Mennonite Church Canada, Mennonite Church USA and Herald Press began partnering in September to encourage Mennonites to engage in a “common read,” a shared reading experience focused on specific books written to nurture Christian faith in this cultural moment.
The Common Read continues this month with I Am Not Your Enemy: Stories to Transform a Divided World by Michael T. McRay.
Common Read participants can join the author on a live Zoom event on Thursday, Jan. 14, at 12:00 p.m. EST. Registration for the event is open here. Books are available from CommonWord and other Canadian retailers.
McRay has a master’s degree in conflict resolution from Trinity College’s Belfast campus and works with the global story nonprofit Narrative 4.
He traveled to Israel and Palestine, Northern Ireland and South Africa to interview activists, peacebuilders and former combatants, including grieving parents who comfort each other across enemy lines, a woman who meets her father’s killer, and a young man who uses theatre to counter the oppression of his people.
The lessons for Canadians are manifold.
“No matter how much some of us might wish it, the people who don’t vote like us or think like us aren’t going anywhere,” McRay says. “We’ll always live together, so we must learn to live together well with those we find difficult. More often than not it’s how we deal with difference that determines our potential to be peaceable.”
The Common Read continues in April with Raising Disciples: How to Make Faith Matter for Our Kids by Natalie Frisk and will include a Zoom event with the author.
Free downloadable study guides are available for every Common Read book on the Herald Press website.
Related stories:
Fall 2020 List of Books & Resources
Herald Press, MC USA, and MC Canada partner for Common Read
‘I Am Not Your Enemy’ is the Common Read book for winter 2021. (Photo courtesy of MichaelMcRay.com)
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