Author: gws

Catholic theologians in the U.S. speak out against the death penalty

A Catholic Call to Abolish the Death Penalty

There were two state-sanctioned executions in the United States on September 21, 2011. In Georgia, Troy Anthony Davis, an African American man, was put to death for the 1989 murder of Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail. In Texas, Lawrence Brewer, a white supremacist, was executed for his participation in the racist hate crime dragging murder of James Byrd in Jasper in 1998. As theologians, scholars, and social justice advocates who participate in the public discussion of Catholic theology, we protest the state-sanctioned killings of both of these men, and we call for the abolition of the death penalty in the US. Continue reading “Catholic theologians in the U.S. speak out against the death penalty” →

Susan Harrison insists: Interfaith dialogue must include those “you can’t talk to”

Susan Kennel Harrison

Drawing especially on her experience with Iranian Shiites, former Bridgefolk Board member Susan Kennel Harrison recently spoke at Eastern Mennonite University’s Interfaith Forum recently.  Her forum presentation, “You Can’t Talk to Them – Peacemaking and Dialogue,” focused on the importance of building relationships with persons of other religious affiliations, particularly fundamentalists, in order to promote understanding and respect.  The talk is available as a podcast at http://emu.edu/now/podcast/2011/09/14/cie-interfaith-forum-susan-kennel-harrison.

Sant’Egidio convenes 9-11 peace reflection in Germany, emphasizes solidarity with the poor

Geneva (WCC) — A call for solidarity with the poor was delivered to a gathering of religious and political and civil society leaders from all over the world by one of the presidents of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The meeting on the topic “Bound to Live Together: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue” is taking place from 11-13 September in Munich, Germany.

The Roman Catholic lay community of Sant’Egidio has convened the gathering in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in New York. Continue reading “Sant’Egidio convenes 9-11 peace reflection in Germany, emphasizes solidarity with the poor” →

Reflections on 9/11 and Catholic peacebuilding in US Catholic

Maryanne Cusimano Love
Maryanne Cusimano Love

In its September issue, US Catholic interviewed Maryann Cusimano Love on the aftermath of 9/11 and Catholic understandings of peacebuilding.  Cusimano Love is a friend of Bridgefolk who teaches at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC.  Among her reflections are these:

That nonviolent resistance can be very effective is something most Catholics don’t understand, but we’ve seen it in Egypt and Tunisia. Sometimes it takes an outside example to help us draw on our own tradition.

For the U.S. military, peace is the absence of the use of military force right now. So if nothing’s blowing up today, that’s peace in Iraq, right?

The Catholic Church says, not so much. You have to rebuild social relationships, restore people who have been traumatized by violence, reintegrate refugees and internally displaced persons back into their communities, and rebuild the human infrastructure.We think about peace in a sustainable and holistic way, as being about education and development.

When the U.S. military or other state organizations talk about building peace, they’re really talking about construction projects. How many roads and bridges can we put in?

The Catholic Church says building peace is not just about bricks and mortar. It’s about rebuilding the people and the human community. If you don’t do that work, then the bricks-and-mortar stuff you rebuild today is going to be blown up tomorrow.

To read the entire article in US Catholic, click here.

Andy Martin joins Bridgefolk Board, strengthening Canadian voice

Bridgefolk is pleased to welcome Andy Martin of Elmira, Ontario, Canada, on to its board.  Andy is married to Colleen and they have three (nearly) adult children. He grew up in Waterloo region in the conservative Mennonite church, which split from the (Old) Mennonite church in the late 1950s in order to hold to a more conservative practice and theology. At the age of 31 Andy left his community of origin and his career as an automotive technician and owner of several small businesses to pursue an education. “From the beginning this was a journey to discover the bigger questions in life,” he explains.

Andy completed an undergrad degree in music and a master’s degree in counseling in Manitoba at Providence College and Seminary and a master’s degree in theology from Conrad Grebel University College/University of Waterloo, with a thesis on the influence of fundamentalism on the conservative Mennonite movement directed by Mennonite historian and Bridgefolk participant Arnold Snyder. Continue reading “Andy Martin joins Bridgefolk Board, strengthening Canadian voice” →

New book interprets church apologies

In recent years, churches have repented for historical wrongs. In his new book, Ecclesial Repentance: The Churches Confront Their Sinful Pasts, Jeremy M. Bergen tells the story of these apologies and analyzes the theological issues they raise about the nature and mission of the church.

“In a context in which churches, as well as national governments, are increasingly offering public apologies for past acts of injustice and failure,” Bergen’s book, Ecclesial Repentance: The Churches Confront Their Sinful Pasts, “represents an important contribution.” In a review by Christopher Craig Brittain of the University of Aberdeen, Britton continues, “rather than seeing ecclesial repentance as undermining the Church’s reputation, or functioning as a self-serving public relations strategy, Bergen offers a theological account of how they help the Church be faithful to its mission. The result is a sensitive reflection on the complexities and perils of public apologies, as well as a thoughtful appreciation for their potential to facilitate the healing of past wounds.’ Continue reading “New book interprets church apologies” →

Mennonite nuns?

This might be old news for a few Mennonites involved in Bridgefolk, but since they’ve never spoken up, it will be new news to others:

Anabaptist and Mennonite churches have long had deaconesses.  But only a few years ago, well into the 20th century, the practice took a form that looks very much like a Catholic religious order, according to the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online:

By the 1950s 62 sisters had become members of the Bethel Deaconess sisterhood, 26 of whom were associated with the sisterhood in 1955. The deaconesses of this institution wore a special garb and were ordained by the church. Each sister had her place in the mother house, received full maintenance, a monthly allowance, an annual vacation, and a vacation allowance. She was expected to remain loyal and faithful to her calling but did not take an oath of celibacy. Should a deaconess change her mind, believing it to be God’s will that she serve in some other sphere apart from the sisterhood, she presented her resignation and received an honorable discharge.

We thought you’d want to know!

For source and additional information see:

Neff, Christian and Lena Mae Smith. “Deaconess.” Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web.  http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/deaconess.

Mennonites begin ecumenical dialogue with Seventh-Day Adventists

Silver Spring, Maryland, USA– Representatives of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the Mennonite World Conference held the first of several theological conversations June 28 to July 1, 2011 at the world headquarters of the 17 million-member Seventh-day Adventist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland. Continue reading “Mennonites begin ecumenical dialogue with Seventh-Day Adventists” →