The article caught my attention
just when I wanted to hear what it said. I'm referring to the
article by Leonard Friesen (pages 6-7), which first appeared as
a commentary in a local daily.
Almost buried in the avalanche of stories about religiously inspired
violence, I was also being dragged down by the implicit accompanying
message that religion is largely problematic. It is also part
of the answer, countered Friesen as he pointed out the irony of
religious fervour flourishing amidst a proposed secular remedy
for religion gone awry.
The resurgence of religion is being flagged more broadly in the
media. "The rebirth of faith in a material world," was
the tag on the front cover of the book review section in the March
30 issue of The Globe and Mail. The cover tag referred to reviews
of several books: Divine Hunger: Canadians on Spiritual Walkabout,
by Peter C. Emberley, and Restless Gods: The Renaissance of Religion
in Canada, by Reginald W. Bibby.
In another prominent example, Canada's weekly newsmagazine, Maclean's,
headlined its April 1 cover story as "Living the faith: nine
Canadians who put their beliefs into action." The stories
profile four Christians, two Jews, an Ismaili Muslim, a Hindu
and a native elder.
What's puzzling, however, is how the editor introduces these profiles.
They demonstrate, he writes, that "kindness shouldn't be
restricted by spiritual divides: those who understand that make
their communities better for everyone." Okay. Then he seems
to render somewhat tentative and restrictive his point about the
social benefit of a "lived faith" by adding: "That's
one of the strongest arguments in favour of the separation of
church and state. To believe-or not-is a personal matter."
Personal, yes. But not private!
"The earth is the Lord's," according to Psalm 24, "and
all that is in it." This foundational belief seeks to realize
in all of life the will of the creator. The time-honoured principle
of separation of church and state simply ensures that public administration
doesn't come under the control of any one religious group, and
that governments in turn do not seek to control or oppress religion.
This same principle opens space for religion to connect deeply
with its source, and to seek the best intentions of that source
for the common, not only the private, good.
-Ron Rempel
This issue (page 14) includes
yet another story about the financial woes at Mennonite Publishing
House. There are also indications of a new resolve to wrestle
this venerable agency back to financial health, and to kick-start
some new visions about the future of publishing.
The bad news is that debts and unfunded liabilities were allowed
to accumulate, even while the church continued to benefit from
MPH publications and resources. By guaranteeing loans, both Mennonite
Church Canada and USA are mortgaging their own futures and potentially
jeopardizing other programs, should MPH default on the loans.
The good news is that the church leaders are taking ownership
of the agency, even if through seemingly drastic steps such as
taking over the responsibilities of the MPH board. One immediate
challenge is to achieve financial stability and to resolve outstanding
issues related to the benefits of retired employees and to some
122 debenture note holders.
A second immediate challenge is to put in place the so-called
"transformation team" so that any short-term fix-ups
can happen with reference to a broader vision.
-Ron Rempel
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