Actions speak louder
What is a church to do when it is convinced the surrounding community is interested in Mennonite and Anabaptist beliefs but turned off by a Mennonite and Anabaptist name? Two Nebraska congregations from...
[read more]Virus delays Nebraskans’ relaunch
Through prayer, discernment and the congregation’s unanimous affirmation in February, Beatrice (Neb.) Mennonite Church was not supposed to exist right now. But COVID-19 halted plans for a relaunch...
[read more]Outsider’s perspective
I appreciated Glen Guyton’s reflections on his life journey from the military to executive director of Mennonite Church USA (“Outsider’s Perspective Shows Value of Belonging,” April 6). With no draft...
[read more]Necessary insights
Glen Guyton’s personal story and his quoted comments (“Outsider’s Perspective Shows Value of Belonging,” April 6) give reality to an outlook that I heard long ago and truly believe. Nonethnic...
[read more]Ten Thousand lamentations
The year 2020 did not begin well. We’d all barely finished our portzelky when we were forced to contend with rumors of war and visitations from pestilence. Throughout January, disaster was all around us. But...
[read more]California sale billed as celebration
After 52 years, the West Coast Mennonite Relief Sale is switching gears and billing itself as a celebration. A celebration without “Mennonite” in the name. Although its legal incorporated name is staying...
[read more]It hinges on a hyphen
Let me be honest with you: I don’t want my kids to be evangelical Christians when they grow up. It was only recently, in one of those rare moments of fatherly self-awareness, that I realized this. My teens...
[read more]What’s in a name?
Taking the M out of MCC seems silly to even imagine. Besides turning Mennonite Central Committee’s name into one that sounds like a Communist Party leaders’ meeting, removing “Mennonite” would...
[read more]School gets new name — and a mascot
In an effort to attract more students who do not identify as Mennonite or Anabaptist, Iowa Mennonite School is confronting a shrinking enrollment by changing its name. The school announced on July 30 it is...
[read more]Yoder-Short: Messy situations, then and now
The timing of information entering our thoughts can create loud clashes. The same week I was rereading the story of Hagar, I heard a plea to not compromise on God’s Word, to hold on to the Bible as our moral...
[read more]Not thrilled
Why am I not thrilled about a Mennonite Heritage Week (“Heritage Week Causes Division in Canada”) to be celebrated every year in Canada (or anywhere)? Perhaps there are too many things about us that I...
[read more]Heritage Week causes division in Canada
WINNIPEG, Man. — It seemed like an inoffensive gesture for the House of Commons to initiate a Mennonite Heritage Week, but reaction from Mennonites has been split, with some concerned the recognition goes...
[read more]Ethnic or faith heritage?
It’s innocently called shorthand. The word “Mennonite” can be used to describe a theology, or an ethnicity, or both. Each is valid in its own way. But painful damage is done when we disregard a faith...
[read more]Confession of Faith in a Progressive Mennonite Perspective
Introduction Every age group in the United States is less religiously involved than it was a generation ago. In particular, the number of youth and young adults dropping out of the church has been growing at...
[read more]Kriss: What does it mean to be Anabaptist?
Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society’s recent research expanded the pool of groups included under the Anabaptist umbrella. The Community of Christ has moved toward declaring itself a peace church....
[read more]You’ve got a friend in PA
A core concept of social psychology is the idea that people negotiate their identities depending on their contexts. While you are always, in some ways, yourself, some parts of your identity are emphasized and...
[read more]What does it mean to be Anabaptist today?
I am not one of those people who says, “I’m not religious, I just love Jesus” or “I don’t belong to any denomination, I’m just a Christian.” Rather, I have sometimes said, “Those who are sure...
[read more]Canadian author looks back on controversy, faith
Fifty-seven years ago, a young Mennonite author published a book that turned the Canadian Mennonite world upside down. That author was Rudy Wiebe, and the book was Peace Shall Destroy Many — the first novel...
[read more]Who are we?
I was intrigued by Charlie Kraybill’s response to Ryan Ahlgrim (Letters & Comments, April 15 print edition). I don’t hear much these days about promoting peace across the church in general. But...
[read more]‘Mennonite’ isn’t the problem
I could not disagree more strongly with Ryan Ahlgrim’s suggestion that the name “Mennonite” be thrown on the trash heap of history (Blog, “It’s time to change the Mennonite name”). I believe the...
[read more]It’s time to change the Mennonite name
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “Mennonite”? I immediately think of Mennonite Central Committee relief sales, quilts, suspenders, prayer coverings, farmers, borscht,...
[read more]Mennonite food
I grew up on a small mixed farm on the prairies, with a large garden that provided all of our fruits and vegetables for a year as well as providing some produce for market. I definitely took it for granted...
[read more]Marketing isolation
The Dec. 17 editorial, “Two Trends to Watch,” highlighted the was “loss of trust in institutions.” This should be understood as a deeper loss of connection to institutions. There is an epidemic of...
[read more]Mennonites and empire
Every Mennonite in the small town of Goessel, Kan., knows the date 1874. It is emblazoned on the “Turkey Red Wheat Palace,” erected on the centennial of Mennonites’ migration to the Great Plains from...
[read more]Anabaptist Iceland
Despite being well-suited for Anabaptists, Iceland is devoid of them. Perhaps the most literate country in the world just hasn’t heard about our brand of faith yet. Maybe Arctic Circle agriculture’s brief...
[read more]About Me
