steps from the street up the ancient spiral stone stairway to the tower keeper’s room of St. Lambert’s Church in Münster, Germany. The stone steps are worn from centuries-long use by the tower...
[read more]‘What’s an Anabaptist?’ Or is it ‘Who’s an Anabaptist?’
The best way to sort out “what” an Anabaptist is is by finding the stories of Anabaptists. Peter Mommsen’s exceptional study, Homage to a Broken Man, the story of J. Heinrich Arnold, is one of the finest...
[read more]Free to believe
The most famous conscientious objector during the Vietnam War was a fighter. Muhammad Ali fought with his fists to earn the title of “the greatest.” More important, he fought for his beliefs. “My...
[read more]To exit or remain? The July 4, 1776, question
In 1776 my great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Christian Yoder, Jr., moved his family by team and wagon from Berks County, Pa., to the far western frontier of the state. A man now in his early 50s, he...
[read more]Making trouble
During a recent trip to the Netherlands for work, I had the opportunity to stop by the Singelkerk in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it in time for service, but I did experience a fantastic tour by a...
[read more]Story of reconciliation with Lutherans is told
A new chapter may be added to the Anabaptist story at the Menno-Hof information center in Shipshewana, Ind., with the creation of an exhibit about reconciliation between Anabaptists and other Christian...
[read more]Memorial Day for a martyr
Jose Chuquin came to faith as a student at a Mennonite school at Cachipay, Colombia. As an adult, that faith became his vocation, serving 11 years as director of the relief agency World Vision’s operations...
[read more]About Me
