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.)

MCC mandate

Reading the insert in the May 21 Herald, I was pleased to see that there are ongoing discussions with the leadership of the Mennonite Central Committee. I hope that out of the discussions will come a mandate of purpose, clearly setting limitations of involvement in political and social conflicts. I hope that such a mandate will be published in the Herald, and that my confidence in the MCC will return to the level it used to be.

Jake Peters,
Winnipeg, Man.

Conference structure

Thanks for raising the questions you did in the editorial regarding the proposed changes to the Canadian Conference structure. It is probably too late to reverse the proposal since it appears the old structure is already significantly dismantled, but a structure that is designed as an inverted pyramid resting on another pyramid looks inherently unstable and seems to put extreme pressure on a single individual. Hopefully your editorial will provoke serious thought on this important matter.

James Toews,
Nanaimo, B.C.

The women’s issue

We may not be far afield if we reach back into the Old Testament for clarification on the women’s issue as it relates to us in the 21st century.

I had occasion to read the book of Judges recently, where I came upon the song of Deborah. In Judges 5:7 she sings, “Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.” Where there was an hiatus Deborah stepped in. Her role as she defines it is that of a mother.

When Jesus states that we are to be salt and light in our world, namely in our generation, let us keep before us our role as mothers in our families, neighbourhoods, vocations, churches as well as in our communities. As we women seek to equip ourselves to fulfill the opportunities afforded by our education in various fields, let us not lose sight of what our primary calling can and should be – that of mothering.

Hildegard Thiessen,
Abbotsford, B.C.

There is a lot of talk about women’s role in the church. To me it’s very clear what the Bible says about women’s roles. I am all for women doing their part in serving, even as far as being pastors in ministering to women, young people or children, but the senior pastor, the shepherd of the flock should definitely be a man, the picture is so clear in the Bible, of Christ being the bridegroom and the church being the bride.

There are so many ways women can serve the Lord. I am thankful every day that even at the age of over 80, the Lord still gives me many opportunities to serve Him, and I hope to do so until He calls me home.

Sally Epp,
Leamington, Ont.

The Passion of the Christ

I have been contemplating the various reactions to the movie, The Passion of the Christ. My wife and I attended the movie and found it inspiring. It gave me an entirely new perspective on the severity of Jesus’ suffering. One may say that we don’t need that perspective of the suffering of Christ. My question is, don’t we? In an age of callousness to any suffering beyond our own little worlds, can we appreciate true suffering? Perhaps in the early church all that needed to be written in the Apostles’ Creed was Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried” because the early church understood the true nature of suffering. Even for our Mennonite grandparents that statement might be sufficient as they too suffered under communist oppression for their faith. But I have absolutely no idea of the extent of suffering Christ went through. Have I been persecuted due to a discipled life? Yes, only a few months ago, I, as a civil servant, was asked to define my pacifism in a human resource sanctioned statement. I was also asked about my activities of prayer. Several days later I was taken off active service as a Manitoba Natural Resource Officer. At that point I knew God had answered a 7-month prayer whether or not I should leave a 20-year career. Did I suffer? Absolutely NOT in comparison to Christ’s suffering. What Gibson’s movie did for me was to remind me that nothing, absolutely nothing, will ever compare to Christ’s suffering.

Larry K. Buhler,
Arborg, Man.

My reaction to The Passion of the Christ was one of awe for what Jesus suffered for me. Although Mel Gibson’s interpretation may vary in minor degrees from others, be that as it may. Why major on minors? I believe that this is God showing the world what genuine love, forgiveness and reconciliation is all about. We are bombarded by anti-Christian views. I believe that God himself has sent this film to correct people’s understanding about who Jesus is, and why He came to earth.

Ed Reimer,
Windsor, Ont.