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.)

Missed point

In “Significance of the cross” (Letters, May 20), Darlene Erho responds to “The Inukshuk of God” by Chris Friesen (Mar. 18). She misses part of the significance of what Jesus accomplished, and also undermines what could be an important cross-cultural implication of Friesen’s article. Friesen’s comparison of the cross to the Inuit Inukshuk is apt; I like its missionary potential.

Erho puts forward a number of claims that are subjective in nature and have no biblical basis. It’s not the shape of the cross itself that communicates anything about “connecting God and people”; the cross is only viewed that way because we know its significance in redemptive history. Indeed, the very reason it is significant is because it symbolizes not something positive but something negative: in a Greco–Roman context, capital punishment for various crimes; in a theological context, God’s judgment upon sin. We construe it positively only because we know that Jesus bore God’s wrath in our place. The true theological significance of the death of Christ is in “who” accomplished “what,” not in the shape of the device He happened to make use of.

Andy Derksen,
Surrey, B.C.

A moral choice

Re “Copyright Act allows it” (Letters, July 1). The intent of my article, “Is downloading theft?” (May 20), was to illustrate the process I went through in determining whether downloading was a good moral choice for me, with the hope that others would start asking similar questions of themselves. I feel Benson summarily dismissed most of the article based on a couple of potentially flawed points. I don’t believe any personal bias wound up in my argument; I’m not a professional musician. I submit that while sampling may not fall under “intent to keep,” it could fall under “make use of wrongfully” (i.e., to use without paying). I agree that Christians are called to a higher ideal of law, so for moral purposes the Copyright Act is irrelevant.

As for the newly-repealed levy, I can’t say I know much about it. I do know, however, that the average CD-R holds around 80 minutes of music, or roughly 16 songs. With iTunes selling songs at $0.99, that’s roughly $15 worth of music per disc. I doubt the levy came close to $15 per disc, which may be legally justified but is morally questionable as effective compensation in my view. Doing the math on a device capable of storing 600-plus songs is overwhelming, so let’s leave the levy there. Even with the opportunities to sample the music on iTunes or in a store, it comes down to a case of buyer beware. It’s like going to a theatre and not enjoying the film. In closing, my dad really liked Chumbawumba and there’s nothing wrong with that. I respect Benson’s opinion and hope this clarifies my thinking.

Kerry O’Brien,
Waterloo, Ont.

Own pleasure

I read Kerry O’Brien’s article on downloading with interest (“Is downloading theft?”, May 20). I have a computer but haven’t downloaded any music. What’s the difference in taping music? I have taped Hymn Sing for my enjoyment, so why can’t I download music from the internet for my own enjoyment? Or, for that matter, I have taped good movies, which I watch from time to time. These can also be bought. Am I doing wrong in having taped them? I don’t think so.

Kay Janzen,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Memories are stirred

The story, “A long influence” by Shirley B. Bergen (Sept. 24, 2004), of her mom’s influence on Elma Brown brought back memories. Elma was my landlady when I first moved to Winkler.

I had gone to work at Winkler Bible Camp for a week or so before I began my teaching career, partly in hopes of meeting some Winkler people to have some connections in the community before I moved. On the first day at camp, I let it be known that I was looking for housing in Winkler for the winter months. Elma was one of the cooks and she heard of my search and that very evening we headed into town for me to see the basement suite she had available. I immediately took it for the school year. Before the week of camp was over, I’d also found a roommate and we’re still in touch.

I also read the obituary of Elma Brown and it brought back memories of living in her basement. We didn’t interact a lot, but I think she kind of kept an eye on us girls! Amazing how God puts events together!

Hilda Hildebrand,
Rosedale Valley, Alta.