*As of March 1, 2015, there is an official resolution that has been submitted to the MC USA Resolutions Committee. My original “aspirational resolution” was the starting point for the work that many people did to bring into existence the “Becoming a Just Church” resolution. Some of you already know how I feel about the…
Some of you may find this hard to believe, but I enjoy being in conversation with conservative Mennonites (at least the ones who don’t condemn me to hell as they bludgeon me with Leviticus). When I find the right dialog partners–or they find me–and when I listen well and open myself to the Holy Spirit,…
I commend to you all a letter written by Gordon Oyer to the Mennonite Church USA Executive Board in response to their recent report. Gordon gives a respectful and insightful critique of the board’s refusal to recognize the credentials of Theda Good. The conclusion of his letter states: MC USA documents do contain space within…
I was reading through some of my old worship liturgies this morning and came across this prayer of confession. I wrote it with this passage from Deuteronomy 30 in mind: This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.…
The Mennonite Church USA made their report from last weekend’s meetings public today. To be honest, I feel a bit sick to my stomach. (Though it is hard to say if that is solely because of the statement or also due to the inadvisable amount of cake I just consumed to console myself.) I want…
The Executive Board of Mennonite Church USA is meeting this weekend. They will be discussing the denominational response to Mountain States Mennonite Conference (since they licensed Theda Good) and talking more generally about issues of denominational structure and maintaining unity in the midst of theological disagreements–particularly related to our varied understandings of faithful sexuality. If…
If you have been reading recent statements by Mennonite Church USA leaders, or even engaging in more private conversations about the inclusion of LGBTQ people in the Mennonite church, you have heard the term “third way.” A lot. Coming from denominational leadership, third way seems to be code for status quo. Calls for people to…
Mark 14:53-65; 15:1 [This reflection is excerpted from a sermon. The full sermon text is posted here.] In his massive two-volume work, The Death of the Messiah, Raymond Brown gives an overview of the scholarship on the Passion Narratives in the Gospels. It quickly becomes clear that there is a wide range of opinion…
On February 17, 2014, the Executive Board of Mennonite Church USA released a statement entitled “Moving Forward.” (I’m pretty sure the irony is unintentional.)This statement is a response to the recent licensing of Theda Good by Mountain States Mennonite Conference. I grieved when I read this statement and realized that once again LGBTQ people are…
[Revised and re-posted from 2011] I’ve never been much into Valentine’s day. Post-Valentine’s Day chocolates on sale, yes; the holiday itself, not so much. I never had a boyfriend in Jr. High or High School, so it was just a day to get nothing–which was humiliating–or to get sympathy flowers from my parents–which was more…
Spacious Faith 