Peace network overdue
For five centuries, Anabaptists have faced the challenge of pursuing peace. On every continent, in every culture, a defining trait that sets them apart is a commitment to nonviolence. Many conferences and...
[read more]MCC policy excludes
Contrary to our hope that the national boards of Mennonite Central Committee would remove language that marginalizes the exquisite gifts and denies full participation of LGBTQ+ Anabaptist Mennonites, we are...
[read more]Open communion on the rise in MC Canada congregations
Many Mennonites have grown up hearing these words for as long as they can remember: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Communion, the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist — whatever the name, it has been an...
[read more]Watson: Who do we want to be?
Even before President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, the media buzzed about what might happen to Roe v. Wade. Many legal experts and activists anticipate the 1973 decision that...
[read more]Bible: Generosity abolishes judgment
For the final sessions of the quarter we turn from Jesus’ teaching to the Apostle Paul’s. Yet the basic picture of Christian faith and life remains mostly the same. In the first part of his letter to the...
[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]Press on the upward way
Because church life has its ups and downs, we can be sure that some who study Mennonite Church USA’s new Pathways curriculum are looking for traction to higher ground. Whether they’ve felt moderate stress...
[read more]What’s in a name?
Although my name is Nelson, I don’t much care what people call me as long as it is said in respect and love. I wonder if God might feel the same way (“Yes, God Is Our Father,” Blog, June 4). What God...
[read more]King: Much more to love
As national flames flare over babies torn from immigrant parents, how public figures are treated in restaurants, naming a new Supreme Court justice, tariffs, taxes, environmental regulations and more, a...
[read more]Sexism and tyranny
Jane Yoder-Short’s column about the Miss America pageant and the Book of Esther stood out vividly for me (“The Trophy Queen Says ‘No,’ ” July 16). I am appalled at how little we have learned from...
[read more]Canadian MBs join trend to decentralize
Less is going to be more in a new approach to national decision-making and structure approved by Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches delegates July 14 in Saskatoon, Sask. With 97 percent...
[read more]Americans, this is who you are
My American friends have been apologizing for how their president is behaving on the international stage — castigating Canada, undermining NATO, praising dictators, starting trade wars. “This is not who we...
[read more]Our hypocrisy on ‘social action’
Mennonite Central Committee and other relief and service organizations are often criticized for being too focused on physically bettering people’s lives and not enough on evangelizing them. Some of the...
[read more]Spirituality is imperfect
Last week at our Mustard Seed House community meeting, we made lavender wands. We had perfect examples to follow, many of them beautiful images from Pinterest and DIY websites. We had good instructions with...
[read more]Open letter to Jeff Bezos: Amazon or Anabaptist?
Dear Mr. Bezos, The opposition of Amazon (hereafter referred to as “your company”) to a tax law to help the homeless in Seattle was the last straw. Let me explain. After your company stopped construction...
[read more]Enduring the cross, despising the shame
If I were to try to convince someone to become a Christian, shame is not a quality I would advertise. I would probably talk about the wonderful sense of being set free from guilt, the comforting presence of a...
[read more]No longer deserving?
Robert Victor Peters (Letters & Comments, June 4) sounds like a Mennonite we need in Indiana, one we are sorry to see leaving us. Maybe he has what it takes to lead our response to our government’s...
[read more]With a leap, children learn new language
LANCASTER, Pa. — Lancaster educators know refugee resettlement isn’t just about offering a new home but also helping refugees navigate the years of readjustment ahead of them. That’s why four local...
[read more]Waiting for decades
At 93, I’m trying to wrap up some of my end-of-life business. One of my efforts over the last 40 years was to try to understand the LGBTQ issue and how it fits into our church dialogue and theological...
[read more]To beat addiction, path to freedom is spiritual
For Paul Fehr, addiction to drugs began with rejection, but an encounter with Christ helped him overcome that bondage. Now he’s the executive director of Operation 6:12, a Christian residential program in...
[read more]Nonresistance isn’t silent
How much should nonresistant Christians talk publicly about the political concerns of their earthly societies? Many Anabaptists recognize nonresistance as encompassing more than refusing to use lethal force...
[read more]Bible: Look who isn’t coming to dinner
In the ancient world you could learn a great deal about people at mealtime. What people ate and who they ate with were quite revealing. Luke 14 certainly tells us a lot about Jesus — and about those who set...
[read more]Where’s the evidence?
Christians have come up with various ways to determine who truly is a part of Christ’s kingdom and who may be a pretender. Gene C. Rhodes would accept the testimony of a trusted pastor (Letters &...
[read more]Moderate justice
The Supreme Court occupies the U.S. political spotlight after the retirement of Anthony Kennedy and President Trump’s nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. With the remaining eight justices evenly split on many...
[read more]Miller: What my dad taught me
My dad smells of hay and manure, the soil and the outdoors, spiritually speaking. His relationship with God is a sturdy thing, like coveralls that have hung always in the basement between chorings and are...
[read more]About Me
