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.)

Is hermeneutics enough?

Re “The hermeneutical task” by Doug Heidebrecht (Apr. 9). In lay terms, that refers to the art and science of interpreting the Bible. He particularly addresses the task of interpreting writings of another time in today’s world. His objective is to help churches and the Conference gain clarity about controversial subjects and he cites the role of women in the church as his example. Whether a new look at hermeneutics, after years of deliberation, is really enough to clear up MB Conference haziness surrounding women’s issues in the church is open to question. However, he suggests that a better understanding and application of hermeneutics is a key step to better interpretation.

Heidebrecht suggests, without specifically saying so, that the biblical text should not always be read literally. That is still a deviation from a component of Anabaptist thinking that literal interpretation reflects the authoritativeness of the Bible and is justified because the biblical text was divinely inspired. As an aside, in reality unwavering adherence to literal interpretation is very limiting in accessing spiritual truths from the Bible. If Christian doctrine subscribes to the biblical text being Holy Spirit inspired it must also subscribe to divine revelation being the key to unlocking truths from the written word. The profundity of God by far exceeds the power of words. It is unfortunate the author does not divulge what conclusions he has come to regarding biblical references to women’s ministerial roles and dress codes in the church by the application of his suggested process.

It is very comforting that in the second last paragraph he suggests that interpretation and application should always be done in the context of the church listening to the Spirit of God. It seems that could and should have been his first point and the part on hermeneutics might have been relegated to helps in how to not distort spiritual enlightenment. By recognizing the freedom to address the issues in terms of their influence on serving and loving God, holiness, and being blessed with the fruits of the Spirit, congregations have opportunity to access enlightenment by spiritual communication with God and thus find resolution. Basic spiritual reflection might result in the following perceptions.

1. God is not into dictating or being bound to customs. The exhortation for slaves to be faithful to their masters was not in defence of slavery being a commendable practice but it was customary and so He taught spirituality within that context. Christ’s earthly mission even included rescuing issues of the spirit from suppression by legalism and customs. Raising customs to spiritual levels is contrary to overall New Testament teaching. Even so, customs still have a church setting significance.

   Customs evolve as a part of how societies function collectively and in a church setting they are part of creating a church environment that is conducive to fellowship, worship and spiritual edification. Customs, sometimes grudgingly, change to reflect societal realities. For example, at some point in North American history society recognized it would be beneficial for women to have a vote. In biblical times head coverings in public were a societal custom for women so it is not surprising that compliance was a church directive. Customs, especially Christian ones, may be very attractive blossoms of a spiritual plant but not more than that. Christ explained that to the Pharisees many times. Customs per se are not a spiritual issue with God so churches should not make them one either.

2. If the controversies regarding women in the church are not spiritual issues but societal church environment issues, then churches should be at liberty and peace about administering them as such. If there is spiritual wholeness in the church it should be a positive experience to do that in the context of the fruits of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5 and concluded with the assurance that “against such there is no law.” In today’s society Paul would have made the same point he made then by saying fruits of the Spirit should lead you to take orderly turns speaking when the discussions heat up but there would have been no reference to gender. It is comforting to have assurance that God relates to women with and without head coverings, that spiritual richness and giftedness is available to both genders and that our collective acceptance by God is not dependent on customs. Removing gender as an eligibility factor for church ministry is not godly or ungodly. It is important to treat it in the context of social convention being important to the environment where the spirits of God and humankind seek to meet. Such is the conviction of one layperson. Regrettably, it still feels rather lonely to say it.

Jake Janzen,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Process applauded

I read with interest about the symposium held in Ontario to discuss the Scriptures which address women in ministry and leadership. I applaud that process of discussion, education, and discerning the will of God on this matter. I also noted that in your July Conference gathering this topic will be discussed again.

The Brethren in Christ Church (of which I am an ordained minister) has and is grappling with this issue as well. I have a website with numerous articles, sermons and resources regarding this topic.

Janet M. Peifer,
Director of Pastoral Care, Messiah Village
Mechanicsburg, PA

An opportunity to preserve our resources

Have you sat in the middle of a farmer’s field and marvelled at the bounty from our earth? Or hiked up to a glacier and tasted the clear cold water running from it in summer? When you read about famines and drought around the world, are you concerned? Do you think about the flooding caused by hydro dams built in northern Manitoba? How does all this relate to what you do in your home and office? These things are all connected to choices you make in your home, your business and your church. We can be part of the solution by making the right choices.

There is an excellent opportunity to show what can be done in the new offices being built in Winnipeg by the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. Instead of installing conventional gas heating equipment and rooftop air conditioning units, it is possible to install a system to use the heat of the earth itself. This has been done in many buildings across Canada and around the world. The financial cost to install such a system is higher. But it reduces the cost of heating by about two-thirds. It eliminates the emissions of close to 50 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. It reduces the amount of electricity needed to operate the air conditioning in summer, thereby reducing the need for additional dams in the north. And after ten years, the additional cost of paying for the system and the energy needed to run it leaves an additional $30–40,000 in the bank.

This project can demonstrate a real commitment to the future of our children and to the people the church is trying to help. It will show others in the community that we can all do our part to minimize our impact on the earth.

For more information about reducing our impact on the earth see: mcc.org.

Ed Lohrenz,
Winnipeg, Man.

Stop the music

How long has it been since we began to wage war about music style? I thought it was over, but mention the topic with any age group, and suddenly emotions run high and strong sentiments are expressed.

When I sing, do I think of the words? Or do I think about the music? When we sing as a body of believers, what percentage of our music is sung with ourselves in mind? Can we actually worship Jesus though music? That is what music in church is about. How much worship does Jesus receive through the singing part of a church service? Far too little. Our hearts are not right. It’s time to turn the music off in our churches and stop this war.

Cyndi R. Toews,
Winnipeg, Man.

Good beginning discussion

I read with great interest your issue on pornography because I have struggled in this area and have had numerous conversations with fellow believers who also struggle. It is a dangerous topic as we within the church have elevated sex to be a greater sin than most. This leads us to be unable to talk about our struggles openly and to quickly condemn publicly those who fail. I believe that the church is in part to blame for the sexual sins of its members as it refuses to open a healthy dialogue from the pulpit and elsewhere so we can find direction and develop a balanced view of sex and sexual desire. With at least four out of 10 churchgoers admitting to this struggle, we cannot hide from it, no matter how improper it might be to talk about sex. So, thank you for being willing to talk about it as it has prompted others to be open also.

I have concerns on your content, however. You say, “Pornography is not exclusively a male problem, of course, nor is it important only to pastors,” yet this is all that is addressed here. Numerous studies have demonstrated that women also struggle mightily with pornography and erotic fiction, leading to the breakdown of relationships. Also, this felt too much like a pastors’ issue with three of your four main articles focussed on pastors. A couple of these articles would have been better suited for Leadership magazine. I was also missing direction on how to work at issues of lust and desire. Certainly prayer and commitment to God are keys to overcoming temptation but what elements of sexual desire are healthy? What is there to be celebrated? I hope to see further discussion of sex in our denominational periodical as it has been conspicuously absent for too long. Thank you for getting us started.

Jon Unger Brandt,
Lancaster, PA