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Letters to the editor
Mennonite Brethren Herald welcomes your letters on issues relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church, especially in response to material published in the Herald. Please keep your letters courteous, brief and about one subject only. We will edit letters for length and clarity. We will not publish letters sent anonymously, although we may withhold names from publication at the request of the letter writer and at our discretion. Publication is also subject to space limitations. Because the Letters column is a free forum for discussion, it should be understood that letters represent the position of the letter writer, not necessarily the position of the Herald or the Mennonite Brethren Church. Send letters to:
Letters, MB Herald
3-169 Riverton Ave.
Winnipeg, Man. R2L 2E5
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or by e-mail to mbherald@mbconf.ca. (Please ensure that your postal address is included in your e-mail correspondence.) |
Re Baptism, church membership
The Sept. 8 issue was very informative on why Mennonites approach baptism and church membership as one issue, but it failed to give other points of view leaving the impression that Mennonites feel they have absolute wisdom on this issue, and it does not warrant further discussion. This does not reflect the humility which Christians should have.
The people baptized by John the Baptist were baptized upon confession of their sins. (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:4-5).
Therefore, baptism is something a person should do upon becoming a Christian, while becoming a member of a church is something a person should do when they have found a church which teaches the gospel in a way in which that particular person can learn and grow in their faith – two very different issues.
I recently attended baptism services in a Pentecostal church. While it was very different from Mennonite and Baptist baptisms, I found myself thinking that this was not so different from the way that baptism had occurred in the beginning of Christianity, with John the Baptist. During the ceremony, which baptized over 100 people in less than two hours, the congregation was led in praise and worship through song. Each person responded to the questions of the pastors, was immersed and rose up with joy and peace in their faces. We, the witnesses, praised God with them. Other than my own, these were the most spiritual, meaningful baptisms I have ever witnessed.
For some people, preparing and giving testimony in a church service is very intimidating, and could hold some Christians back from being baptized. Also, some new Christians may choose not to get baptized because they have not yet found the church to which they can commit their membership.
Church membership is not always about who is on the list. People can be on the list, yet live in another country, or right next to the church, and never attend a service, while another person can attend a church for decades, never officially becoming a member, yet giving it their time, experience, wisdom and money. Others join the church because of family pressure or a calculated feeling of doing the “right” thing. Each person has their own interpretation of what church membership means to them, and what responsibilities it does or does not bring.
In raising issues of faith, it is very important to realize that God created each one of us unique and each one of us may have different feelings and interpretations of what our faith means to us and what our faith does for us. We would be more in the Spirit of Christ if we would open ourselves to understanding why others interpret things differently than we do, and if we were willing to change our traditions in order to be more effective in living our faith.
Annette Abraham,
Oak Bluff, Man.
Potter to be avoided
Jim Coggins said it well (“Another view”, Nov. 17). God calls witchcraft “an abomination” and “sin”. Harry Potter glorifies it by stating that there is “good” witchcraft and “bad”. The Bible is clear . . . there is no distinction! That is why my children will not join the crowd. It is time Christians wake up to the spiritual aspects of our actions. How many times was the nation of Israel “defiled” because they allowed the idols of other nations into their camp? Harry Potter is an “idol” of this present new age and should be avoided like the plague.
Coggins was also correct that C.S. Lewis only portrayed witchcraft for what it was, evil. His “magic” (walking through the wardrobe) should be called miracles of Aslan (God) in no way equal to the magic Harry Potter. It’s simple: Where does the “magic” come from?
Dennis Hemminger,
Maple Ridge, B.C.
Christian worldview essential
I agree that there is no real difference between Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia – unless a Christian worldview is crucial to our children’s spiritual development. Unless nurturing a familiarity and comfort with the occult is a real danger to us and an abomination to God. As Lewis demonstrates in his space trilogy, a “materialist magician” (someone with a scientific, “mechanical” view of the occult) is perhaps in the most danger because his worldview prevents him from understanding what he is toying with. Totally unlike Lewis’s fantasies, Harry Potter describes real witchcraft in the real world. Lewis consistently uses biblical symbols in his work, whereas Rowling spins a reality laced with new age/occult ideology. A lion symbolizing Christ in another dimension is entirely different from a boy living in this world being taught to manipulate people and reality through witchcraft. A romantiziced notion of spiritual power at one’s fingertips can exert a significant draw on young souls crying out for security and significance.
Brad Huebert,
Winkler, Man.
Mr. Day’s record continued
Dave Hubert talks about Stockwell Day’s expanded collection of money from gambling (Letters, Dec. 1), I agree is not the right direction to head in.
Second, Hubert says tax reductions for the wealthy don’t coincide with Luke 1:46-56, Psalm 146. What does “The Song of Mary” have to do with taxes? The wealthy should willingly give more to those in need, but I wouldn’t consider the Canadian government in this category. The rich are receiving no more services (garbage, snow removal, etc.) than the middle-class or those below the poverty line. Why should someone who decided to go to school for years to become a doctor, professor, accountant, etc. pay a greater percentage of taxes because they are now earning more? (I am not wealthy).
Third, regarding increased military spending Hubert says that Christians renounce war. MBs and some others do not agree with war, not Christians in general. There are many devoted Christians who will enter heaven, who would also enter into war in a last resort. There are arguments on both sides of this issue.
Fourth is Hubert’s point that cuts to international aid appeal to the selfishness of Canadians. Fiscal responsibility, having our own house in order before trying to fix everyone else’s is a biblical teaching. Everyone would like to be able to hand an endless supply of aid to other countries, but there are many people and organizations in Canada that could use much more funding as well.
Finally, Hubert says getting harder on criminals shows a desire for revenge. The vast majority of Canadians, Christian or non, would disagree. It is about responsibility for one’s actions and tough love. Spare the rod and spoil the child is a biblical term that applies here. I believe the parents of a murdered child should forgive the criminal (easier said than done), but that doesn’t mean the person now can go free. They need to be punished for what was done. As parents, we give different punishments to our kids for different things they’ve done wrong, depending on the severity. It should be no different in society for criminals.
Greg Doerksen,
Winnipeg, Man.
Expectations unreasonable
Stockwell Day seems to be trying to remind people that there are values worth standing up for and that they can apply in government. This seems to be what a lot of Christians have hoped and prayed for – a man who fears the Lord and seeks to honour Him in his position. But, are we placing too many spoken and unspoken expectations on him?
After he appeared on 100 Huntley Street, a woman who was interviewed said she hoped he would change the horrible abortion laws. I agree that the law is horrible and goes in the face of what God holds dear, but is it fair to place those expectations on Day? Just because a law becomes changed doesn’t mean the heart of the people will change.
The changes we seek are heart issues and come about by us praying for our land. I do not think God expects Day to right every wrong made by government.
Michelle Stuart,
Abbotsford, B.C.
Christians and non-Christians in Mexico
Thank you for the many good editorials and all the good work you have done through the years.
Re the letter by D. Plett (Oct. 20): I’m sure there are hundreds of Christians among the Mexican Mennonites, especially on the Klein Gemeinde Quellen Colony, but there are also thousands of Mexican Mennonites who do not know what it means to be truly born again, who do not have assurance of salvation (1 John 5:11-12).
During the 60s, I worked as nurse and midwife on the Los Jaqueyes Colony. On the Klein Gemeinde Colony, the gospel of salvation by grace through faith was preached plainly, and the educational system was much better than on the other colonies. Five years ago, when I went back, many changes had taken place. The Mexican government had brought electricity to the area, there were some paved roads, the houses looked more modern, more Old Colony people had trucks and many people had radios, there were new churches. I spent several months working at an old folks home. Several of the Old Colony Mennonite girls I worked with had problems with reading and writing. The matron, from the Sommerfelder Colony, read well. She told me she had a Low German New Testament, but couldn’t read Low German. My heart aches when I think of how much those people miss because of lack of education and lack of knowledge of God’s Word.
The problem is not a simple one, but many people are listening to radio programs, especially the Family Life Network. Let’s pray for a great revival among these people.
Anne Janzen Goertzen,
Herbert, Sask.
Previous | Next Last modified January 11, 2001.
© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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