Bible: Abraham’s stardust children
It would have been a strange thing to do, cutting all those animals in half, if God hadn’t told Abram to do it. But that’s how it goes. Covenants aren’t made in Hebrew, they’re cut (Gen. 15:18; Jer....
[read more]It would have been a strange thing to do, cutting all those animals in half, if God hadn’t told Abram to do it. But that’s how it goes. Covenants aren’t made in Hebrew, they’re cut (Gen. 15:18; Jer....
[read more]On one Christian publisher’s site, Amish romance books are characterized as stories about Christian people following the “simple life.” Other books, offered by other publishers, announce right in the...
[read more]GOSHEN, Ind. — Fifty years after the first Believers Church Conference in 1967, more than 150 people representing nearly a dozen denominations gathered at Goshen College Sept. 14-16 for “Word, Spirit and...
[read more]NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — Nationally syndicated newspaper columnist Leonard Pitts issued a plea for Americans to return to the ideals that bring them together during a visit to Bethel College. Pitts spoke to a...
[read more]“If you’d have known his grandma’s family, you’d understand his actions.” The conversation was making me uncomfortable. Then it happens again. A different family is assessed: “Stubbornness shows up...
[read more]Why is it so hard to find reports in the mainstream media that don’t reflect Washington’s biases and hostilities? Does the mainstream media sense its agenda is better served by making it look like North...
[read more]Writer and activist Frank Joyce says, “The Ken Burns PBS series on Vietnam gives its corporate sponsors little to worry about.” That in itself should raise a cautionary flag for those who watch. I...
[read more]There’s room for everyone on the spectrum of Mennonite beliefs about women in ministry. On the traditional side are conservative and plain groups who agree the pulpit is for men only. In the middle are U.S....
[read more]Reflecting recently at the funeral for Darrell Fast, who was moderator of the General Conference Mennonite Church when it was moving toward merger with the Mennonite Church, I was reminded of the changes in...
[read more]Gerrymandering — drawing a political district’s boundaries to assure a political party’s hold — isn’t new. It celebrated its bicentennial a few years ago. Newspaper columnist Leonard Pitts elaborated...
[read more]In my young adulthood, evangelists were preachers who publicly called people to commitment to Christ. “If you are ready to invite Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, raise your hand.” Or stand to your feet....
[read more]This earth is the garden of our Lord, and he walks in his garden in the cool of the day. — Jean Ritchie, “Now Is the Cool of the Day” In a late-night chat with my daughters, we hit on the topic of sin,...
[read more]The white supremacists’ shout of “You will not replace us” in Charlottesville, Va., has been heard around the world. Alt-right and white hate groups have been emboldened by the president’s words and...
[read more]Albuquerque (N.M.) Mennonite Church has called an openly LGBTQ person to be their lead pastor, becoming the first congregation to do so in Mennonite Church USA. The church of about 150 attenders announced...
[read more]Unlike the 40-day flood Noah prepared for, members of Iglesia Menonita Arca de Salvacion (Ark of Salvation Mennonite Church) in Fort Myers, Fla., took refuge from Hurricane Irma in their church building for...
[read more]Despite warnings from Mennonite Central Committee, Low German Mennonites from drought-prone regions of northern Mexico have bought more than 49,000 acres of land in Colombia. Kennert Giesbrecht, editor of Die...
[read more]NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — The payoff for a four-hour weekly round-trip to volunteer with Mennonite Central Committee comes in the joy of service, fun and fellowship. Every Wednesday, some of the volunteers get up...
[read more]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]Osa Jonmarits and his family were awakened in the middle of the night as water rushed into their mud and stone house on the mountains of La Chapelle, Haiti, and covered them in their beds. The flash flooding...
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