Ohio siblings Caleb, Bekah and Joshua Liechty, who perform as Girl Named Tom, recently won the NBC singing competition ‘The Voice.’ (Photo courtesy of Facebook.com/girlnamedtom)
Last year was a big one for Girl Named Tom, a sibling band composed of Mennonites from Pettisville, Ohio.
‘We’re all crazy Mennonites,’ musician “Weird Al” Yankovic sang in 1996.
It’s been 25 years since legendary music parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic lampooned the Amish, mentioning Mennonites along the way.
Bad Hair Day, Yankovic’s ninth album, was released on this day in 1996. It has sold more than 2 million copies in the United States alone.
(Photo by Aaron Epp)
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down concert venues and sports stadiums. Even movie theatres have locked their doors. Over the past several months, many people have found themselves stuck at home with more free time and a new Netflix subscription. Six Mennonites talk about the films that have been formative in their lives:
"Everyone has their own needs, their own ways of engaging with film..." (Image by Jan Vašek/Pixabay)
Looking for a movie to watch? Sue Sorensen has some suggestions for you.
Sorensen, an English professor at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, is featured in a series of five short videos CMU posted to its YouTube channel earlier this month.
Each video features a film that Sorensen recommends watching, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"And the Birds Rained Down" is 'a profound, stunningly beautiful film,' Vic Thiessen writes.
For various reasons, I watched fewer films in 2019 than in any of the previous five years. In general, the films listed below are not as strong as films on previous lists. In the end, though, there were enough good films to make a Top 15 list.
Here’s my list, counting down—with a reminder that this is not my list of the year’s best films, but a list of my personal favourites:
‘One of the best things about the group is the community and friendships,’ Incantatem co-founder Allison Alexander says. (Photo by Kyle Rudge)
Formed in January 2016, Incantatem performs music from movies, TV shows and video games. (Photo by James Cheng)
Non-geeks and non-Christians are invited to join Incantatem, which rehearses every Monday evening at River East Church in Winnipeg. (Photo by Kyle Rudge)
Don’t expect to hear anything by Bach, Brahms or Beethoven if you attend a performance by Winnipeg’s Incantatem. The a cappella choir’s repertoire has a unique focus: music from movies, TV shows and video games.
Kyle Rudge and Allison Barron are the founders of Geekdom House, in Winnipeg. (Photo by Aaron Epp)
Growing up, Allison Barron didn’t feel she could voice her interests in computer games and science fiction at church. (Photo by James Christian Imagery)
Kyle Rudge leads monthly Bible studies that explore faith by looking at television shows like Dr. Who, Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Photo courtesy of Geekdom House)
Area of Effect is a quarterly print publication Geekdom House produces. It features articles from GeekdomHouse.com as well as content that is unique to the magazine. (Photo courtesy of Geekdom House)
Allison Barron developed an interest in computer games and science fiction at an early age. Reconciling her pop culture interests with her Christian faith has not always been easy, though.
“I’ve never felt very ostracized or pressured because of my [interests],” says Barron, 26. At the same time, “I did not feel like that was something I could bring to church, either.”
This year I made a resolution to work through all of Kierkegaard’s writings. I am now about halfway through his Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses and have come across his reflections on the soul, namely how to gain and preserve your soul in patience.
