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:

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Letter to the Prime Minister

January 31, 2003

The Right Honourable Jean Chretien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Dear Mr. Prime Minister;

We are writing as leaders of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in Canada to urge you to do everything possible to prevent a war on Iraq.

One teaching of our churches – sometimes called historic peace churches – is that participation in war is against the way of Jesus Christ. For this reason, in times of war and conscription, most of the young men from our churches have sought conscientious objector status and served in non-military programs. We are grateful that Canada has accommodated this stance. However, our concern is not only for our own people. It is for all people and against all war.

This is one reason why our churches, though representing no more than 250,000 people, have an extensive international involvement. Through Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) we work in 57 countries in relief, development, peace-building, and related programs. Some of this work is supported by CIDA. Also, we relate to sister churches in some 63 countries. Further, a good number of our people in Canada trace their family histories to other countries, including some with very oppressive governments.

These factors inform our view of the Iraq situation. We do not dismiss the claim that the Iraqi people have long suffered under a very oppressive government, even though some criticisms against it appear selective and self-serving. Nor can we propose a quick and certain alternative method for achieving the desired changes. Nevertheless, we believe that a war would make things much worse. Even with a quick “victory” there would be thousands of deaths. Also, in too many instances the installation of a more sympathetic government has not led to lasting improvements for the people; instead, oppression, violence, sometimes even civil wars, have appeared again.

Further, instead of reducing the threat of terrorism, a war on Iraq could increase it. In our view the “war on terrorism”, begun in the fall of 2001, has relied too much on military might and too little on addressing “root causes”. This approach has deepened hostility toward the West and encouraged the West to see the rest of the world as a source of threats, thereby deepening an ominous global divide. Already, it has increased the vulnerability of minorities, including Christians in Muslim-majority countries, Muslims in the West, and Jewish people in many areas.

It is urgent that the West find a different way of responding. One action that would signal a new direction is a substantially increased commitment to address the poverty facing half of the world’s people. Another would bring new energies toward a just resolution of the Israel–Palestine question, the lack of which has long hindered western relations with Arab peoples. At the general level, actions such as these would indicate that the West is committed not only to its own interests but to certain principles and to the well-being of the whole human family. On the Iraq crisis specifically, they would help clear the way for Arab governments to play a larger role and make the importance of complying with UN resolutions more persuasive, while also accepting the substantial steps that the Iraq government has taken. If the West does not take a new approach and if a war on Iraq is started, then, we believe, a “victory” would be short-lived.

We recognize that we do not have all the information that you have but our extensive international involvement, including more than fifty years in the Middle East, our direct experience with wars, and our faith in God and in God’s love for all people including those in Iraq, lead us to plead that you do everything possible to prevent a war, and if one is started that you not authorize Canadian participation.

May God give you wisdom and strength for these difficult decisions.

Sincerely,

Mennonite Central Committee Canada
Donald Peters, Executive Director
Ronald Dueck, Chair

Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference
Frank Friesen, Moderator

Brethren In Christ Conference
Bishop Darrell Winger, Moderator

Mennonite Church Canada
Henry Krause, Moderator

Evangelical Mennonite Conference
Len Barkman, Executive Secretary

Sommerfeld Mennonite Church Conference
Abe Wiebe

Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches
Jascha Boge, Moderator

Old Colony Church Conference
Jacob Elias, Moderator

Chortitzer Mennonite Church Conference
Dick Wiebe, Moderator

Letter to the churches

January 31, 2003

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Greetings in the name of Jesus, who is our peace and the peace of the world.

We write to you at this time because our world stands on the brink of catastrophe. A United States invasion of Iraq seems imminent, and Canadian support and involvement in such an invasion appears quite possible. The gravity of the present situation demands our response.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus concludes His words of blessing with this statement:

Matthew 5:14-16

At this time of crisis, we urge Mennonite and Brethren in Christ congregations in Canada to let their light shine by boldly and actively witnessing to the way of peace. We call on congregations to

pray fervently that war may be averted
urge government leaders to seek non-violent alternatives to war
join in actions that visibly witness to the way of peace
encourage and share hope with one another

To seek the way of peace in this present crisis is not to say that we have all the answers to the present international crisis. It is to say that ultimately peace and security are achieved, not through violent means, but through the non-violent pursuit of justice and well-being for all people. It is to affirm that God wills the path of peace and will bless those who take risks for peace.

May God grant us courage to shine the light of peace at this time.

Sincerely in Christ,