A special 500th anniversary edition of Mennonite History and Thought! 

Historian Mary Sprunger and theologian Andrew Suderman team up to offer a special interdisciplinary course in 2025 to commemorate how five centuries of this “Radical Reformation” have shaped personal and communal faith; identity; economic practice; response to persecution, war and nationalism; migration patterns; missions past and present; food history; higher education; and much more. If you have ever asked any of the following questions, we invite you to join us for an exploration of the beliefs, histories and cultures of Mennonites around the world (you don’t need to be Mennonite):

Announcements

Meet the new divisional deans

Two deans with extensive leadership experience have been appointed to lead the academic divisions, with both officially beginning their roles on July 1, 2025. The Rev. Dr. Sarah Ann Bixler, former associate dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, serves as dean for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences division. Dr. Michael Horst, former interim associate dean, former director of EMU’s counseling program, and current director of its psychology program, serves as dean for the Health, Behavioral, and Natural Sciences division. The two divisional deans work closely with Dr. Tara Kishbaugh, dean of faculty and student success, and Jonathan Swartz, dean of students, and report to the provost.

Announcements

‘It’s more than a language class, but a launchpad for opportunity’: WHSV shines light on EMU’s Intensive English Program

EMU’s Intensive English Program (IEP) continues to help English language learners from all around the world find their voice and build a better life for themselves, despite federal funding shortages affecting many similar programs around the country. Hear from IEP students and grads (including an EMS student) about how the transformative program is positively shaping their lives in this video segment from WHSV-TV3.

In the News, Reporting

A practical seminar on embodied spiritual practices with AMBS and EMU professors

On the afternoon of July 10, during a seminar entitled “Restitutio Divina: Embodied Biblical Reflection”, Leah Thomas, Ph.D., a theologian and associate professor of Pastoral Care, director of Contextual Education at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, and biblical scholar Stephanie Day Powell, assistant professor of Hebrew Bible at Eastern Mennonite University, led participants through a guided, meditative exercise called restitutio divina.

In the News, Reporting

Learning to pause, restore and resist at the MC USA Women’s Summit 2025

“Sisters, we’ve been brainwashed,” said Rev. Dr. Shannon Dycus, interim president of Eastern Mennonite University, in her keynote address to 185 attendees at MC USA’s Women’s Summit, July 8, in Greensboro, North Carolina. She explained that women carry the weight of systems of oppression that measure their worth by labor and productivity. “There is a binary that tells us that we either need to be working like a machine, or we can rest and fear that we aren’t doing enough,” she said.

In the News, Reporting

Climate advocates speak to power

A small group of Ana­baptists celebrated Earth Month on April 10 in Washington, D.C., by urging U.S. legislators to protect federal clean energy tax credits and urban community forestry grants. Many of these grants benefit churches and low-income communities and are at risk of being cut in an upcoming budget bill. Among this number were EMS alums John Stoltzfus and Steven Pardini and CJP alum Kirstin De Mello.

In the News, Reporting

Commencement speaker calls on graduates to pursue justice, mercy, and humility beyond EMU

The Rev. Dr. Lesley Francisco McClendon, senior pastor of C3 Hampton and adjunct instructor at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, delivered the Commencement address on Sunday, May 4. Speaking to the 316 graduates of the Class of 2025, she encouraged them to live into the instruction of Micah 6:8, the guiding verse foundational to EMU’s mission: “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?” As they leave campus, McClendon urged graduates to carry that call into a lifelong journey of discovery in the world.

Reporting

Celebration of Blessings features reflections from CJP grads

The Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) at EMU sent 13 graduates off into the world with words of affirmation and reflection at its annual Celebration of Blessings on Sunday, May 4, in Martin Chapel. In the heartfelt ceremony, CJP faculty and staff members Dr. Gloria Rhodes, Amy Knorr, Dr. Joe Cole, and Dr. Catherine Barnes provided words of tribute for each graduate, expressing their feelings of love, pride, and honor. Among the graduates was Susan Hochstedler, who began taking electives at CJP for her seminary degree program.

Reporting

Witnesses of the Lamb: Revelation for active nonviolent resistance

The book of Revelation is often seen as violent and apocalyptic, but what if its truest message is one of resistance rooted in peace? In his recent article, Rev. Dr. Timothy Reardon invites us to read Revelation through the lens of faithful, active nonviolence. Drawing on voices like Brian Blount and Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, he reveals how the Lamb’s “war” is not waged with weapons, but with witness, and how that witness invites the church to speak boldly and live differently.

Publications
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