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.)

God uses people in real time

Re “Leap of logic” (Letters, Nov. 25). I believe it is perfectly legitimate to have women in the position of pastor or lead pastor. I come from a faith community that has a “co-pastor” model and sees value in the giftedness and importance of both male and female pastors within the life of our faith community. Instead of any one of these pastors exercising authority over the other, they are accountable to each other, to our leadership team and the community. It saddens me to see lack of support for women seeking to exercise their gifts in lead pastor roles. It is quite painful for some women, and if this is not recognized soon, I fear the MB Conference will continue to lose significant leaders.

In relation to issues of Scripture, I am writing to advocate for a hermeneutic that sees Scripture both as the inerrant Word of God and as a set of writings born out of a specific cultural context that had an inevitable effect on it. Scripture should always be subject to some “refreshed interpretations.” God uses people in real time and space! The writers of the Bible were not intellectually transported into the holy dimension of proper rational thinking while they wrote the words of Scripture. These were used in the regular ebb and flow of their cultural lives. To forget this would be diminishing the value of Scripture, not retaining it.

Zac Klassen,
Winnipeg, Man.

No other book than the Bible

Re “Touching a raw nerve” and “Learning from ancient Christians?” (Letters, Nov. 25). I agree with Alma Siemens that Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life is not the 67th book of the Bible, but I find it amazing how many people are quoting this book as if it is. Perhaps Rick Warren has found a need in our “purposeless” society, but the Christian message is based on God’s purpose, not ours. Is God saddened when we go to another book to make us feel we can love God wholeheartedly? Do we need any other book than the Bible to “touch a raw nerve,” when God has already written one for us?

When any new thing enters the church, such as Renovaré, one doesn’t need to dig further than some bibliographies to find serious root rot. I agree “there is much to be gained by being open to the writings of Christians throughout the ages.” So how about going back a bit further, and being open to some writings of Paul (to Timothy), warning of what to watch out for in these latter times?

Carla Kamps,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Not prepared for a decision

Re Board of Faith and Life resolution on women in ministry leadership (July 22). One opinion expressed regarding this resolution is that we should not allow our culture to determine our interpretation of Paul. This has proven difficult for Mennonite Brethren. In my lifetime, we have always done so. In 2 Corinthians 13:12, Paul gives the direct order: “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” I have never seen this done in one of our churches! 1 Timothy 2:9 says women should not have braided hair. My aunt did not cut her hair until her late eighties. No one condemned her. However, this also meant that she cut off the long braid it had been kept in. One of Paul’s precepts was kept, while another was breached. What was she to do? We decide very often which culture we will abide by and don’t know we are doing it. One thing is certain. Morals do not change. The way we apply them does.

When it comes to women in leadership, we have not reached a universal decision. We have not decided as a Canadian conference whether we are dealing with Pauline morals or an application of them. We are not prepared to make a decision, but we will be forced to. Nevertheless, no minds will change.

Gerald Janzen,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Church shopping exists in the Bible

Re “Many facets of God” and “Through thick and thin” (Letters, Nov. 25). I understand the concerns that congregational leaders have with regard to people “church shopping” and leaving their community. But, if people leave, it is important to ask why. Possibly they are not being spiritually fed in our communities. People don’t leave when they are being fed. We must not become so program, system and business-oriented that we forget to build the relationships that Christ would be concerned about.

The community of Christ grows when people allow dividing walls to be removed. Church shopping does, in fact, exist in Scripture. Paul was one of the best church shoppers. Even Jesus moved from community to community to encourage and exhort. We must not discourage people from experiencing the larger picture of what community really is. Being the community of saints is far more than what many are experiencing in their local congregations. Jesus came to set us free, not to shut the doors on us and hold us captive to one particular doctrinal way of thinking. Community is wherever Christ is allowed to participate with his Body. Do not hold people captive in your community. The most important thing to Christ is that people exercise faith in him.

Rod Campbell,
Calgary, Alta.

Long-term problems expected

Re “All equal in the sight of God” (Letters, Nov. 4). I do believe the Board of Faith and Life has carefully considered the issue of women in ministry leadership and has been biblically shaped by Scriptures on one side of this biblical tension in the formation of their desired goal. I also believe they desired this goal so much they yielded to a shortcut in achieving it. This can be expected to lead to long-term problems in areas of faith and life.

Richard Loewen,
St. Catharines, Ont.

Stop bickering

Re Board of Faith and Life resolution on women in ministry leadership (July 22). I am surprised there are still letters against the recommendation of the BFL. This board, though not infallible, was chosen by us to apply Scripture to our day. The members spent years coming to this conclusion, with sessions across Canada where people could present their views. Now that they’ve finally made a decision, it is up to us to accept, cooperate and encourage our young women who are gifted and called by God to respond to that call. Does this mean I prefer women pastors to men? No. Does this mean that every church must have a woman pastor? No. Does this mean that women who are called and gifted in leadership can work in our church instead of leaving for other conferences? Yes.

Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman about theology and told her to tell the men. After his resurrection, Jesus showed himself to the women first and told them to tell Peter and John. Is this not a direct contradiction of Paul’s restrictive passages that say women should not teach men? Which is more important, Jesus’ life or Paul’s confusing advice?

Let’s stop bickering about who will do the work and move forward in unity to get it done.

Shirley Bergen,
Winnipeg, Man.