WINNIPEG, MB
While scholars and writers gather at Canadian Mennonite University this weekend for the 2025 Mennonite/s Writing Conference, another gathering is taking place across the city with an entirely different purpose.
“Mennonite writers are the bane of our existence,” said event organizer Corny Reimer. “If it wasn’t for all those writers airing our dirty laundry all the time, we’d have things a whole lot easier around here. Therefore, we’ve decided to take a close look at all these scholars and writers gathering there at CMU. Seems suspicious. The last thing we need is another Rudy or Miriam or Rhoda Janzen on our hands.”
The Mennonite/s Shunning Conference, as Reimer is calling it, has gathered a list of all the presenters at the Writing Conference and will be excommunicating the worst offenders.
“We’ve got your names, book titles, and church membership records,” said Reimer. “Any literature that’s the least bit critical of Mennonite traditions is going to get a serious look by the authorities. Our main concern is to make sure the writing doesn’t offer any new perspectives or challenge us to think differently in any way.”
The shunning committee said they also bought a copy of “some book by Patrick Friesen,” which they plan to use as a “how-to” manual.