The World Together blog : Arts and media
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On the Cleveland kidnappings
Joanna Harader
Yes. It is horrible that a man held three women and a child captive in his home for years.
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For the love of God, sing!
Jennifer Mills-Knutsen
Some nights, I wonder how long he will let me keep this up.
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Understanding Rob Bell’s dynamic God
Alan Stucky
Rob Bell’s new book, What we Talk About When we Talk About God, is good news for people who want nothing to do with religion. However, it may be even better news for those of us who are deeply committed to the faith but see that religion is way off track.
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Gordon Cosby and strategic planning
Russ Eanes
A few weeks ago some of the staff where I work at MennoMedia met to do some strategic planning. It was an energizing experience and a fruitful time. One thing we all felt was that we needed to tap into an entrepreneurial spirit, both among us and in the broader society. As I contemplated how to put some of that into writing, I came across an announcement in Sojo Mail: Gordon Cosby had died.
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Movie review: ‘Amour’
Vic Thiessen
I caught Amour on the day of the Academy Awards, which I am so glad I missed (Seth MacFarlane’s film, Ted, was the worst film I saw in 2012, so it didn’t surprise me that he was capable of the controversial opening number which I thought was in very bad taste, as were, no doubt, other so-called attempts at humor).
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Engaging church crises: How ‘traditionalism’ betrays a truthful tradition
Simon Barrow
Robert Pigott, Religious Affairs correspondent for BBC News, is an affable man who does a good job of compressing, translating and commenting on often complex religion stories to a general audience that increasingly lacks background knowledge and understanding on these issues.
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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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Amish Mafia: A depiction of lost youth
Ira Wagler
The following is an excerpt from the blog of Ira Wagler, author of Growing Up Amish.
For them the past was dead: they poured into our hands a handful of dry dust and ashes.
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Do you hear the people sing?
Julie Clawson
Last week included much talk about Barack Obama’s inauguration speech (and just about as much talk about Michelle Obama’s haircut and dress, but that’s a whole different issue). It is difficult to even begin to comment positively on the speech without getting labeled as an Obama fanatic. So just to be clear — I have some serious issues with Obama, especially with his record of violence and for sometimes being too weak to stand up to bullies and just get stuff done already.
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Django: A critical reflection
Tom Airey
The gospel demands of us a commitment to a long-term process of self-examination in order that we might understand how our national past remains embedded in the present, like an unsevered umbilical cord. — Ched Myers, Who Will Roll Away The Stone (1994)
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