Ministers are not lords over their congregations; husbands are not lords over their wives; parents are not lords over their children, employers are not lords over their employees. Yet God has delegated to each one of us a measure of responsibility, and even of authority. As long as we submit ourselves to the authority of … Continue reading There is one Lord
Anabaptist
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
The myth of gunslinger evangelism
“I would like you to meet brother Wyatt. Wyatt has got to be the fastest draw in the west with his Bible. Do you see all those notches along the spine of his Bible? That’s how many souls he has personally led to the Lord.” Have you ever met a Wyatt, someone who could tell … Continue reading The myth of gunslinger evangelism
The threefold purpose of the church
As I see it, there is a threefold purpose for the existence of the church of God. Each of these purposes is connected to and dependent upon the other two. Perhaps we could call this a three-legged stool and whenever one of the legs is shorter than the others it creates an unstable situation. The … Continue reading The threefold purpose of the church
Dying with dignity
The Supreme Court of Canada is currently considering the question of assisted suicide, or what some people call the right to die with dignity. This has brought back to my mind something that happened many years ago. This account would not have any significance to the legal minds who are arguing before the Supreme Court, … Continue reading Dying with dignity
We don’t need better politicians, we need better Christians
Well, better politicians would be good, too. But we get what we deserve; and the present crop of politicians are doing the best they can with the information they have. Better Christians could be a means of making better information available to the politicians, as well as everyone else. "But take heed to yourselves: for … Continue reading We don’t need better politicians, we need better Christians
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
The red rubber ball theory of church growth
Why does a rubber ball bounce? The key is found in polymer science. The chemical formula for the rubber molecule is (C5H8)20,000+. C5H8, a single unit of the molecule is called a monomer, the complete molecule, a long string of 20,000 or more monomers, is called a polymer. The classic illustration is to think of … Continue reading The red rubber ball theory of church growth
How old are you?
What does it mean to be grown up? When we were little we thought it meant that we would be able to do anything we wanted to do and no one would stop us. Most of us eventually figured out that life doesn’t work that way. A few people don’t appear to ever quite get … Continue reading How old are you?