Peace

Mennonites Singing for Cease-Fire

Earlier this week – Tuesday, I think – a couple of hundred Anabaptists convened in the House of Representatives’ Cannon House Office Building, in Washington DC, to call for a permanent cease-fire in Palestine. The Mennonites sang songs of peace

Dwight J. Friesen January 21, 2024January 21, 2024

“Miracle of Peace”

I No Longer Pray for Peace by Ann Weems On the edge of war, one foot already in, I no longer pray for peace: I pray for miracles. I pray that stone hearts will turn to tenderheartedness, and evil intentions

Dwight J. Friesen February 25, 2022March 3, 2022

“Defund the Police” Anabaptist Curriculum

My spiritual lineage has is a pretty straight line back to the earliest days of the Anabaptist peace movement… often referred to as the “radical reformation” within Christianity. The older I grow the more I appreciate aspects of my heritage.

Dwight J. Friesen April 24, 2021November 7, 2022

“The Old Lie”

Dulce et Decorum Est  By Wilfred Owen Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, And towards our distant rest began to trudge. Men

Dwight J. Friesen March 2, 2021November 22, 2021

International Transgender Day of Remembrance

Today is the annual International Transgender Day of Remembrance. Its the day set apart to remember those people who have been murdered simply because they have a gender identity or gender expression that differs from the sex that they were assigned at birth. All violence

Dwight J. Friesen November 20, 2020November 24, 2021

“Enjoy Your Pint”

Enjoy Your Pint by Pádraig Ó Tuama At the bar, in an unknown part of Birmingham I bought two pints and paid with paper money from the northern part of Ireland. That’s not British money, the publican said. And I

Dwight J. Friesen December 6, 2019November 6, 2022

Imagining Peace

What a great TED talk! Pádraig Ó Tuama is an Irish poet and theologian, and this is worth watching. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen October 29, 2016November 4, 2022

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

A few months ago – September 25, 2015 to be exact – the 193 countries of the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Development Agenda titled “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” I can only imagine the

Dwight J. Friesen February 2, 2016February 26, 2024

MLK’s call to be maladjusted

This is what, among other things, Dr. King said in Michigan a little over 26 years ago: ‘”There are certain technical words within every academic discipline that soon become stereotypes and cliches. Modern psychology has a word that is probably

Dwight J. Friesen January 18, 2010November 13, 2020

philbert kalisa

Last night in during Essential Community (a course I team-teach at MHGS) we were privileged to have Philbert Kalisa (pictured in the light colored polo shirt) from Rwanda join us.  In the wake of the Rwanda’s genocide in the 1990s

Dwight J. Friesen January 23, 2009June 17, 2022

Anabaptists

Here’s a link to a helpful piece by William McGrath called, Anabaptists: Neither Catholics nor Protestants.  Also worth checking out is the young.anabaptistradicals.org. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen December 17, 2008September 20, 2022

toward reconciliation 2.0

On this the first Sunday of Advent when followers of “the Way” join in a liturgy of anticipation for the coming of Emmanuel – God with us – we are reminded that in the face of separation God offered God’s

Dwight J. Friesen December 3, 2006September 26, 2022

International Day of Peace

Today is the Day for Peace I invite you to take a few moments to attend to this address by Kofi Annan.  Many people around the world are observing a minute of silence in prayer for peace at noon today.

Dwight J. Friesen September 21, 2005September 30, 2022

Getting Ready for Peace

Tomorrow (9/21) is the International Day of Peace.  “The day,” according to Kofi Annan “is meant to be a day of global cease-fire.  I call on all countries and all people to stop all hostilities for the entire day.  I

Dwight J. Friesen September 20, 2005June 9, 2022

Making Peace

Making Peace by Denise Levertov (1923-1997) A voice from the dark called out, “The poets must give us imagination of peace, to oust the intense, familiar imagination of disaster. Peace, not only the absence of war.” But peace, like a poem,

Dwight J. Friesen June 20, 2005May 7, 2022

peace thru division

Goshen College history professor, John D. Roth recently delivered one of the C. Henry Smith Lectures. A .pdf of his lecture is available here, “Called to One Peace: Christian Faith and Political Witness in a Divided Culture“. Written by and

Dwight J. Friesen May 13, 2005October 4, 2022

Multi-Faith Peace Walk

Tonight I’ve been invited to offer a prayer for peace from my spiritual tradition at this year’s multi-faith peace walk around Green Lake.   Interfaith Community Sanctuary is organizing the event which has seen hundreds of people from a wide array

Dwight J. Friesen December 31, 2004September 28, 2022

Confessing Christ in a World of Violence

A new confession of Christ. I wholeheartedly endorse this statement. Thanks to Jim Wallis and the thoughtful people over at Sojourners. Peace, dwight 1. Jesus Christ, as attested in Holy Scripture, knows no national boundaries. Those who confess his name

Dwight J. Friesen November 6, 2004September 28, 2022

Anabaptist & Loving It!

I grew up in Southern Manitoba (Canada). This was and still is Mennonite country. Mennonites are a Christian religious sect in the Anabaptist tradition taking our name from a dynamic Dutch leader named Menno Simmons, who was born in Friesland

admin August 11, 2004November 25, 2022

playground & violence

As you my know, I am strive to live a life of non-violence. Well, I had lunch with Paul Steinke yesterday and we were talking about violence and Christian responses and he was lovingly challenging me on my stance, and

Dwight J. Friesen August 8, 2004November 26, 2022