Mennonites naturally had a problem when people started talking about a War on Christmas. We love Christmas. We love the singing, the Christmas trees, the oddly inappropriate nativity figurines, the pfeffernusse. Sure, some of us are grumpy about aspects of the season. But still. We’re pretty big fans of Christmas. So, it’s a cause to … More Noncombatant Roles in the War on Christmas
One of my earliest readers and twitter correspondents was Diana Zimmerman who wrote a memoir about her childhood in a rural Swiss Mennonite setting. I read it and wrote up some reflections on it, and made a cocktail in its honour. I posted this first in April of 2015. Back in the good old days, … More What to Drink with a Pyonder
(Or How I learned to stop worrying and love the potluck) One of the first indicators that I would have a rocky relationship with the Mennonite Church was surely my early abhorrence of the venerable institution known as the Church potluck. While most of the well-adjusted Mennonite adults of my acquaintance have fond memories of … More Dr. Strangefoods
There’s an old joke that asks “what’s a Mennonite ethical dilemma?” The answer varies depending upon the branch of the Church but it is typically either free beer or free dance lessons. Me? Well, you can guess that my only problem with free beer is if the quality reflects the price. And free dance lessons? … More An Updated Mennonite Ethical Dilemma
