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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 the alcohol question
I agree with John Redekop (Personal Opinion, May 11). Yes, let’s dialogue. Having lived in the presence of alcoholism as a child, I was aware from an early age that alcohol was a sure road to self-destruction. As a result, I made a decision to abstain. Anyone who knows me personally will agree that it was a wise choice for me. I have all the right genetics to continue this unhealthy lifestyle into the next generation.
I would like to thank the many brothers and sisters in the body of Christ who have been and continue to be a powerful example of what a joyful beautiful life we can have when we are filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit. In some countries, alcohol is referred to as “spirits”. Spirits are powerful, and many tend to react to spirits with a spirit of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 assures us that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind. Many who are suffering from chronic depression are choosing to self-medicate with alcohol and other addictive substances rather than seeking appropriate medical and/or spiritual help. Some of the responsibility for this falls squarely on the church body. Fear has created an atmosphere where we refuse to give permission to talk about our issues. There are many out there who long to speak, but we are determined to keep people silent. We, the church body, need to dialogue on these issues. May we choose to speak in the right spirit.
My personal fear is that we will return to our former spirit of legalism as MBs. This unhealthy spirit is every bit as toxic as the spirit of alcohol, especially for new believers. Jesus told us that we would be known as His disciples if we choose to love one another (John 13:35). When we really believe this, we will see to it that we consistently do all things in a spirit of love, and when we fail, run to the one we’ve offended for forgiveness. I am resolved to let the Holy Spirit (not alcohol) empower me.
The articles on mental health (March 2, 16) were so relevant. Bless you for giving permission to speak.
Mary Peters,
Langdon, Alta.
Viewpoint appreciated
Harold Jantz has done the Christian community another service with his well-written, well-argued Viewpoint (Sept. 14). It never ceases to amaze me how he is able to apply biblical truth to current issues in a non-combative way. We need to be reminded that ours is not an outdated minority view!
Claude W. Pratte,
Portage Avenue MB Church
Winnipeg, Man.
Singles heart missing
Thank you for an excellent magazine. As a single Christian, I was very happy to see the July 13 issue devoted to singleness. The articles are very interesting and well-written, and contain excellent points for Christians to consider. However, I thought that something was missing. I discovered that all of these articles are written by married authors.
What is missing is the mind and heart of single Christians, expressed first-hand.
I do not know how themes and articles are selected, whether authors are sought out to write on topics, or whether topics are chosen because several articles on the same theme have been submitted, or some combination of these methods. I suggest, though, that care be taken to ensure topics are adequately addressed. Perhaps there will be opportunity to cover singleness again, with articles written by single Christians.
Marlene Zieske,
Waterloo, Ont.
The editorials of Jan. 5 and 19, 2001 discussed how articles are selected. In this case, we looked for two years for appropriate articles for this issue. One indication of singles’ disconnectedness from the church is that they submitted no articles for this issue and we found few obvious writers to commission. One article by a single woman that we had been counting on fell through at the last moment. Ed.
Examples refute argument
Re Irma M. Dyck’s letter (Sept. 28): If 1 Timothy 2:11-14 teaches a timeless, absolute truth based on the creation order (that women should be silent), then why did God appoint Deborah to exercise authority over an entire nation of men, grant Anna and many other women the gift of prophecy and lead Priscilla to instruct Apollos in the faith? At the very least, we must admit that God may find exceptional circumstances that merit bending the “rules” – if they can be called rules.
If it is unbiblical for women to teach adolescent and pre-school boys, then it is also unbiblical for mothers to teach their little boys about Jesus – no Bible stories, no bedtime prayers, no discussions or input during family devotions. Can we really believe that Paul’s intention was to tell women of every age to shut up about God, that women attending home Bible studies aren’t allowed to offer any insight or opinion about the passage being studied, that a wife can’t tell her husband what God has been teaching her because he might learn something or that women shouldn’t write books in case men read them?
Mary, Elizabeth, Hannah, Miriam and many other biblical women have taught me a great deal. Their “sermons” and insights are recorded for all time for me, a man, to heed and obey. They are Scripture, after all!
Brad Huebert,
Winkler, Man.
Opinion arguments faulty
In his Personal Opinion regarding public education in Ontario Sept. 14, John Redekop maintains that he is a strong supporter of public education, yet focuses solely on the evils in the education system. We caution readers not to step on this popular “bandwagon of teacher-bashing” without talking to teachers themselves or researching the facts.
As people who are heavily involved in the Ontario education system and who have researched the issues, we point out some corrections. First, the argument that teachers’ unions are “absolutely determined to teach in early elementary grades the moral acceptablity of homes where both parents are lesbians or homosexual males” is untrue. Teachers teach the curriculum that is handed down by our provincial government. Gay and lesbian studies is not in the curriculum. No teachers’ federation will be insisting that books that mention nontraditional families be shared with the general class, or taught as a unit in school. The school boards may choose to buy these books to keep in the library as a reference if a student from a non-traditional family would like to review them. With the present provincial funding formula, it is doubtful that many boards can afford to do so anyway. The teachers’ federations are insuring that every child’s needs are being met, nothing more.
Second, the argument about the lack of quality education is unfounded. Public school students are learning how to read and write based on programs that have much research support. Older methods have been thrown out because research has proven that they don’t work as well. Mr. Redekop’s personal experience should not be compared to years of empirical research.
The third argument, that teachers’ unions are “more concerned about the small difference in salary increase . . . than they are about students’ welfare” is unfair. If one does a breakdown of how much a teacher makes per hour, including preparation at home and extra-curricular activities, it is clear that teachers are not in this profession for the money. Many teacher strikes have centred around controlling class size, time to prepare lessons, etc.
The statement, “Some teachers’ unions are presently controlled by left-leaning, morally relativistic leaders . . . biased against Christianity” struck us as offensive. Surely Mr. Redekop can’t believe that all Christians lean to the right and therefore all left-leaners are automatically biased against Christianity. We are proud to put ourselves in the left-leaning category, but list ourselves as Christians. We are all in God’s family, regardless of the political direction in which we lean.
Paul Wiebe, Lori Reimer Wiebe,
St. Catharines, Ont.
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© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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