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 1310 Taylor Ave. Winnipeg, Man.  R3M 3Z6 or send via e-mail. (Please ensure that your postal address is included in your e-mail correspondence.)

How are we doing on the peace issue?

It’s been sometime since Mennonites have asked themselves how they are doing on the peace issue. Yet the headlines are ominous: “37,000 troops joining others in the Gulf”. Mennonites have sometimes felt alone in their stand, although we’ve had company in the Brethren and Quaker churches. I cannot reconcile going to war with Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount – we really are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Sometimes our American brothers and sisters have difficulty distinguishing between being a faithful Christian and being a patriotic American – they are not the same thing.

Though I have wandered in the desert for a few years, no issue more than this drives me back to my Anabaptist roots. I think this is because we’ve got this one right all along: The early church for the first three centuries was a peace church. MCC’s “Occasional Paper No. 7” has some great background on this most timely topic.

Horst Unger,
Victoria, B.C.

Excessive words not needed

The mark of the religious “arguer” is the unlimited number of words they can produce. The way to heaven is expressed in Acts 16:31: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”. The truth does not fear the light of intelligence and rationality. Neither does it fear the short, to-the-point sentence.

Rob G. Friesen,
Calgary, Alta.

Correction needed

As a Colombian living in Canada, I appreciate very much what some churches, especially Mennonites, are doing in Colombia. Working to bring justice and peace in a country like Colombia is not easy. It is important to understand the real cause of this conflict. It is complex and requires a lot of knowledge about the history and the socio-economic situations in which Colombia has lived in the last 50 years. The first paragraph in the article “Seminary in a suitcase” (Jan. 17) needs to be changed. Drugs are not the problem in Colombia. Colombia is not the way it is because of drugs.

N. Raul Bogoya, Associate Director,
Christian Service Ministry,
Mennonite Church Canada,
Winnipeg, Man.

Waiting for return of Jesus

The expression of our convictions in our magazines can be beneficial as long as they are in accordance with Scripture and are expressed in a positive, gentle way.

1 Peter 3:15 exhorts us to “always be prepared to gave an answer. But do this with gentleness and respect”. That is what I would like to do.

In my Oct. 25 letter, I expressed my conviction that the Lord’s return for His church (the rapture) is imminent (it can happen before the antichrist appears), but that Christ’s visible return in glory and great power is not imminent (it will happen at the end of antichrist’s rule).

The passages which speak clearly about Christ’s return for His church are John 14:1–3; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17; 1 Corinthians 15:51–53. 1 Thessalonians gives the most detailed description. Of the eight details mentioned here, only one is also mentioned in the passages which speak of Christ’s visible return in great power and glory: Jesus will come from Heaven.

Those passages which speak about Christ’s return in great power and glory are: Matthew 24:29–31; 25:31–46; Mark 13:24–27; Luke 21:25–27; Revelation 1:7; 14:15–16; 19:11–16.

These passages contain many details (I find over 20, some are repeated), Six details in these passages are not mentioned in the passages which refer to Jesus’ return for His church: the distress during antichrist’s rule and the signs in nature; that the Lord will be seen by all; His appearance; that the heavenly hosts will come with Him; a battle; the judgment or ruling of Christ. But there is no mention of the resurrection of the dead in Christ; the transformation of the living believers, the rapture or the unification with Christ in the air.

This points to two different events.

Peter Huebert,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Let’s encourage each other

A quick letter of encouragement and thanks to all those who put their time and effort into publishing this magazine. It is nice to keep up on the news around Canada and hear about what other churches are doing for the Lord. I may not read all of the articles every time and may not agree with absolutely everything that is said, but I do understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I was wondering if we, the readers, could do more to be an encouragement to the contributors to this magazine and the leaders, organizers and volunteers of our churches, conferences and events. We could do this by using “Letters to the Editor” to build up others and write about the good they have done, rather than using it as a forum of public correction whenever we feel personally slighted in some way. We could write notes of blessing to those who have been supporting us spiritually and doing their utmost for the Lord. Let’s keep it positive!

Colossians 3:12–14: “Dearly beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity”

Christine Friesen,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Difference without intolerance

I was disappointed by the lack of tolerance in Jake Reimer’s statement that the devil “scatters different views into Christians’ understanding” (Letters, Feb. 7). Alternative views of the end times have been around for centuries. It is possible to have differing opinions about what is going to happen in the end times without it reflecting on our salvation. A very good friend and I have diametrically opposing views and yet we are able to sit down and have civil conversations without making each other feel as though the other’s point of view is invalid. Augustine’s maxim “in essentials, unity; in non-essentials, charity; and in all things, love” should be our guiding principle in all doctrinal discussions.

Bruce Anderson,
Saskatoon, Sask.

Literal interpretation not always possible

Jake Reimer (Letters, Feb. 7) stressed interpreting God’s Word literally.

In 1975, just after becoming a Christian, I was given Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth, a popularized view of pre-tribulational, pre-Millennial, dispensationalism. I became completely captivated by the fascinating scenario that was already in the process of being played out (so the book said). Israel (the fig tree) had “budded” in 1948, and I, and just about every other Christian it seems (including Edward Whisenant – 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could be in 1988), was expecting that the Lord would return around 1988 and secretly rapture the church to heaven. This would initiate the 7-year period of the antichrist ruling the Earth. Just when it seemed that Israel would be annihilated, the Lord would return in glory (Revelation 19) and inaugurate the 1000-year Kingdom of peace. This sounded tidy, concise and plausible. I was interpreting the Scriptures literally just as dispensational authors said I should. But a number of questions began to gnaw at me.

First, regarding the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18), Hal wrote that “only the Christians see Him – it’s a mystery, a secret” but Paul had written that “the Lord will come down from heaven” with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God.”

Second, in Matthew 24:34, Jesus says: “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” Hal writes, “What generation? Obviously, in context, the generation that would see “the rebirth of Israel”. Is the Lord unable to express Himself clearly and accurately? Does not “this” mean the generation in which Jesus and the disciples were living? When did Jesus mention of the rebirth of Israel?

Third is the interpretation of Revelation 4:1: “Before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice . . . said, ‘Come up here’.” David Jeremiah (in Escape the Coming Night) says: “It (the rapture) is not specifically mentioned in Revelation, but it is clearly indicated in the fourth chapter.” How can something “not specifically mentioned” be “clearly indicated”? Many popular authors use the word “clearly”. Is this a vain attempt to convince themselves or a manipulative ploy to intimidate the reader into seeing “clearly” what, in fact, is patently absent from the text? That used to fool me – but no longer.

The proper understanding of Revelation 4 is what the text literally states: The Apostle John, while physically remaining firmly on the Island of Patmos, was mystically transposed to heaven to be shown “what must shortly take place” (1:1). In addition, it is certainly not literal to interpret “shortly” to mean 2000 years beyond John’s time.

Dispensationalists claim to interpret Scripture, including prophecy, with a consistent literal hermeneutic but what is “clear” in the above examples is the total abandonment of their own interpretative rule.

Understanding the Scriptures is a task all believers are commanded to pursue. Human authors have their place, but it is the Holy Spirit, through the inspired writers of the Word of God, who must remain our authority. Prophecy is certainly an integral part of Scripture, but it does us no good to base our understanding on speculators and sensationalists whose predictions have been proven wrong time after time.

One final thought – try reading Psalm 23 literally!

Bob Tebbutt,
Queenston, Ont.

God still working with the Jews

There are many reasons for God’s people to spend a lot of time on their knees these days. One, which I rarely see mentioned in the Herald, is Israel. During the late 1930s, as Hitler was rising to power, people wanted so desperately to get out of the Depression that the Third Reich seemed to be a solution. We got out of the Depression but with the loss of six million Jews and hundreds of others who perished in World War II.

The situation today is worse than that of 65 years ago. Anti-Semitism is on the rise. A pro-Palestinian protest in Montreal’s Concordia University prevented former Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu from speaking to students there. Hillel, the only Jewish student organization on that campus, was recently banned.

The Western news media tends to emphasize Palestinian deaths. What the press doesn’t report is the constant state of fear the Israelis are under. The Palestinians have never accepted a peace agreement with Israel and are not likely to do so. The cry from extremists in the mosques and on radio is: “Death to Jews and Christians!”

We believe we are close to the return of our Lord. Scripture has forewarned us about the things that will take place. We are in a time when both Christians and Jews are increasingly seen as the source of problems in the world. Our mistakes and faults are paraded in the press mixed in with lies and half-truths, while the good things are overlooked. Even our leaders want to remove things Christian for the sake of being fair to other faiths, while not appreciating the fact that, though no country can really be called Christian, our country was established in part on Judeo–Christian values.

We need to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem as instructed in Psalm 122:6 and Isaiah 62:7. We need to pray that the veil would be lifted from the eyes of the Jews and that they would recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as Messiah. We need to pray for the Arabs to know the Lord as well. Only He can take away the hatred they have for Israel. We need to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering for the sake of Jesus. Lastly we need to repent and keep ourselves pure as a church for the coming of Jesus.

Allan Baerg,
Abbotsford, B.C.

God deserves our applause

Re: applause in our services. 2 Samuel 6 says that David took off his royal robes and danced before the Lord in his linens. David’s wife Michal despised and chastised him, but David responded, “I will celebrate before the LORD.” Why do we applaud? Because God deserves it. Is God not more worthy of our praise than all the professional athletes in the world put together? It is not a matter of tradition but of giving to God what belongs to God – our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). When the prophet Isaiah stood before the Lord, the seraphs were calling out to one another. At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke (Isaiah 6:3,4). When have the foundations of our churches ever shook because of the praises of the children of God? When Isaiah responded he cried out. When I picture the events of Revelation 5, I don’t picture the angels singing about the worthiness of God in quiet voices with a hymnbook in their hands but filled with passion, their arms raised, their hands clapping, their bodies shaking.

The people on stage leading us in worship are reflections of the glory of God. The talents that they have were placed there by God. When someone is baptized, is it not a joyous occasion, a cause for celebration of the work of God in a person’s life? When you see us young ones dancing like fools before God, please remember that we are worshipping God with everything we have, with all of our bodies. When we applaud, we applaud for the King of Kings. Please do not dismiss us as irreverent and disgraceful. David praised God with dancing, and he was a man after God’s own heart.

Peter Thurley,
Waterloo, Ont.

Outside the box

I am glad you published “Taking a Tribal Worldview Seriously” (Dec. 27). I agree completely with it. There is so much happening that our denominations are unaware of, let alone our local churches. This viewpoint gave us a peek at one aspect of Christian life and the worldwide church that gets us out of our official MB box.

Leslie Precht,
Edmonton, Alta.

Book not in keeping with theology

I was surprised to read the reference to The Red Tent in the ad for the 6th Women Doing Theology conference at Eastern Mennonite University (Jan. 17). I have just finished reading The Red Tent, and it took a great deal of willpower to see it through. The book is not based on the scriptural account of Joseph and is blasphemous in its description of him. I know of several Christian friends who actually threw the book in the garbage as it was in direct opposition to the biblical account. I urge the Herald to remove this reference to The Red Tent in their advertising as I don’t think it fits in with the theology of the MB church.

Mary Goerzen,
Waterloo, Ont.

No comparison to Scripture

I was very disappointed in Stephen Kent’s letter (Feb. 7). Just because the Harry Potter movie has “a hero using all of his limited resources, courage and determination to help out those he loves” doesn’t mean that it is a good movie. I agree that as a mature Christian I can look past the objectionable material to see what is at the heart of a film, but then what sort of example am I setting for my children? I am telling them that engaging in activity that is unbiblical or ungodly is all right as long as the message behind it is good. Isaiah 5:20 warns us about calling evil good. The Bible clearly states that witchcraft (no matter how pretty the package it comes in) is still evil. J.K. Rowling’s work of literature should not be compared to Song of Songs. How can one compare Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to the inspired Word of God?

Mona Scott,
Edmonton, Alta.

Film justifies violence

Both Lord of the Rings movies have received positive reviews in the Herald, and are widely perceived by Christians to be allegorical of Christian realities. At the same time, Harry Potter books and movies have been the subject of great debate among Christians concerned with the element of witchcraft, and have received negative reviews and comments in the Herald. I find this confusing. My movie experience of The Lord of the Rings has not been so positive. The anabaptist pacifist in me was disturbed to find myself in a theatre of viewers so thoroughly visually engaged in scenes of extreme violence. Sure, some individual characters struggle internally to fight evil’s pull, yet the movie delivers a more powerful message about conflict: that conflict can be seen through very clearly defined boundaries between good and evil, and that violence is justified for the “right” side to win. During this time of global conflict, it is especially important for us to resist “axis of evil” thinking. There are far more helpful allegories of the Christian life. While I understand why some parents object to the sorcery found in the Harry Potter books and movies, I don’t believe children are likely to come away practising magic. The far more violent, equally “magic-full” Lord of the Rings is potentially more damaging, even to adults. I don’t doubt Tolkien’s faith or his ability to weave a great tale. I just think it’s a stretch to find Jesus’ good news in it.

Geoff Dueck Thiessen,
Winnipeg, Man.

The consequences of foolishness

Re the movies Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings: I am a fan of both. The good side always wins. What more could a Christian ask for? These movies illustrate conflict between good and evil. Children and others who watch these movies are not going to turn into evil people because they know the difference between good and evil. The movies encourage imagination with the flying car and other special effects. God gave us imagination to use, so that is what the authors of these movies did. The two movies have a lot of lessons such as problem-solving skills, what should be avoided, and encouraging people to pursue friendships.

We Christians should choose our battles wisely so we do not poison nonbelievers against Christianity and Jesus, because that is what all this fighting amongst ourselves is doing. If we do not do this, when it comes time to fight for what really matters we will not be taken seriously. What really matters? Peace, helping poor starving people and telling others about Jesus.

Emmy Carleton,
Abbotsford, B.C.