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...
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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]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...
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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...
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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]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...
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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]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]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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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]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...
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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...
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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,...
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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]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...
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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]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...
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A lot of talk has been happening in the Mennonite Twitter world (which is a pretty weird overlap of two very different realms) in the past few days about changes in a master’s program at Fresno Pacific...
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As a child, one of the things that fascinated me about Mennonites of the past was dress, particularly the head covering. What would it have been like to be marked, physically, by your religion? To have people...
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A sign of the times, outside Goshen, Ind. The stories in Paul Schrag’s editorial (“Mysterious Initials,” Aug. 13) also represent a loss for progressive Mennonites. The frame of reference for who we are...
[read more]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]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...
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