Growing up in North America, I was rarely exposed to any Christ other than the sanctimonious-looking white guy with long brown hair and a beard. While I enjoy the image of Jesus as a hippy, I found the image absurd-Jesus probably looked more like a young Yasser Arafat.

It didn't bother me too much, though, because I figured that in our efforts to try to know Jesus, it was not unreasonable to present him as one of "us."

As a university student, I became friends with an Ethiopian guy who took great pride in his heritage. Most of our opinions about Ethiopia are shaped by news images of starving children, doing a massive disservice to the beauty of its terrain, its successful resistance of European colonialism, and the wealth of its history.

A big part of that history is that Ethiopia is deeply rooted in Christianity, beginning in the fourth century. So, Ethiopians were able to develop their own image of Jesus long before whites established a virtual monopoly on it.

Imagine my friend's surprise when he came to North America and saw pictures of Jesus.

"But Jesus was black!" was his astonished response.

If differing representations of Christ were all granted equal value, I would celebrate the diversity that they embody. Unfortunately, however, the white version tends to dominate, and it does not even represent "us" adequately because millions of Canadians do not share my European ancestry.

This realization was amplified by my recent experience as a Mennonite Central Committee volunteer in Zambia. There, images of a white Jesus are found all over the place even though 99 percent of the population is black.

The matter became particularly relevant to me during my first church service there. The churchgoers were all black (with one notable exception). The sermon was in the local language with English translation; the songs were all in the local language.

And the Jesus on the wall facing the congregation? A pasty white guy. And in three different versions. It didn't make any sense to me.

So how does one reverse decades of trying to "Christianize Africa," and instead try to "Africanize Christianity?" One of the most obvious things is to present Jesus as black.

It was thus with great pleasure that I entered the board room at the Catholic Secretariat in Zambia's capital, Lusaka. I was captivated by the image on the wall. It was the Last Supper, but all of the characters were Africans in traditional garb.

At the bookstore, I found a series that depicted the life of Jesus in an African setting. Not only is it fantastic art, but the message is inspiring: African cultures do not have to play second fiddle to anyone.

While I'm not suggesting that we rip up depictions of Jesus as white, it is my wish that we expose ourselves-particularly our children-to other versions of Jesus: Amerindian, Asian, Latin American, African and maybe even-gasp-Arab. It is true that Jesus was enmeshed in a specific culture while he was here, but we should nevertheless ensure that everyone on the planet be able to access his message of good news without being forced to compromise their culture and heritage.

-Nicholas Klassen

Has church forgotten
musical treasures?

When I was a child in a city Mennonite church, singing took place at home, Sunday school, summer Bible school, the Ontario Mennonite Bible School and the church institutions in general. I remember music leaders such as A. C. Kolb, Titus Kolb, and S.F. Coffman who were noted in the Mennonite conference for their musical leadership. At that time, four-part music was an important part of church worship.

Participating in Sunday morning services, singing in choirs, choruses and quartets provided a lifetime treasure, for music was a uniting factor. Since losing my sight, and missing the many pleasures sight brings as well as its accompanying loneliness, I am surprised how the songs and choruses, these many treasures, have returned to me and seem to provide an avenue to the God we worship.

By changing to other forms of music and worship, has the church forgotten the blessings which older members treasured? Perhaps the Historical Society of Canada could proclaim the first Sunday of April to be seniors day when only traditional music and forms of worship would be used in honour of the older membership.

-Ray Baer, Kitchener, Ont.

Why all the fuss
about name?

It was with interest, and a fair bit of amusement, that I read about the Anabaptist/Mennonite "issue."

I was baptized as an infant (I have no recollection of being consulted) and raised in the United Church. I did the standard stuff which led to confirmation at age 13. I expected some sort of magical transformation and when it didn't happen I was left quite flat. Thus began my quest for spiritual meaning.

Many years later, I began attending a Mennonite church, as my wife is one of those ethnic Mennonite types. I enjoyed my status as an "adherent" as it allowed me to continue my exploration in a structured environment. Adult Sunday school was the best part because people constantly challenged me. The term "adherent" conjured up many humorous metaphors as well, mostly having to do with things that remain stuck to one's finger no matter how hard one tries to flick them away.

Through the nurturing of a loving congregation and an engaged pastor, I took another step in my journey by joining the church through baptism, thus becoming one of the few "Anabaptists" I, or anybody else in the congregation, knew.

On the other hand, maybe I'm not really one since this all happened in the 20th rather than the 16th century.

On the other hand, since my dictionary lists "ana" as a suffix meaning either upward or backward or anew, maybe I can claim the descriptor.

On the other hand (perhaps we're dealing with one of those Hindu figures with multiple arms), maybe the differentiation lies in whether or not I choose to capitalize the term. With a capital A, Anabaptism refers to the historical movement; with a small letter it describes what some of us have chosen.

These days large corporations are spending millions of dollars hiring consultants to come up with new names which provide an international identity. They do lots of research, poll various groups, then put forth a name nobody has heard of, thus generating millions more dollars for advertising agencies to get the message out.

I find myself wondering if the amount of time and energy spent on this "branding" is really productive. As long as Mennonites/Anabaptists know what defines them, "community, discipleship, peace and justice," then they need to get on with it and let good deeds speak for themselves.

-John Finlay, Walkerton, Ont.

Mennonite Foundation not
determining who is Mennonite

The feature "Anabaptist or Mennonite-who decides?" (Jan. 28) raises important issues. However, the context of the information could lead to some unfortunate misinterpretations and I feel it is important to provide some clarification.

The categorization of Mennonite Foundation of Canada as a "financial organization" obscures our purpose and role. MFC was created by several Mennonite conferences to provide stewardship education and gift planning services, in addition to our responsibility, as a public foundation, to gather and distribute charitable assets.

For MFC, the question of who decides who is an Anabaptist or a Mennonite is not a relevant issue. It is not our place nor desire to define these terms. Working with a new charity or conference will not involve MFC changing or compromising our mission to provide "stewardship education and service from an Anabaptist perspective."

When a new group (such as the Brethren in Christ who have entered a two-year interim partnership with MFC) expresses interest in working with the foundation, we look at several issues: 1) whether the group is comfortable with who we are and what we do, 2) whether we are comfortable working with them, and, most important, 3) whether the relationship would be beneficial, not only to the new group but to the foundation and its owner conferences.

There is a need for quality Canadian education materials to help all ages within our constituency understand what it means to be faithful stewards of all of life. Working with others who also see this need should not be perceived as a threat to Mennonite/Anabaptist identity. Rather, it is a partnership that seeks to equip Christian stewards and build God's kingdom.

Finally, the Everett Thomas article contained outdated information. We have 11 staff and assets of $50 million.

-Robert J. Veitch, general manager, Mennonite Foundation of Canada

Either/or thinking
not adequate

I read with interest Kevin McCabe's comments concerning the debate over homosexuality entitled, "Is Scripture a reliable guide?" (Feb. 11). McCabe makes some good points.

However, I can't help but think that his thesis and arguments-that the Bible is either a reliable moral guide or it isn't-do not amount to the final word or the whole story concerning this difficult issue.

I feel compelled to challenge McCabe's position because almost all such examples of "either/or" thinking eventually break down in this complicated experience called life; so little of what constitutes reality is simply this or that.

Such thinking can presuppose that we know exactly what God is doing, and how God is doing it. Far more likely is that God may yet surprise us concerning many of the religious/spiritual conundrums we wrestle with. I, for one, will be surprised if we're not surprised.

-Ron Hiller, Kitchener, Ont.