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.)

Today’s music is different

I read “Singing in church” (Letters, Nov. 14) with concern. There are many people in our congregations who do not sing whether it is contemporary songs or hymns. That doesn’t mean that the songs or music are not right. To say that we need to sing in 4-part harmony is erroneous. When the congregation sings in unison, there is a vibrancy. We are living in a different era and our youth express worship in different ways.

When I was in youth, we sang best when singing choruses whether it was around a campfire or in Sunday school. We also sang hymns during that time, but that was not as vibrant and alive as when singing choruses. Today my church sings mainly contemporary music and it is wonderful. It’s what brought worship back into my life. The songs that are written today are full of expressions of experiences of a life that is lived by the writer. I think Mary Pauls needs to check out the writers of the contemporary songs and find out why the song was written and the meaning behind the song. Some of our writers have gone through some deep experiences with God and have been able to put that to music and we are benefiting from that experience. The songs are not self-centred; they are God-centred. The hymns written many years ago were also written by people who had gone through deep experiences and they are great, but we are not living in that era; we are here today and I praise God for musicians who are writing from the heart and from the talents God has given them.

To sing a hymn with a different twist makes one wake up and realize what we are singing. They have also given me a new love for hymns, because I know all the hymns by heart; I can sing them without a book. I also have learned many contemporary songs by heart and singing with a book is just not the same as singing with your head held high and letting God enjoy our praise.

Whether we lose the 4-part harmony or not doesn’t make any difference to God. All He wants is our praise and I’m thankful for the praise that comes from our youth. I want to encourage them in their talents and thank God that they are coming to church to learn about God and grow in their walk with the Lord.

Hilda Hildebrand,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Teaching needed

Both “Singing in church” and “Modesty” (Letters, Nov. 14) were written by ladies.

Where are the preachers who should be addressing these subjects? I’ve always been opposed to women preachers but I think if these two writers (Mary Pauls and Dorothy Jean Jantzen) were to get to get into the MB pulpits and preach what they wrote here, people would hear a message from God and learn something practical.

I thought the preachers were supposed to teach the people how to live the Christian life. I also thought the dads in the home should teach their daughters (and their wives) how to dress modestly according to God’s Word. A man knows when a woman dresses enticingly or modestly. Women don’t seem to know the difference, or do they? Maybe they enjoy enticing men? Hopefully the Christian women in church are not doing this intentionally.

Peter Neufeld,
Winnipeg, Man.

Facts omitted

Some important facts were omitted from the report on the Steinfelder gathering (Nov. 14) The event was hosted by John and Joanne Janzen. At the church service at South Langley MB Church 8 persons told of their experience growing up in Steinfeld during Stalin’s regime; a video was shown of World War II refugees and their trek from Ukraine through Poland and Germany to Canada and Paraguay.

Margaret Bergen,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Marriage is for heterosexuals

I am disturbed by the apparent rationalizing in Christian circles and in the public at large concerning homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Nowhere in the Bible, including Christ’s teachings, is legitimate sex contemplated except within the confines of the marriage of a male and female, even though it is not recorded that Jesus specifically mentioned homosexuality.

To engage in sexual acts is not a God-given right. It is the privilege instituted by God for the pleasure and well-being of heterosexual couples and their families and not in a so-called same-sex marriage. It is not an unforgivable sin to engage in a homosexual act but to live in that lifestyle continuously is not something a Christian can contemplate, no more so than to live in a promiscuous heterosexual lifestyle. This, of course, is diametrically opposed to the current worldview but a position that the Christian church cannot afford to stray from. This is not a human rights issue within the Christian context. It is the better and only way approved by God for the welfare of humankind.

This may sound harsh but is said in love because God loves us all and intends the best for us.

Walter Goerzen,
Penticton, B.C.