Articles : Dec. 12, 2011
Editorial
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Christmas’ holy contradictions
The Messiah’s birth. The end of the beginning; the beginning of the end. The divider of testaments; the uniter of people. The long-prophesied arrival of the King of kings, raining glorious terror on simple shepherds; the humblest of births in a leftover shack of a barn. God’s most precious gift, divinity made flesh; an unmarried virgin, pregnant by virtue of the Holy Spirit.
Feature
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Can a church be born again?
NEWTON, Kan. — Randy Smith, transitional pastor at First Mennonite Church in Halstead, doesn’t consider himself an expert on revitalization. But he does know one thing from experience: The revitalization journey is best taken with a discovery process in one hand and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the other.
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Ohio Amish consider renegade Bergholz Clan a cult
In 2008, Amish families in Ohio warned their taxi driver, Robert Comer, to stay away from Sam Mullet, leader of the group now infamous for beard- and hair-cutting attacks.
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Couple honored for 5 decades devoted chiefly to peace
CLINTON, Okla. — From Sunday mornings in church to burial of Native remains, Betty and Larence Hart are longtime champions of Native concerns and Anabaptist theology.
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Outgoing leader reflects on 22 years at the helm of Mennonite World Conference
Larry Miller remembers one moment clearly when he was weighing whether to accept the nomination to lead Mennonite World Conference. It was 1988. He was 38 years old and sitting in a university library in Strasbourg, France.
Holiday Reflection
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Search for the Christ Child
For 23 years my congregation, Oak Grove Mennonite Church in Smithville, Ohio, has treated our community to “Search for the Christ Child,” a live nativity walk-through. As a guide, I have the privilege of taking guests to a time long ago and a country far away — and also to ponder the circumstances and meaning of Jesus’ birth. Every year a new question comes to mind as I review the amazing sequence of events.
Letters
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Issue of obedience
The Nov. 28 article “Should One Issue Define Us?” — which has received more than 80 comments online — identifies some of the concerns related to the homosexual issue. It should not surprise us that in the future those who are against homosexual behavior will become a minority. Jesus warned us of this when he described the wide and narrow gates in Matt. 7:13-14. He also gave the destinations of both of those gates.
Perspective
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Young people need to be part of renewing the church
I might get in trouble for saying this, but I think religion is failing young people. I believe the church is the living body of Christ, the primary vehicle for extending God’s love. But bad religion, and in some ways the church, is stifling good religion — our ability to more fully join in God’s movement in the world.
Sunday School by Halteman Finger
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Child of promise
This lesson includes Mary’s song of salvation and the story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, accompanied by shepherds and angels. What can we say that is new about this account layered over by centuries of tradition and simplified into children’s Christmas pageants?
Heart and Soul
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Caroling with an angel
I ran across a photo stashed between some of my photo albums the other day.
Living the Story
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Strange and wonderful gifts
In this season of gift giving, some gifts are more treasured than others. One not-so-appreciated gift I received was an ashtray.
On My Desk
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What if Jesus were Amish?
On my desk is The Christmas Story by Carol J. Haile and Freiman Stoltzfus, published by Firenze Press, Wyomising, Pa., 2001, 62 pages, $27.95. This is a delightful book that places the birth of Jesus in an Amish setting.
World Neighbors
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New bargain with a dictator
Uzbekistan blipped on the radar for U.S. citizens in October when Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain told an interviewer on the Christian Broadcasting Network it was an “insignificant” nation.
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