Mysterious initials
There’s nothing sacred about the word “Mennonite.” Nor is it anything to be ashamed of. Somewhere between those extremes is a venerable religious identity with a rich history, many positive connotations...
[read more]Opinion: What’s our inclusion ritual?
In “From Belief to Belonging: Open communion is on the rise in Mennonite Church Canada congregations”, Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe describes how open communion is on the rise in Mennonite Church Canada...
[read more]Conservative Conference rebrands with initials
MONTGOMERY, Ind. — Conservative Mennonite Conference has rebranded — for now — as CMC. In a move similar to that of Lancaster Mennonite Conference earlier this year, CMC ministers voted unanimously July...
[read more]Miller: Objects of curiosity
Tim Huber’s editorial, “A Name Worth Keeping” (March 12), supported keeping “Mennonite” as an identifier even though it raises questions among many people unfamiliar with us. I found it timely and...
[read more]Should a church have rules?
Growing up, I was mostly very compliant with rules of any sort. I didn’t just accept everything at face value — I often turned things over in my mind and tried to make sense of them — but I didn’t...
[read more]A name worth keeping
What’s in a name? For Tim Unruh of Hillsboro, Kan., it’s more than a hill of beans. His decision to name his Menno Beans coffee roasting venture after Menno Simons is an ode to his faith heritage and an...
[read more]Coffee venture seeks to caffeinate Mennonite identity
True evangelical coffee cannot lie dormant. With every batch of beans he roasts, Tim Unruh of Hillsboro, Kan., is putting his faith into practice. His product — Menno Beans — is a reflection not just of...
[read more]Spiritual starvation
I thank God daily for the grace of growing up in a strong Mennonite community. As a prodigal returning to faith and looking for a church home, I applaud the great outreach and service of the Mennonite church....
[read more]Miller: Good to be different
There are blonde jokes, lawyer jokes and Polish jokes. And then there are Mennonite jokes. As a Mennonite, and a plain Mennonite at that, I like the Mennonite jokes best. It is the perverse nature of humanity...
[read more]Inspiring editorials
“True Evangelical Faith” by Paul Schrag and “Convictional Inaction” by Rachel Stella were inspiring, challenging and based on sound Anabaptist theology. As evangelical Christians, our first allegiance...
[read more]Truly evangelical
I appreciated your editorial, “True Evangelical Faith” (Jan. 1), but I wonder if your readers understand the difference between modern evangelical faith and true evangelical faith as understood by Menno...
[read more]Smoking, driving and deep theology
HARRISONBURG, Va. — Suppose your job is to answer impossibly complex questions, sometimes dealing with theology and even eternal destiny. How do you respond? This was the volunteer task of Erwin and Angela...
[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]Mennonite or follower of Christ?
If the early Anabaptists were alive today, I am quite certain the Mennonite church would run them out of their congregations. I realize that’s a pretty strong statement, and not altogether fair. But I’m...
[read more]Switch to ‘Rosedale Network’ narrowly fails
KIDRON, Ohio — Conservative Mennonite Conference is keeping its name for now, but leaders will continue to look at possibilities for change. CMC’s delegate body of 98 ministers needed a two-thirds majority...
[read more]Book review: ‘Re-Envisioning Service’
The greatest success of the Civilian Public Service era is not the effect it had on the church during World War II, as significant as that was. Rather, its crowning achievement was the resulting ethos of...
[read more]Comfortable in their skin
From 2015 to 2017, Mennonite Church USA conventions changed drastically. Two years ago at Kansas City, debates over how to handle diverse views about LGBTQ people in the church cast a cloud of tension over the...
[read more]Book review: ‘Chosen Nation’
In 1941, as German armies advanced across Europe, C. Henry Smith, a historian at Bluffton College, expressed his dismay at the enthusiastic support many German Mennonites had given to Adolf Hitler and the...
[read more]Good name, bad belief
My family and I recently left the Mennonite church, not to get away from the name but to find a more biblically based theology. I thought we would always be Mennonite. We had no interest in getting away from...
[read more]Mennonite girls from everywhere can cook
I am disappointed that your cookbook includes recipes for things like tacos. To me, that’s not Mennonite food. — anonymous comment on Mennonite Girls Can Cook Herald Press recently published a...
[read more]To put love in action, Mennonite Church USA makes a list
ORLANDO, Fla. — For 3,200 people at the Mennonite Church USA convention July 4-8, “Love Is a Verb” was more than a grammar lesson. The week’s theme focused on the basic truth that Christian faith is...
[read more]Future Church Summit: Where’s ‘quirky’ church going?
ORLANDO, Fla. — After 14 hours of talking about how to follow Jesus as Anabaptists in the 21st century, Mennonite Church USA delegates faced the question of how to describe what they had done. Had they set a...
[read more]Opinion: Starting at the end
The video begins with a map of Western Europe, a dot hovering over Zurich. The scene shifts as a voice with a Pennsylvania Dutch lilt describes the baptism of Felix Manz in 1521. Woodcut pictures cross the...
[read more]Conservative Conference seeks clearer definition
When people hear the word “conservative,” what do they think? It’s a question confronting Conservative Mennonite Conference as society becomes more polarized politically and denominations fracture and...
[read more]We are still willing
I remember Michael J. Sharp (MJ) as a rambunctious junior high kid from the time we overlapped life at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center and Scottdale in Western Pennsylvania. I’ve been aware of his work...
[read more]About Me
