Readers write

June 20, 2012 | Viewpoints | Number 13

Mennonites need to engage politicians ‘creatively and critically’

Re: “Mennonites can serve Jesus Christ . . . or Stephen Harper” letter, May 28, page 8.

I’m not a big fan of the Conservatives either, but I think the writer made some huge mistakes in his logic. First of all, it was not the Conservatives that led Canada into Afghanistan.

Second, the other political parties are not promoting Christian nonviolence as a foreign policy/strategy, and so, by the writer’s own logic, we can’t rightly follow Christ and vote for any of the Canadian political parties.

And third, all the major Canadian political parties will take our tax dollars and use the money to senselessly kill unborn babies, even up to the final trimester of pregnancy.

We live in Babylon. Get used to the idea that our government leadership ignores Christ. It’s only the beginning.

That said, let’s speak creatively and critically to our elected officials, using also the tools of democracy—voting—to do so. But the writer should refrain from the generalizations about Christian voting practices suggested in his letter unless he equally condemns voting for all parties because of this issue.

Marco Funk, Gretna, Man.
Original post

Voluntary service: an idea whose time has come again

Re: “A ‘presence’ ministry” reflection by Ike Glick, May 14, page 24.

As one who was an associate director for 10 years with Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) while it was part of the General Conference and Mennonite Church Canada, I am pleased to see some local congregations continuing a VS component rooted in the local congregation. I must admit I still lament the fact that there is not a national ability to help these congregations and the many people, mostly youths, who are looking for this type of meaningful engagement.

The service world I was involved with in the 1970s no longer exists. Contexts change. However, the concept of having VSers rooted in a local congregation is still clearly a missional church model.

Given this, do we find ourselves at a time for MC Canada to re-engage in a conversation about VS? What would VS look like in the 21st century in Canada? Who will take leadership in this, so that future generations will also look back at their VS time as a formational faith experience?

Brad Reimer, Fannystelle, Man.

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