In the News Last month, a petition was filed with the Supreme Court to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision that made same-sex marriage legal at the national level. The person bringing the petition is Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk who claimed that processing same-sex marriage licenses went against her religious convictions.…
In the News The Trump administration’s attacks on LGBTQIA+ people–and particularly transgender and gender-fluid people–are not new news. It was January 20 of this year (2025) when the administration issued the “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” order. But even though the order was issued several months…
*Trigger warning: For those of you who have experienced traumatic church processes in the past, this will all sound very familiar and will make you want to scream, cry, cuss and/or run as far away from the church as you can get. You are welcome to keep reading, but there is nothing new or surprising…
How are you doing? Me? I’m fine. Thanks for asking. Just kidding. Of course I’m not “fine”. Who’s “fine” right now? I have hundreds of nightmare scenarios running through my head about what the new Supreme Court will do to our civil liberties and our democracy. I’m scared that there will not be a peaceful…
I invite you to do a thought experiment with me. Imagine that I am qualified to lead a seminary: I have a PhD in Mennoniteness and have taught graduate level classes in Missional Transformation Transforming Missional Paradigms. I’m the perfect candidate for seminary president. Except the seminary has recently committed itself to the “traditional” position…
In the spirit of “better late than never,” here are some thoughts about the Nashville Statement: To all who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, intersex, transgender, gender non-conforming, questioning and/or otherwise queer: God created you and loves you. You are sacred, you are worthy, you are an integral part of the true Church. I…
As I try to process my experience at the Future Church Summit in Orlando—and especially as I think about the events of the delegate session—scenes from my son’s teen years keep coming to mind. Our son, who has multiple mental health and developmental struggles, often expressed feelings that made no sense to me. If I…
Last week I participated in the Mennonite Church USA Future Church Summit. It was a structured conversation about who we want to be as Mennonites and what we hope for our church. Here is a summary of what I heard: “Jesus” this and “Jesus” that. Mennonites love Jesus. We want to follow Jesus. Everything else…
I’ve been told to come to the Mennonite Church USA Future Church Summit with a smile, ready to make new friends. And I will. I basically smile all the time anyway;that’s just how my face looks. Honestly, I have to try hard to not smile at inappropriate times like funerals or public scoldings. Also, I…
If you have done any kind of work for justice in this world, you have likely heard something along these lines: “Why are you always so critical? Can’t you see the [insert people in appropriate power position] are trying? Why don’t you give credit where credit it due?” “Sure, he committed ‘non-consensual vaginal intercourse,’ but…
Spacious Faith 