Mediaculture: Reflections on the effect of media and culture on our faith

Each year Time Magazine publishes a special issue featuring “The 100 Most Influential People.” Whether or not one agrees with its list, it’s fascinating to read.

By “influential” Time doesn’t necessarily mean “powerful,” as managing editor Nancy Gibbs writes in the May 5-12 issue. Influence, she writes, is subtle. “Power is a tool, influence is a skill.”

Spectrum: Time divides its list into five categories: Titans, Pioneers, Artists, Leaders and Icons. This year’s list includes 41 women and features people born on six continents, ranging in age from 16 to 78. They include Pope Francis and Abu Du’a, a key al-Qaeda in Iraq leader. They cross the political spectrum, from the Koch brothers to Tom Steyer. Influence may be positive or negative. It may be obvious or nuanced.

And Time does not simply list the 100 people and describe them. It also includes profiles that are really appreciations written by friends, admirers and mentors.

Unknowns: One value I find in the list is that it introduces me to people I may not have heard of before. For example, Bill Gates, who has appeared on the list four times, writes about Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote, who is fighting polio in Africa. Erwiana Sulistyaningsih is a migrant worker from Indonesia who endured months of torture from her Hong Kong employer and now advocates for better laws to protect migrant workers. Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe of Uganda helps girls who were forcibly enlisted as child soldiers find healing.

Celebrity culture: Such a list can be seen as a product of our celebrity culture, which tends to ignore the daily lives most people lead. And it certainly includes people who are celebrities. But it also includes people who work behind the scenes, who don’t otherwise receive much publicity at all.

Hope: Reading about some of these people brings me hope. Although our world is littered with the destruction of powerful forces, there are also many people doing much good in our world. It seems important to celebrate that and let their lives inspire us to be better people in our own contexts.

Influential Mennonites: As I read through Time’s list and the articles about these influential people, I wondered what such a list might look like if we limited it to Mennonites. Who are the most influential Mennonites?

I already hear the objections. In our bones, we resist focusing on individuals or lifting some up as more important than others.

But we’re discussing influence. Do we deny that some people in our midst have influence? What might we learn by naming them or at least debating who they might be? Is there some value to talking about influence?

Top 10: I imagine such a list—and I’m thinking 10, not 100—would range well beyond our institutional leaders. What about our artists? Who are our pioneers? Let’s expand our list beyond our national borders, as Time did.

Are there Mennonites who represent a more negative than a positive influence?

An idea: If you’re interested, send us your list of the 10 most influential Mennonites. Or any number up to 10. You may address me: gordonh@themennonite.org. We’ll also post the question on our Facebook page and website.

Whether or not you nominate someone, think about who has influenced you. What kind of tribute would you write about them? Have you thanked them?

Gordon Houser is associate editor of The Mennonite.