The World Together blog : Susie Guenther Loewen
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Weighing in on the ‘Canadian Mennonite’ charitable status debate
Susie Guenther Loewen
I thought I’d weigh in on the controversy surrounding the Canada Revenue Agency’s “reminder” to the Canadian Mennonite about the supposedly politically “partisan” nature of some of its articles. The magazine had allegedly exceeded the CRA’s limit of 10 percent when it came to “politically partisan” content. If you haven’t been following this story, Dick Benner wrote a thoughtful editorial about it in the Canadian Mennonite, and a scan of the letter itself can be found
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A 59-cent symbol of obedience
Susie Guenther Loewen
I’ve been impressed with the campaign begun earlier this summer by several Canadian Mennonite University and Canadian School of Peacebuilding students in response to the government’s plans to cut funding to refugee health care.
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Sermons should be sermons, not speeches
Susie Guenther Loewen
Sermons are usually the part of worship I most look forward to. They’re the heart and intellectual meat of the service. But precisely because I have such high hopes for the sermon there’s been more than one occasion when I’ve been deeply disappointed — because the sermon wasn’t really a sermon. It was actually just a speech, and there is a difference. Here are a few general examples:
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What’s so Christian about family?
Susie Guenther Loewen
I’ve been getting the feeling lately we’re not asking ourselves this question very often, if at all. In our society, Christianity and “family values” are understood as synonymous, whether for Catholics (who focus on the Holy Family of Joseph, Mary and Jesus — see image, found here — and a belief that marriage is a sacrament, a vehicle for God’s grace) or Protestants (who seem to talk a lot about the wholesomeness, sanctity and “threatened” status of the nuclear family, particularly in the U.S.).
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Resurrection: What happens to us when we die
Susie Guenther Loewen
In the past few years, I’ve come face to face with death. I was with my grandmother when she drew her last breaths, and since then, I’ve lost both of my grandfathers as well. At this time of year, Christians face that mysterious thing called death and somehow declare that it’s been defeated. We celebrate the raising of Christ from the dead, despite the fact that death is still a painful and devastating aspect of our experience.
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Should we get rid of the cross?
Susie Guenther Loewen
What does the cross mean to you (if it means anything)? I’ve heard this question asked a few times recently and have been surprised at some of the answers.
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The otherness of artists
Susie Guenther Loewen
Having spent most of my life in Winnipeg, Man., I’ve developed a great love of the literary, visual and musical arts. It’s also occurred to me that I’m by no means the only Mennonite of this generation with these inclinations. What connections are there to being Mennonite and being an artist — there’s got to be some link there, right?
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