The recent murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is a tragedy. It is reprehensible that violence has become commonplace in America. I pray God’s comfort for Charlie Kirk’s family as they mourn his loss. The proliferation of memorials about his passing has raised another question for me. What are people lamenting? For many, the main […]
I frequently encounter people, often MB pastors, who would push MB ecclesiology toward a baptistic congregationalism. They are particularly wont to mention that MBs and Baptists found common cause in the early days of the MB movement — and they did. However, while Baptist church leaders taught Mennonite Brethren much, MBs did not swallow everything […]
I come from a family that has three generations of military service. My great-grandfather was a soldier in World War One. My grandfather was a convoy truck driver in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps during World War Two. My gentle Mennonite mother was a military nurse in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves — fortunately, […]
I am a theologian. More specifically, I am a Mennonite Brethren theologian. I speak not only to MBs, but I speak as an MB — intentionally and unapologetically. In the past several years, as I have studied MB approaches to theology, I have become convinced that the unsystematic and eclectic methods MBs have employed have […]
My recent post about the place of experience generated some conversation over on Facebook, and it reminded me how compelling personal experience is in forming one’s theological convictions. A couple of friends mentioned specific types of experience that cannot and ought not be ignored, including experience that can challenge long and deeply held theological convictions. […]
When I was growing up in church, I learned that what we believed was certain, so much so that we wondered how it was that anyone could doubt. This was so ingrained in my thinking that I recall reacting with shock when I read that evangelical Christianity, the kind that had shaped me, fell into […]
I wasn’t always a theology professor. I used to be a youth pastor, and I was also a chaplain and a family ministries pastor. I have been in the midst of messy life situations with people in turmoil. That’s why I am hurt by comments about being in an ivory tower, or by being called […]
I usually post about theological issues. This is a post about history, but as you will see, it is also about theology. Actually, everything is about theology. The problem is that people often miss that fact. As a theologian and preacher, I feel drawn to the lament issued by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians […]
The establishment of the biblical canon didn’t provide perfect clarity, nor did it eliminate disagreements. However, it did provide a common resource for Christians to consult, and it is the basis of the tradition of theological reflection that the Church has cultivated over the centuries. In sum, the Bible is where we go to gain […]
(This material is left over from an article I recently wrote for the Mennonite Brethren Herald. Since I hate wasting things, I am putting it here.) I once heard a speaker make a pithy quote about the object of his faith. He said that “I believe in the Word of God. His name is Jesus.” […]
What Are You Thinking? 