Canadian Mennonite
Volume 9, No. 14
July 11, 2005
Letters
This section is a forum for discussion and discernment. Letters express the opinion of the writer only, not necessarily the position of Canadian Mennonite, the five area churches or Mennonite Church Canada. Letters should address issues rather than criticizing individuals and include contact information. We will send copies of letters referring to other parties to them to provide an opportunity to respond in a future issue if their views have not already been printed in an earlier letter.
Please send letters to be considered for publication to letters@canadianmennonite.org or to Canadian Mennonite, 490 Dutton Drive, Unit C5, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6H7, “Attn: Letter to the Editor.” Letters may be edited for length, style and adherence to editorial guidelines.
Prophetic peace witness needed
I fear that the Mennonite Church risks the demise of our unique denominational relevance for the wider church and our relevance for the modern world by neglecting broad theological discussions within and among our congregations.
While several excellent scholars work at many Mennonite institutions and throughout academia, I am becoming increasingly convinced that it is time for the entire church to re-examine our shared core values so that we, as a church, can remain an effective witness in the world.
Recently much attention has been focused upon peripheral issues such as same-sex marriage while what appears to be the Mennonite Church’s progressive abandonment of pacifism as a core tenant goes unexplored. Certainly, most Mennonites I know would not volunteer to join the army or police force. However, very few, if any, question the propriety of entering the business world and signing contracts that are binding only because the state, with its monopoly on violence, stands ready to enforce private bargains.
I know of church buildings equipped with burglar alarms that automatically alert the police to break-ins. Is there any logical pacifist justification to appeal to the organs of state violence to protect our property? In fact, a friend of mine who is a pastor in the United States recently shared the story of how a visiting Mennonite choir opened the service by singing the American national anthem! Our traditional separation from the state and the violence inherent in the state seems to be disappearing without any debate at all while we focus upon matters that have never been central to our Mennonite identity.
I do not deny that it is almost impossible to be a pacifist in the traditional sense when one is a citizen of a modern welfare state.
Teachers are employed by the state and entrusted with the care of children whose parents are not pacifist; I imagine that these parents would expect a teacher to intervene with force if one student was to seriously threaten the life or safety of their child. Can a Mennonite teacher refrain from using violence in that situation in good conscience, having accepted authority and responsibility from the government?
Mennonite doctors and nurses practise at the behest of the state and are regulated by the state. All government regulation ultimately relies, for its enforcement, upon the ability of the state to employ violence. It is hard to conceive of a vocation (with the possible exception of our pastors) that is not bound up, in some way, with the organs of state power.
This does not mean that the Menno-nite Church cannot continue to provide an authentic witness to the world, but it does mean that we need to urgently engage in a faithful and discerning dialogue about our core beliefs. We need a discussion in the pages of Canadian Mennonite calling us to a prophetic peace witness in today’s world. We need to debate the meaning and content of true discipleship.
Modern trends will lead to decline in the church
I have enjoyed reading the thought-provoking contents of Canadian Mennonite and have tried to be observant, broad-minded and not quick to pass judgment. In recent years, however, I have seen trends that greatly concern me and I fear we may be following the same dangerous slippery path many of our mainline churches have fallen into.
The Bible is no longer the final word of authority. We have found clever ways of ignoring and misinterpreting many biblical passages as we try to justify the lifestyle we want to live. Our denomination is moving in the same direction in such issues as alcohol consumption, abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, divorce and re-marriage (church leaders not excluded), women increasing in positions of authority over men, fundraising projects coming out of our ears, etc.
The June 13 issue of Canadian Mennonite with its picture of the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary graduating class prompted me to write. Of the 13 Canadian graduates, 10 are female. What is the reason? Surely the secular women’s liberation movement wouldn’t have anything to do with it, would it?
If the present trend continues, our denomination will soon have congregations made up almost 100 percent by females. We will also be closing the doors of many of our churches. Are people joking when they say, “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” It’s high time we start asking, “Which way?”
We need not be surprised that we are living in a post-Christian era. When will we make another serious effort to diligently study and try to understand and follow biblical principles? Or do modern-day authors and sceptics, along with our Canadian Charter of Rights have more authority than the Sacred Word? Are we spiritually alive and alert enough to see and hear the wake-up calls all around us?
Cookie cutter’ pastors come with the basic ingredients
In response to the question “Does MCEC want ‘cookie cutter’ pastors?” the short answer is yes.
If we get a cookie cutter minister, we know that he or she will have at least the basic ingredients that are needed to become a pastor. We know, like the recipe for our favourite cookies, that all the correct ingredients are there. Experience has shown that if we change the amount of flour by even a tablespoon, the cookies will taste the same but we cannot bite them; they are hard as rock. Smashing them makes them edible but messy.
So it is with the pastorate. A cookie cutter pastor will have the right ingredients, hopefully in the right amount. If the quantity of one ingredient needs to be changed, that is a short-term endeavour. Starting from scratch with no recipe is a long, protracted process. We might not live that long.
Women have prophesied since Old Testament times
Joel 2:28 says, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy….” This passage is repeated again in Act 2:16-18.
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary describes “prophesy” thus: “Expounding the Scriptures; a teacher or interpreter of the supposed will of God.”
Women have always played an integral role in society as homemakers, wives, mothers, teachers and nurses. Today’s women excel in all areas of commerce.
In Old Testament times, we read of the prophetess Deborah. Judges 4:4 describes her work. In the same chapter, another brave woman, Jael, drives a tent peg through Sisera’s skull.
Another noteworthy woman was Hulda, the wife of Shallum (II Kings 22:14). It is interesting that although Jeremiah and Zephaniah were prophesying at the time, it was she who was approached on current matters, according to the New Bible Dictionary from Eerdmans.
In the book Mother of an Army, the story is told of Clare Booth, wife of Salvation Army founder William Booth. This lady preached to thousands of people, many of whom made a decision for Christ.
Many women have had successful preaching ministries overseas. It seems men are not threatened when separated by distance.
It takes special talent to turn out 40 or more sermons annually, to say nothing of weddings, funerals and other special events. To our men and women in the pulpit, keep up the good work.
Remember our forebears and what they believed
At John Friesen’s recent retirement dinner at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), Mennonites from different groups were present, as well as several Hutterites.
During the dinner my mind went back over 50 years to a meeting around our kitchen table. A. H. Unruh, president of Mennonite Brethren Bible College, came to see my dad, D. D. Klassen, minister in the Bergthaler Church. My father allowed me to stay in the room for the same reason that he took me along to ministers’ conferences since I was 12 years of age. The topic under discussion that Saturday was how Mennonite Brethren and General Conference Mennonites could cooperate in the area of education. How could they unite their efforts despite their differences? This was less than 100 years since the split in Russia in 1860.
At the retirement dinner I was reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermon, “I have a dream.” Although that sermon had a powerful effect upon the nation, King did not see his dream come to pass. I realized that the dream A.H. Unruh and D.D. Klassen had around our kitchen table had come to fruition in the formation of CMU—even though they also did not live to see it.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of my father’s passing. We do well to remember our leaders and our teachers, and to stand for what they believed.
Evangelical books leave mind in a vacuum
I cannot agree more with Dan Jack (Letters, May 16, page 12)) on the need for more discernment in the books we choose to read.
I was born, raised and baptized a Mennonite, but my family and I have been attending an evangelical church for the last seven years. There is an appalling lack of variety in the books in our church library. The vast majority is a collection of “how to live” books according to a very American evangelical worldview. There is only a handful of books written on the history of the church, or theological books from any other denominational viewpoint.
Certainly the proliferation of evangelical books shapes our thoughts. So much of it is mere fluff, written, no doubt, to sell well. So much of it can be summed up in three sentences. There is such a concern with getting the heart right with God that the mind is left in a vacuum.
My mind and soul cry out to go beyond the “strong focus on personal salvation by repentance and faith.” I long for the depth of thought accumulated over the centuries. I don’t find it in our church, but I do find it in the writings of Christians through the ages. I avoid Christian fiction in our church library, but go to Catholic, Anglican and other writers for insight.
Fortunately, in my lifetime, I will never run out of books to read that have been written to the glory of God. I trust the Mennonite churches will continue to honour God with the mind, and not slip into the evangelical mindset that is essentially North American Christian culture.
Reader feels blessed by Canadian Mennonite
I am an avid reader of Canadian Mennonite and would like to thank you for all your efforts in putting forth such a very worthwhile publication every two weeks. I feel it connects us, informs us, inspires us, and it makes us think beyond ourselves.
I think you offer something for everyone who is interested in the faith and life of Mennonites in Canada. It is interesting to read about other churches across Canada—their celebrations and their struggles with social issues in the context of our faith.
Recently, our adult Sunday school class discussed the April 4 DeskTop editorial about choosing your vocation. Even though most of us in the group were over 60 we had a lively discussion.
I look forward to each new issue and I often read parts of it out loud to my husband as we travel in the car to visit our children and grandchildren in the Waterloo/Cambridge area.
Keep up the good work and God bless you all. I hope the paper will continue for at least as long as I live.
Tribute to pope spurs reflection on purgatory
It was pleasing to read the encouraging words about John Paul II and Mennonites (Canadian Mennonite, April 18, page 14; May 2, page 23).
Through many years of studying the historical Jewish faith, I have noticed many places where Roman Catholicism seems to follow closely to Jewish thought, where Protestantism does not. The Anabaptist reformation moved with Protestantism away from some things, like the Jewish idea of purgatory, but did not move with some Protestant thought away from a vital appreciation for the truth that faith without works is faith without life.
Instead of polarizing over this issue with Roman Catholics, generations of Anabaptists have taken on the momentous challenge of clarifying the understanding of it, through efforts in action and through dialogue and daily learning. John Paul II clearly inspired new efforts of ecumenism. In the spirit of seeking understanding, I offer some thoughts arising from an appreciation for the Jewish, and also probably the Catholic, theological interest behind the idea of purgatory. We do not have to believe in the doctrine of purgatory in order to come to an appreciation of what it might have to say to us about the nature of the need the soul has for correction.
We are taught that those who have been justified by faith and by the blood of Christ will yet stand before the judgment seat of Christ, to receive from him what is appropriate according to what was done in the body. He will give each of our souls a personal gift of truth. In that gift there will be both commendation and correction. And there before the judgment seat of Christ our souls will learn all that they have not learned and will be healed of all their scars and become perfectly whole.
Perhaps we will experience this review of our lives in a way that will feel just like we were reliving it, but now with Jesus openly accompanying us, rebuking or commending us. Perhaps we will experience giving account to Christ for all that we have done in this life in some other way. We do not know. What we do know is that what our soul shall learn on that occasion will prepare it to enter into the infinitely holy, everlasting presence of God.
Outside the box
Our future is politically incorrect
I am vertically, pigmentationally, estrogenly and visually challenged. In other words, I am a short, white male with glasses. Is anyone else out there fed up with the insanity of being PC? These days PC is the politically correct short form for “politically correct.” Unfortunately, the insanity surrounding not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings has resulted in not having a blessed clue about what is PC from one week to the next. In a related story, police in Edmonton are now looking for a “serial offender” of “sex-trade workers.” Huh?
Now, granted, we ought to be very conscious of our words and the power they have to free, heal and deeply wound. No one is contesting the need for kindness, gentleness and humility in our naming of the stuff of life, but it is precisely because of the power of words that this silliness must end. Could it be that in our continuous attempt to not offend anyone, we are only trying to rename what is really wrong with us so that we can dismiss the problem and avoid the solution? Calling something by a different name doesn’t change the reality, but it can make you feel better about it, even happy with it, if enough people jump on your wordsmithing band wagon of redefinition. (Consider what is being done with the word “marriage” these days.)
All this brings us to the Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus, his young understudy on the island of Crete. Paul is quoting Epimenides of Knossos, a Cretan who describes his own people thus, “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12, NLT). Clearly this was not written in 21st century Canada and no translation has, at least to this point, softened these islanders into spinners of truth, determined mammals, and relaxed though excessive. The great thing about this quote in Paul’s letter, however, is the apostle’s reaction to it: “This is true,” he concludes (1:13)! “Let’s cut to the chase, Titus, this is the truth of what you’re up against on Crete, so hop to it!”
Truth be told, every people group and culture has characteristics that serve as a fire wall against God’s truth taking root. Do we have the courage, as followers of Christ in Canadian culture, to clearly name those traits (nice as they may be, for Canadians are always nice) that we share with our neighbours which are gospel- and truth-resistant? Or, have we so thoughtlessly joined the linguistic drivel of our age and become a pacified gathering of politically correct pacifists who are so disgustingly nice that we have stopped swimming upstream because we don’t want to offend anyone we may bump up against? And dare we be so bold as to assess those cultural Mennoisms that are more Cretan than Christian? (The glutton part may stick here, but definitely not the lazy!) Mennonite culture itself, like any other culture, must continually be weighed by Scripture and we must admit it when we’re found wanting. (I’d welcome letters to the editor that might enlighten us here.)
A few weeks ago I put this challenge to some teenagers. I asked, “How would you describe the people in the culture you are part of?” Their answers: “independent, nice, apathetic, not wanting to offend, wanting a good time.” Now how does that lend itself to the self-denying, cross-bearing, Christ-proclaiming, discipling-community task of the church in this generation? How will we know how to pray and evangelize, what to teach and speak, and even how to love if we don’t name the reality of ourselves and our culture? This will take courage, humility, and uncommonly and politically incorrect forthrightness. It may also hurt feelings and shake pews. Oh well. Our truly Christ-centred future might depend on it.
New Order Voice
Nice toilet paper, is it Christian?
So my friend Will Braun gets up in church the other day, holds up a roll of white bathroom tissue, and announces, “Get your Christian toilet paper after the service today.”
Now I knew about the toilet paper. It’s part of a fair-trade paper drive we started in our church. Our committee bought a load of office paper, paper towels and toilet paper—all made from 100 percent post-consumer waste. We took orders (it costs roughly 20 percent more) and then delivered the goods that day in church.
Purchasing this paper is a natural extension of the fair-trade coffee I drink, the no-sweatshop-labour clothes I shop for, and the free-range eggs I fry.
Mennonites virtually pioneered the concept of fair trade with our network of workers all over the global south. Through Ten Thousand Villages, they’re able to pay producers more for handicrafts and folk art sold here in the global north.
But I don’t think we should be giving our toilet paper the label “Christian.” I like to reserve the term Christian for describing people who follow the teachings of Jesus—in both inward and outward ways.
In this way I guess I’m an old-fashioned Mennonite: your beliefs should be evident in your behaviour. For example, if you object to the ways of mainstream society, your life will start to look un-mainstream.
So when mainstream society settles for war, excessive shopping and urban design that celebrates individualism and degradation of the environment, “Christians” should be seen speaking for peace, moving towards voluntary poverty and using community-building, earth-friendly forms of transportation.
Theologically, we used to call this “sanctification,” that is, the process of becoming holy. And then our critics accused us of “works righteousness,” that is, you can’t earn your own salvation. I like to call it “the pursuit of happiness,” that is, living at peace with my conscience.
So is it fitting to call my new toilet paper “Christian”? Well, is it following the teachings of Jesus? I suppose it can turn the other cheek, or show hospitality to the stranger. But I can’t see it coming forward to ask for believer’s baptism.
Maybe it’s better to say “guilt-free” toilet paper. This has a good ring to it. After all, by buying regular paper, we are guilty of supporting things like clear-cutting in the boreal forest in northwestern Ontario. We’re guilty of ruining creation and disrespecting our side of the treaties with indigenous peoples, like the folks at Grassy Narrows, Ont.
Many of our church members have visited Grassy Narrows and spent time at the nearby logging blockade. To make our connection with them more real, we’re promoting clear-cut-free paper supplies here at home.
It’s an effort recognizing our covenant of peace spelled out in Treaty 3, signed in 1873. It’s a small step on the road to sanctification.
It’s not easy to act on all our principles. It’s easier to shop. Which is the genius behind our guilt-free paper drive.
We could take the campaign one step further and promote what some of our parents did on the farm, when toilet paper was scarce. They used the old Eaton’s catalogue.
That was 100 percent recycled paper made from post-consumer waste. Not very absorbent. Must have required discipline. Maybe that was the original “Christian” toilet paper.