MWR : Articles : Editorial

Last updated May 13.

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Articles : Editorial

For the love of a deal

As businesses grow more transparent, simple-living believers can afford to revisit what they consider a deal.
Ironic inspiration

M ennonite lay leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo visited the U.S. over the past month on a mission tinged with irony. They hoped to learn from a somewhat stagnant church body ways to support their growing churches.

A tradition of risks

At institutions of higher learning, tradition abounds. No matter how many accolades a college or university might receive, without a grand stone edifice or some other physical monument to the past, legitimacy remains vulnerable.
Sport’s moral model

Baseball teams often play by the book, the unwritten code that dictates when to bunt or steal a base. Brooklyn Dodger general manager Branch Rickey played by the Good Book, and he expected Jackie Robinson to do the same. Together they changed the sport and shook the foundation of Jim Crow. They did it by the power of nonviolence, inspired by Jesus Christ.

The right to marry

In 1985 a Mennonite document on sexuality included the following statement: “If the church should err, let it be on the side of caring for and loving a group of people who are much persecuted in our society.” That group was gays and lesbians.
Not just a name

St. Francis of Assisi famously said, “Preach the gospel; if necessary, use words.” If the last month is any indication, his namesake Pope Francis is doing his best to live by that rule, wordlessly demonstrating the gospel’s central themes.

Hunger and thirst

Blogger Kate Baer sparked a lively conversation on the Mennonite World Review website with her post, “Why We’re Not Going to Church.” It drew 41 comments in less than two weeks, and 410 people recommended it on Facebook.
Sharing is caring

Buds are blooming, and the cross is empty. Spring is here, and our new house’s back yard has only lawn — no garden.

Jesus broke the cycle

Recognition of the deceased was at least a small part of each Easter ritual I was taught in the home of my Georgian Orthodox host family. Though I comprehended little of my host mother’s Georgian explanations, I understood more by the way she pointed to a prominently displayed portrait of Maia, her daughter who was killed in a traffic accident at age 20.
We’re all foreigners

It has been said that the U.S. border posts two contradictory signs: “Help Wanted” and “Keep Out.” If our church doors displayed signs showing our attitude toward immigrants, what would they say? If they were biblical, they might declare, “We Love Immigrants” and “We’re Foreigners Too.”