By 1870, there were close to two million Germans living in Russia. For the most part they lived in self-governing colonies, exempt from taxation, military service and other obligations of Russian citizenship. They had their own German language schools, regulated their own affairs and kept apart from the Ukrainian and Russian people. Is it any … Continue reading How Mennonite became an ethnic label rather than a religious one – Part three
Author: Bob Goodnough
Five things to do to maintain mental health
As taught in Norway, based on British research and reported in a French news magazine, with comments (in italics) by the Canadian writer of this post. Establish social connections.(Social media connections don’t count.) Keep physically active.(Leave the car at home and walk to the store.) Pay attention to details.(But forget the details of mistakes made … Continue reading Five things to do to maintain mental health
How Mennonite became an ethnic label rather than a religious one – Part two
The two most prominent leaders of the church that came to be known as Mennonites were Dietrich (Dirk) Philips of Flanders (now part of Belgium) and Menno Simons of Friesland (northern part of Netherlands). These leaders did not establish a new faith, or a new church, but simply gathered together the remnant of the Waldensians … Continue reading How Mennonite became an ethnic label rather than a religious one – Part two
How Mennonite became an ethnic label rather than a religious one
This article focuses on the people calling themselves Mennonite who came to Manitoba from Ukraine in the 1870s and later. Lest anyone think I am engaging in an ethnic slur, let me say at the start that my mother was of those people and I will be sharing some of the things she told me. … Continue reading How Mennonite became an ethnic label rather than a religious one
The kingdom of God is within your reach
“A stand can be made against invasion by an army; no stand can be made against invasion by an idea.”-Victor Hugo John the Baptist and Jesus both began their ministry by saying “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” The effect of those words is the most remarkable example of Victor Hugo’s statement. … Continue reading The kingdom of God is within your reach
It’s not our truth
The truth of the gospel is for everyone, therefore we must write so everyone can understand. We have no title,We have no copyright,We have no patent,We have no registered trademark. The gospel has been around a long time, but has not grown old. It is as alive and relevant as it ever was, but some … Continue reading It’s not our truth
Have we forgotten what we were supposed to say?
Without going into details, we must recognize that, in the course of history, Mennonites have lost much of this missionary zeal. Without wanting to excuse this development too easily, we can offer some historical explanations. In some places (e.g. Berne) the original vigour of the movement was lost due to persecution. Elsewhere (as in Ukraine), … Continue reading Have we forgotten what we were supposed to say?
It all began on Mount Sinai
Summit of Mt. Sinai, photo by Mohammed Moussa, This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Western thought patterns are highly abstract, compared with Eastern. There developed in the West, and only in the West, a group of innovations that constitute the basis of Western thought. These include (in addition to the alphabet) … Continue reading It all began on Mount Sinai
Moses learns to read and write
God had a message that was essential to the well-being of all people, throughout all time. The starting point was to take a group of people and teach them a phonetic alphabet, a set of characters where each character represents a specific sound and those characters can be put together to form words. Nothing like … Continue reading Moses learns to read and write
Anglicans: the glory and the shame
The Church of England has provided us with some of our most glorious hymns. For example:John Newton – Amazing Grace and Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken;William Cowper – There is a Fountain filled with blood and Oh! For a closer walk with God;Charlotte Elliott – Just as I am and Thy will be done;Henry … Continue reading Anglicans: the glory and the shame
Flatlander Faith 