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.)

A waste of ink and money

Re “The wealthy in the land” (Features, January). I was very happy to see the Herald deal with the topic of consumerism. Wally Kroeker’s article made me think of more ways I could share my wealth.

Then I turned the page and the full-colour glossy MBMSI insert stared me in the face. What a waste of ink, paper, and money! I like an occasional colour picture, but black and white pictures show the same things. And the glossy paper is harder for older people to read because of eye deterioration.

You are challenging us to be wise consumers. They are empty words if you don’t practice what you preach.

Shirley B. Bergen,
Winnipeg, Man.

Editor’s note: Due to advances in the printing industry, colour is now nearly the same price as black and white. And thanks to the “green” facilities at our award-winning printer, Christian Press, colour printing is also environmentally friendly. With better equipment, Christian Press wastes less ink and recycles almost everything. The ink is vegetable-based, and it takes only about 10 percent more ink to print in colour than black and white.

Teaching on mammon needed

Re “Buyer beware” (Features, January). Thanks to Jonathan Janzen and Ryan Dueck for their insightful and courageous article. Our MB leaders have given, at best, only tepid lip service to the mammon challenge. I have never heard any stewardship teaching about how to get us off mammon’s path. Our denominational and congregational budgets sadly reflect that deficit – giving is at 3–4 percent, if not lower, according to numerous credible surveys.

A statement made by a member of our small group says it all, “It’s more difficult to live out the life of committed discipleship in our North American affluence than in a Third World country like Zimbabwe.”

George H. Epp,
Chilliwack, B.C.

Responsible wealth

Re “Consuming passion” (January). Two books I’ve read recently have aided me in responsible stewardship. The first is Money, Possessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn. The main theme is that Christians in the West are wealthier than ever and, as such, we should be able to get together and address the world’s poverty issues quite handily. The second is a counterpoint from a secular approach, The White Man’s Burden, by William Easterly. This scholarly book looks at the $2.3 trillion spent by the West on the rest in the last half century, with very little to show for it.

What’s impressed upon me is that I need to give, give more, give responsibly. That means holding my giving accountable. We should be asking our churches, our provincial and national conferences, MCC, MBMSI, and all other organizations we support for annual financial reports. Additionally we should be asking a lot of questions about them. When we are satisfied that money is wisely spent, we can give confidently and joyfully.

Harvey Rempel,
Surrey, B.C.

Guilty of gluttony and greed

Re “Buyer beware” and “The wealthy in the land” (Features, January). I appreciated the article by Janzen and Dueck, but they didn’t go far enough in addressing the seriousness of this issue. The authors state that consumption isn’t a sin. This is true, but overconsumption is.

Overconsumption is the sin of gluttony and greed. North Americans are guilty of these sins. Our environmental footprint would require seven planets. Our personal debts are at an all time high. Our charitable donations are low in terms of inflated dollars and gross income. Our churches are spending more and more money internally. Even the “subprime” crisis is an indication of our gluttony.

Wally Kroeker asks if Mennonites have anything to teach North American culture. We should have, but I’m not sure we do.

Edgar Dueck,
Coaldale, Alta.

Base identity on the gospel

Re “Values eroding” (Letters, January). How wonderful that “it’s virtually impossible for a newcomer to discern the difference between MBs, Baptists, Presbyterians, etc.”! We are, in the end, all going to inherit God’s kingdom. When we get to the gates of heaven, I doubt we’ll be invited in on the basis of denomination.

It’s very sad when the identity of our denomination is based on “German language lessons, a weekly choir, maintaining a stance on Halloween or school dances or movie theatres or highschool proms or using money on Sundays,” rather than on the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the core of our existence. Our denomination should be recognized by that core, rather than by peripheral issues.

Eleonore Esau,
Traverse Bay, Man.

God uses all types of vehicles

Re “Should Christians own sport utility vehicles?” (Consume this! February). My church has special parking for motorbikes, we host a Biker Sunday, and our pastor is a biker, but you can rest assured that my church will never tell me what vehicle to buy. God will.

My church gives great guidance in the area of values/ethics, but what I choose to do with the information and examples set by our church leaders is totally between me and God. I love that my church encourages us to listen to God and to be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, whether it’s over the purchase of a vehicle or the decision to give money to an orphanage in Africa.

God uses all kinds of vehicles and their owners to spread the good news. I have a buddy who’s able to share the gospel with Harley Davidson enthusiasts because he drives a Harley himself. I have another buddy who has shared the gospel with fellow transit riders on her bus commute into town. The church can give us an outline, but we each write our own story – and the stories will all be as unique as their writers.

Karen Hayes,
Kamloops, B.C.

Drinking not funny

Re “Pontius’ Puddle” (News, January). Your little cartoon reminded me of a joke: A pastor spoke hard against liquor and ended his message by saying, “I wish all the liquor would be thrown into the river.” The song leader got up and suggested, “Let’s sing, Shall we gather at the river?”

Recently, Rev. B said to me, “I’m surprised that two of our members had social drinks at the party. Social drinking is becoming a problem among Christians.”

Norman Fehr,
Kelowna, B.C.

Celebration brings sadness

Re “Happy birthday to us” (Features, January). Ken Reddig’s call for Mennonite Brethren to celebrate our denomination’s 148th birthday will strike a cord of agreement and excitement among many, as it should. It will also strike a cord of puzzlement and sadness among many, as it probably should as well.

As I reflect on the “issues” leading to the formation of the Mennonite Brethren Church, as identified by Reddig, I note that none of them exist today, or for a considerable period of time for that matter. So why have we remained apart from our fellow Mennonites all these years? In the meantime, numerous additional Mennonite denominations have been formed, a further testimony to our inability to remain in fellowship. The fracturing of Mennonites doesn’t provide a testimony of love, unity, or common worship to other churches, let alone to society at large.

My hope and prayer is that by our 150th year, we will have rejoined our Mennonite brothers and sisters, even as the Mennonite Church, the Conference of Mennonites, and the General Conference of Mennonites merged to form Mennonite Church Canada in 2000.

John Konrad,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Don’t whitewash failure

Re “Sorry is a good place to start” (Editorial, December). My husband and I were pleased with the candour of Laura Kalmar’s report about the Culture, Gospel, and Church study conference. So often we whitewash our failures – we Mennos are expert at triumphalism. We fetch “big name” strangers to speak at our events and don’t get to know or support our local “discerning” members. It seems we need to encourage community: opinion, dialogue, and debate at all levels, getting to know and trust each other.

Helen Rose Pauls,
Abbotsford, B.C.

Get over fear of same-gender attraction

Re “Manitoba MB churches begin to address same-gender attraction” (News, February). I was pleased to read your recent article on the ministry of Living Waters in Winnipeg with the suggestion that perhaps it was time to address the issue. I live with same-gender attraction. I agree that acting on the attraction is a choice and that acting out sexually is a sin. This I have never done nor do I intend to do. I have, however, accepted that the attraction is part of my life, very much the way an addict has to live with his tendency towards addiction.

How can the church help someone with same-gender attraction? First she must get over her fear of it. Acting out same-gender attraction is the same as any other sin and the people the same as any other, albeit with certain, generally misunderstood challenges. We must be encouraged to live godly lives in the midst of a supportive community. Same-gender friendships with healthy boundaries are important. Hugs are important for emotional well-being.

Last year I went through the 24-week program of Living Waters in Vancouver. The program consists of worship, teaching, and small group time. Living Waters points us to the cross where we are encouraged to leave our sexual and relational brokenness. For more information on Living Waters ministry, go to desertstream.org. For testimonies of God’s work in the lives of people living with same-gender attraction, go to stonewallrevisited.com.

Name withheld by request,
Richmond, B.C.