On September 21, an estimated 400,000 people took part in the People’s Climate March in New York City ahead of the United Nations Climate Summit. Merv Horst, Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship, and Lawrence Jennings, Infinity Mennonite Church, helped to organize the participation of several dozen Mennonites, including groups from Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, and Ontario, Canada. Jennings, a member of the committee that organized the march, initially focused on outreach to African-American churches of various denominations, realizing how communities of color in the U.S. are disproportionately impacted by climate change and how those impacts compound existing health and economic […]

But the film is more than simply a unique approach to storytelling. It also confronts viewers with the poignant passage of time and how quickly our lives go by.

If we think of Father James’ life as a metaphor for the church, we are offered a wise reflection on how the entire church might wrestle with its own faithfulness to Jesus in the 21st century, a time when the church is often viewed as an enemy to society.

For two weeks this summer, when you approached Lajee Center, Mennonite Central Committee’s partner in Aida Refugee Camp, the sounds of children laughing and clapping to music as they learned dabke —a traditional Palestinian dance—for a moment drowned out the sounds of oppression. Aida is a United Nations refugee camp north of Bethlehem in the West Bank, one of many camps established for the more than 750,000 Palestinians displaced from their homes in 1948 by the founding of the state of Israel and still not allowed to return. By most accounts, this summer has been one of the worst there […]

The album, though mostly ignored at the time, clearly positions Cash in the tradition of the folk singer. This revisit doesn’t seem nostalgic, nor does it seem old, but uncannily still important.

Boyhood doesn’t do anything fancy. In fact, it’s the movie’s simplicity and understated nature that makes it so unique.

Elie, and others, still hope. “Today you are in a camp,” said Elie with a slow grin. “Tomorrow I would love for it to be a village.”

If the steady diet of superhero movies over the last dozen-or-so summers hasn’t given you indigestion, clear your plate for one more.Guardians is something else—a reminder of what summer blockbuster moviemaking used to be all about.

In February of this year, we lost, prematurely, one of the best actors of all time: Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman had a way of fully and convincingly embodying every character he played while often making his performances seem effortless. It’s such a gift and a relief, therefore, to see that his final leading role was worthy of his talent, and that his performance was nothing short of magnificent. Indeed, Hoffman carries A Most Wanted Man on his considerable shoulders.I recommend it highly to all who prefer intellectual engagement to action. It’s a well-made, well-told tale, and a perfect exit for […]

We are not responsible to simply assign blame and guilt—that would only deepen rifts that prevent a peaceful resolution. But we are responsible for the physical and emotional violence that continues to happen.