Canadian Mennonite
Volume 9, No. 17
September 5, 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.
Work article connects with our Mennonite heritage
As a Mennonite Brethren member, Mennonite Church Canada has always had a place in my mind to one degree or another, but I have not taken the time to look at its publication (Canadian Mennonite) or the website (www.canadianmennonite.org) until today.
The article, “Can work be redeemed?” (June 13, page 6), caught my attention because it connected with much of what is part of our mutual heritage. By the time I read the section, “Work as our defining characteristic,” I reflected on hearing news that the mandatory retirement age of 65 will soon go out with the horse and buggy.
My ex-employer offered early retirement and that has its own challenges. Keeping busy or productive is not one of them, but how and why are the bigger questions.
Questions like “Does work define you?” and, “Have you found the balance between being and doing?” are sadly, in my opinion, the typical Mennonite way of asking, “What is your financial status and level of independence?”
I ask myself and others if I have found that balance that satisfies me and my relationship with God and my church, and will there be continued respect and fellowship even though it may not include the “sweat of the brow”? I can hear hypothetical leaders in our congregation reply with, “Yes,” providing you donate your tithes and offerings to the church.”
FASD articles help educate churches, communities
As parents of an adopted FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder) child, we were extremely pleased to see the articles in the June 27 issue of Canadian Mennonite.
Our experiences are so similar to what was written—the negative labelling, isolation, guilt feelings of “being a bad parent,” and, for the child, rejection.
We are so glad that awareness is being created, and feel very strongly that our churches and community need to show more care, compassion and support to families suffering from this totally preventable syndrome, but they need to be educated. We need to educate and look at how we can help and understand, rather than label and judge both the child and the adoptive parents.
We basically diagnosed our daughter ourselves after reading The Broken Chord by Michael Dorris. We were able to get an official diagnosis for our daughter from a geneticist when she was 18. Until that time, we were on our own, searching, seeking and struggling to find help and understanding, feeling very inadequate and alone, as we tried to understand what was going on with our child.
She is now on a disability pension, since holding a job is almost impossible. To people who see her for a short time, she appears perfectly normal, but the bottled emotions, frustrations, hurts and frequent explosive behaviour are hidden behind her smile. Consequences have no meaning for her. She struggles daily to be accepted and not be taken advantage of.
She is affected for life.
McLaren books provide Christian cultural insight
Phil Wagler asks for responses regarding Mennonite culture (“Our future is politically incorrect,” July 11, page 11).
To begin to understand how Christianity is shaped and informed by a larger culture, I recommend reading and studying books like Brian D. McLaren’s A New Kind of Christian and Adventures in Missing the Point.
The first book is a conversation between two characters: one a pastor, the other formerly a pastor. It begins: “Sometime in 1994, at the age of thirty-eight, I got sick of being a pastor. Frankly, I was almost sick of being a Christian.”
McLaren has his characters converse about many topics. One topic is about the Bible; one of the characters suggests that we should perhaps “let the Bible read us,” rather than the other way about.
The second book is by McLaren and Tony Campolo; each writer contributes essays and they then respond to each other’s essays. Campolo, as many know, is highly regarded in evangelical circles in the United States and, perhaps, in Canada. For those who are concerned about homosexuality, Campolo’s essay on this may surprise some.
When we begin to understand how our larger culture is informing and shaping Christianity generally, we may be able to begin to see how the larger culture affects our Mennonite faith specifically.
True discipleship means following Christ’s example
I was glad to read Joel Dick’s timely argument that the Mennonite Church risks its relevance unless it debates the meaning of true discipleship (“Prophetic peace witness needed,” July 11, page 10).
We have indeed been wasting our time recently with the same-sex controversy. To say the least, the discussion around this issue has not been a shining example of peace.
The Mennonite Church is in danger of losing its authenticity unless it returns to root principles of pacifism. I would argue, as Dick seems to suggest, that we are inextricably involved with affairs of power and state, even those of us in the “helping professions.” Our education and welfare systems, for example, may well primarily serve the state’s own interests. I would further argue that “liberal” and “conservative” alike need to examine the church’s role in this moral labyrinth.
Of course I’m not advocating withdrawal from the larger society, although some more traditional Mennonites may choose that option. But for the sake of our own salvation, we need to examine the possibilities of Christ’s example of peace.
Jesus liberated women; church should do the same
In the July 11 issue of Canadian Mennonite, Reynold Kipfer expresses concern that of the 13 Canadian graduates of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, 10 were women (“Modern trends will lead to decline in the church,” page 10). In the next paragraph, he paints a picture of the church of the future as “almost 100 percent” female. It appears that Kipfer is suggesting that women in leadership may be the underlying cause for his predicted change in church membership.
Rather than blaming women, a study should be undertaken to explore why men are not choosing pastoral ministry as a vocation or why men are withdrawing from services of worship and church membership (if that is the case). Accountability and responsibility are part of the commitment made to God and to our sisters and brothers at baptism, regardless of one’s gender.
Perhaps the “secular women’s liberation movement” would not have been needed if the church had continued to follow the patterns of liberation set by Jesus. In his culture, a man was forbidden to speak with a woman in public, nor was he to have contact with the Samaritans. The story of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well must have been an important story in the early church for it to have become a part of the Gospel of John. Jesus broke the old taboos and even had a theological discussion with a woman of a despised race. She took that gospel of liberation back to her city and invited “the people” (NRSV)—probably women and men—to meet Jesus.
I am grateful that we have both male and female leadership in the church today.
Abuna Chacour stories provide eye-opening insight
I commend you for your July 11 issue which included extensive and informative coverage of Abuna Elias Chacour’s first-hand accounts of life in Palestine from the perspective of a Palestinian Christian cleric who is profoundly committed to practical expressions of peacemaking.
We read there a perspective on an incredibly difficult life in the midst of a constantly boiling cauldron. His is a perspective that we are deprived of in the popular press and by the dominance of attitudes driven by Christian Zionism. Chacour’s stories are both eye-opening and inspiring, as he shows by example how peacemaking can be worked at in tangible and helpful ways, beyond just talk.
My sympathies for the plight of the Palestinians began while sharing a small office at the University of Guelph with a Palestinian soil science doctoral candidate during the Six-Day War in 1967, as he daily agonized over the unknown plight of his family, and then over the loss of the family farmlands, with centuries-old vineyards and orchards that had been in his family’s hands for generations.
To those who count themselves among the massive Christian Zionist throng, which seems to be to be fanning the fires of conflict in the Holy Land, I encourage a careful reading of the July-September issue of the MCC Peace Office newsletter: “Christian Zionism and peace in the Holy Land.” It offers a critical analysis of Christian Zionist theology and readings of Scripture.
Jazz musician appreciates coverage
Thank you for your very kind and thoughtful words about my Keeping Time project (“Keeping church time to a jazz beat, June 27, page 12).
It is always an encouragement to me to know that there are at least a few people out there whose imaginations are being engaged by this music. I share your hope that our churches will, in coming years, be ever more willing to seek and embrace new (old?) ways to connect with God.
Shoes for your feet
Radical faith and running shoes
“As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace” Ephesians 6:15.
What happens if you imagine our collective peacemaking ministry as a race? What are the running shoes that you would recommend to someone who wants to join this race? How is your church finding ways of taking the gospel of peace and running with it?
Hebrews 12:1-2a contains the following challenge: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith….”
This passage offers a wonderful encouragement for us to continue running forward with boldness even while we look back at the “radical” pioneer in whose footsteps we follow.
Ours is a radical faith because it also takes us back to the root of Christian faith—the word “radical” comes from the Latin word for “root”—to the Bible, to the life of Jesus, to the moving of the Holy Spirit, to the love of God. It is here at the taproot of our faith that we discover how gospel peacemaking and gospel evangelism are essentially the same task.
Ours is a radical faith because it is challenging and transformative: The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel that calls us to speak daringly for peace when many others holler for war. It is a gospel that calls us to take real-life risks as we join in the peacemaking work that God is already doing among us.
This gospel is definitely on the move. That’s why we need running shoes!
I feel excited about how this radical faith is becoming embodied in the peace and justice work of our churches, and I feel a strong sense that God is calling us to become even more fired up about our peacemaking ministries. The Holy Spirit is moving, people in our churches are yearning for new ways of doing things, and our world urgently needs the ministries of reconciliation and peacemaking. This is a powerful combination.
During these times when our world seems to be suffocating because of violence and injustice, I encourage you to explore what it means to be a radical follower of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to see how the gospel of peace is on the move and then to join this movement with concrete acts of prayer, resistance, justice advocacy, nonviolent intervention, or whatever other forms of Christian peacemaking to which the Spirit leads you. And I encourage you to find tangible ways of sharing both your successes and your struggles with others. It is through learning from each other that our collective peace and justice ministry will become strongest.
This column has been titled “Shoes for your feet” because of the challenge offered in Ephesians 6:15. This passage gives us a sense that we have already been equipped. (Check out also Paul’s words in II Corinthians 5:11-21.) The “shoes” or “tools” are here among us already. We just need to put them on and proceed with the work at hand: proclaiming the good news of peace.
We are living in a time of tremendous opportunity. May God give us courage and wisdom as we find ways to walk the talk of peacemaking. And may we pull on the shoes that are already at hand.
Family Ties
Family Visits
Five days. That is one friend’s time limit for visiting in her parents’ home. Or that of her in-laws. “Less than that,” she says, “and it doesn’t feel like we’ve had the chance to connect. More than that and tensions start to build.” You may agree, or find your limit is different. Perhaps like my mom, you say, “I’m glad when they come home and I’m glad when they leave so I can get my rest!” Drawn by a deep instinct to ground our identities with lineage and place, many of us spend a portion of our summers crisscrossing roads or sky routes. We do so to honour our family relationships, and we do so knowing full well we may encounter such disruption and disappointment that we question if the effort is worthwhile.
This summer I was a guest in my relatives’ homes for more than five days. I learned (again) some valuable lessons. The weather can be a boon or a curse. Oppressive heat stifles. Rain can trap everyone indoors, bringing on claustrophobia. Double dip ice cream cones refresh. So does access to large bodies of water, especially when shared with young ones, whole bodies squiggly with glee. “Cross-cultural” encounters and conflicts are normal, on a range of issues, including food, religion, politics and leisure activities. Humour helps, and flexibility, and not taking oneself too seriously. (For example, I played The Game of Life with my nieces, aged 9 and 11. My playing piece was a tiny car, with a pink person—me—in the driver’s seat. When I reached the marriage spot on the board, my younger niece told me that I could move over and let my husband drive, “if you want to...or you can just sit in the back seat and bug him from there,” she offered with a smile.)
At points, though, I was discouraged. I seemed far removed from the mid-life maturity I’ve cultivated. My best conflict resolution skills and Christian charity eluded me. I sought encouragement (or was it avoidance?) in daily devotions from a prayer book I carried along. One challenging day, I read, “God be in my head, and in my understanding. God be in my eyes, and in my looking. God be in my mouth, and in my speaking. God be in my heart, and in my thinking. God be at my end, and at my departing” (from the Sarum Primer).
I felt calmed by these words. If I was approaching relationships with a sense of God’s presence in me, I was more patient and understanding. Later that day, at table blessing, my host prayed, “God, help us when we are impatient and frustrated. Help us to be kind with each other.” I felt the Spirit hovering, nudging, wrapping us in compassion.
A final lesson. Anticipate joy. A fierce hug from one who loves you from a distance. The pleasure of summer foods in the presence of those who share your bones and blood. The blessing that comes when holding the hand of your oldest relative.
Yes, it is worth it.