1. That when the the Church of England began to go mad after temporalities, like its great stepmother the Roman Church, and churches were authorized to by appropriation in divers places, faith, hope, and charity began to flee from our Church.... 2. That our usual priesthood which began in Rome, pretended to be of power … Continue reading Lollard Conclusions, 1394
History
Persecution of Menno Simons
Saturday I posted excerpts from an article by Menno Simons. He mentions several times in this article that his life was in danger. The danger was very real, there was a price on his head for teaching contrary to the official state church. In 1542, Emperor Charles V upped the reward for Menno's capture to … Continue reading Persecution of Menno Simons
Giving credit where credit is due
I have posted two letters written by Benjamin Eby, the first was on May 14 and entitled "A gentle admonition," the second was yesterday. These letters were originally written in German, the English translations were done by Isaac R Horst, an Old Order Mennonite of Mount Forest, Ontario. I obtained the first letter during a … Continue reading Giving credit where credit is due
Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
The first Mennonites to settle in Canada came from Pennsylvania in 1786 and settled near Sherkston, along Twenty Mile Creek in the Niagara region of Ontario. The church membership increased rapidly. Dissension arose between two of the ministers in the later 1840's. Bishop Benjamin Eby of Waterloo county was called in to make peace between … Continue reading Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
Entitlement
"There was this Mennonite congregation in the town where I grew up, made up of people who came to Canada in the 1920's. Their people had lived in Russia for generations and had built up prosperous farms. All was going well for them, until 1917. The Revolution took everything they had worked so hard to … Continue reading Entitlement
Are you in the grip of, or under the influence of, a virus?
War is hell. The First World War, from 1914 to 1918, resulted in the death of 10 million soldiers and 7 million civilians. At least 20 million more were wounded. As horrible as that sounds, the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 to 1919 caused at least 50 million deaths, some say 100 million. Beginning in … Continue reading Are you in the grip of, or under the influence of, a virus?
Peace in the Valley
Back in 1932 I was 32 years old and a fairly new husband. My wife, Nettie and I were living in a little apartment on Chicago's Southside. One hot August afternoon I had to go to St. Louis, where I was to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting. I didn't want to … Continue reading Peace in the Valley
The challenge of Islam
[This post is my translation of a portion of Robert Dubarry's commentary on the book of Revelation. I bought this book many years ago from a Montréal bookstore. It is undated, but I believe it was written about sixty years ago. M. Dubarry was a French Baptist pastor; I can find next to nothing about … Continue reading The challenge of Islam
Waldensian Confession of Faith of 1120 AD
1. We believe and and do firmly hold all that which is contained in the twelve articles of the symbol, which is called the Apostles Creed, accounting for heresy whatsoever is disagreeing and not consonant to the said twelve articles. 2. We believe that there is one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 3. We … Continue reading Waldensian Confession of Faith of 1120 AD
Squirrel cage economy
Twenty-five years ago I took a course taught by a man who had grown up in India and who had travelled the world. He talked of seeing how coffee, tea and sugar were grown by dirt poor peasant farmers. He described the steps in getting these products to the multinational companies that then processed them … Continue reading Squirrel cage economy
Flatlander Faith 