Canadian Mennonite
Volume 10, No. 15
July 31, 2006


InConversation

Letters

This section is a forum for discussion and discernment. Letters express the opinion of the writer only, not necessarily the position of Canadian Mennonite, the five area churches or Mennonite Church Canada. Letters should address issues rather than criticizing individuals and include contact information. We will send copies of letters referring to other parties to them to provide an opportunity to respond in a future issue if their views have not already been printed in an earlier letter.

Please send letters to be considered for publication to letters@canadianmennonite.org or to Canadian Mennonite, 490 Dutton Drive, Unit C5, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6H7, “Attn: Letter to the Editor.” Letters may be edited for length, style and adherence to editorial guidelines.

Sharing properly done reduces church gossip

Re: “Thank you for sharing,” Canadian Mennonite, April 3, page 10.

In his piece on the practice of congregational sharing in Mennonite churches, Paul Boers makes some helpful points. I particularly appreciate his final quotation by William Orr: “The life of the church is more important than the religious development or expression of a single person.” At this point in history, this sentiment is countercultural and a timely reminder of the true nature of Christ’s Church.

However, Mr. Boers makes some generalized statements regarding sharing that are not reflective of my experience. He writes, “Sharing is a non-native invader that distorts worship and becomes impossible to dislodge.” Our church’s sharing practice has been very much the opposite. Sharing has become an integral part of our worship as a community. Our sharing differs from Mr. Boers’ description in almost every aspect.

First, the sharing is rarely embarrassing or private (although it is often profoundly moving), and at one time or another, almost everyone in our church has shared, although some feel more comfortable in front of the microphone than others.

Additionally, far from creating an air of “gossip,” one lifelong church member felt our sharing time was the reason our church gossiped so little. We were made aware of the struggles people were enduring by the people themselves.

We have had various discussions over the years as to how to keep the tone of sharing time worshipful, and in this way I appreciate Mr. Boers’ cautions regarding the potential pitfalls of sharing time. I cannot, however, support his conclusion that sharing time is, in and of itself, a problem.

In our church, if sharing runs for 10 minutes, instead of just two, then church lasts 10 minutes longer. The essential components of worship are not compromised by our sharing; they are made full.

I believe that our sharing time is vital and worshipful because we see our church as a community and our faith journey as collective. With this in our minds and hearts, congregational sharing can be a fantastic and godly answer to the sense of alienation that pervades our contemporary world.

—Lynda Loewen, Winnipeg

The writer is chair of the music and worship committee at Home Street Mennonite Church, Winnipeg.

Natural selection points away from God

In “Pointing us to a loving God: The paradox of natural selection” (May 29, page 6), Glen Klassen says of the intelligent design theorists, “Whenever we find something that is highly or-ganized, they say we should recognize it as specially created by an intelligent designer who works in such a way that there is no natural explanation for the result.”

Klassen seems to have confused “irreducible complexity” with “special creation.” Irreducible complexity means that purposeful and intelligent input is essential for organizing an aspect of a life form—within the bounds of probability. Darwin himself said that his theory of unpurposeful and unintelligent design would stand or fall on a single instance of irreducible complexity.

Klassen criticizes biochemist Michael Behe for believing in special creation. But Behe has told me explicitly that he believes the intelligent input needed for irreducible complexity was coded into the universe at the Big Bang. In that case, Behe is not a creationist unless, by “creationist,” Klassen means what many professed atheists in the sciences mean—anyone who believes that the universe shows evidence of purpose and design.

For that matter, what is a “natural explanation”? Klassen writes as if it must be an explanation that excludes purpose or design.

But then he seemingly misunderstands Behe’s argument. He writes, “But even if there are structures with irreducible complexity, and I believe there are many in the cell, natural selection would not be precluded. Something that has irreducible complexity today need not have had it in the past.”

No, no, no! If the structure could arise through random, unguided events trimmed by natural selection, it is not irreducibly complex by definition. Behe points to structures that can be assumed to arise by that process only if faith in Darwinism is our starting point, ignoring the probabilities. Klassen is clearly anxious that Darwin’s theory should stand: Even in cases of doubt, we are asked to believe it can work.

He also writes, “It is paradoxical that understanding of a cruel and wasteful process such as natural selection could point us to the love of God.”

I am delighted that it has affected him that way. But many people who accept Darwinism—while understanding clearly what it teaches—are affected in the opposite way. Given that Darwin’s theory has played a key role in promoting atheism worldwide, why should Christians defend it? When Darwinism falls, there will be other theories of evolution, most of them much more compatible with Christianity.

—Denyse O’Leary, Toronto

The writer is author of By Design or by Chance? that was reviewed on page 8 of the May 29 issue of Canadian Mennonite.

Israel should seek diplomatic solution

The following letter was sent by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada executive director Don Peters to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on July 5.

We write to you out of our deep concern for the serious situation unfolding in Gaza, Palestine, at this time.

Mennonite Central Committee has worked in the Middle East since the late 1940s. Currently our staff in the region work closely with Palestinian and Israeli partners, seeking a just and durable peace to the longstanding conflict. In Gaza, we support financially a Palestinian women’s health centre, a women’s food-processing organization and a children’s centre in the Khan Younis refugee camp.

MCC staff in the region have heard directly from partners about the crisis situation unfolding in Gaza. Power and water have been cut off in many areas due to Israel’s bombing of a major power station. Movement has been restricted because of the destruction of important bridges. Children and young people are terrorized by daily shelling and the sonic booms of fighter jets. There is fear of a major military onslaught.

We do not in any way condone the actions of Palestinian militants who killed two Israeli soldiers and captured a third. Yet we understand that such actions arise out of the desperation of a people whose cry for justice continues to go unheard by much of the world.

We urge you to use your influence to press for a diplomatic solution to the current crisis. A diplomatic solution will help to save the life of the captured Israeli soldier, as well as scores of Palestinians. A military response on Israel’s part will heighten the suffering for Palestinians in Gaza. It will also surely contribute to more extremist responses on the part of Palestinians and make long-term solutions so much more elusive.

Once again, we urge you to call on Israel to seek the way of diplomacy in the current crisis.

—Donald Peters, Winnipeg

Canada must respond to attacks on Gaza

As Jewish health professionals, we are gravely concerned by the extent of human devastation in Gaza. Almost as appalling is the lack of media reports and the silence of our government.

[See stories of the unfolding crisis in the Middle East on page 20 of this issue. Ed.]

According to reports from Dr. Mona El-Farra in Gaza, there are 112,000 patients there with chronic diseases who are dependent on refrigeration for medications. The 22 hospitals are currently running alternative electrical power, but even that is running out because of the total siege which is blocking fossil fuel deliveries. The lives of 250 renal dialysis patients are threatened because the supply of dialysis solution is running low. At least 30,000 children suffer from malnutrition and this number will increase as diarrhea spreads as a result of the extreme shortage of clean water. As well, premature babies on life-support machines are awaiting certain death.

This targeting of the civilian population is in total contravention of the Geneva Accords. All this adds up to a humanitarian disaster that is happening before our eyes and our response is near total silence.

What will it take for the decision-makers in Canada to bring our humanitarian instincts to this situation? It is not yet too late for Canada to stand up and say, “We will help!” If we do not, we will have a hand in allowing a humanitarian disaster to unfold.

—Dr. Miriam Garfinkle, Judith Rosenthal Deutsch, Toronto

Seeking peace

The following reflection by Marie Moyer of Lethbridge (Alta.) Mennonite Church, who works with Mennonite Central Committee’s Services for Low German Mennonites in Taber, Alta., was originally presented in a longer form as part of a panel discussion hosted by the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs late last year. The panelists addressed the question, “Have the churches retreated from seeking peace on earth?”

As a Mennonite, I have been brought up in a church culture that is defined by our peace stance. In this context, the question is not an easy one to answer from a Mennonite perspective. Simply refusing to participate in violence is not quite the same as actively trying to right injustices in the larger society, nor is it even bringing the good news that Jesus preached into a suffering world.

At times—if I look back critically on the history of my own church and my own people—I have to conclude that it has been a cop-out. Yet the powerful witness of a people who have willingly died rather than kill is impossible to discount. Mennonites throughout the centuries hope that their actions will speak louder to their neighbours than words ever could.

All of which brings us to modern Mennonites in present-day Canada. While it may be true that other denominations were more involved in peace activism in the 1960s than they are now, it is, as far as I can tell, certainly not true of Mennonites. In the ’60s, although Mennonites were assimilating more and more into Canadian culture, Mennonite churches were still very much withdrawn from political and public affairs. So, although “peace” was a very Mennonite thing to be involved with, peace activism was not.

Sometime between that time and when I became conscious of what was happening around me, a number of Mennonite churches and conferences have emerged from this isolation and connected or aligned themselves with some of the broader movements within the Christian Church. The first is an alignment with what we could term the evangelical movement.

A second path out of isolation is the path of social justice through which many Mennonites have begun to develop a political conscience. I would point to the activities of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) as the primary outlet through which many Mennonites put this kind of theology into action. What unites these Mennonites of various political stripes, though, is action—not activism.

While political affiliations do exist among Mennonites, many of us are still reluctant to publicly align ourselves with political parties, in part because of the tension it would create within organizations like MCC, and in part because getting involved in politics is simply just not Mennonite.

If there is a criticism that I would aim at my own church, it is that we have been plenty willing to put our theology into action, but we haven’t been prophetic enough.

But let me tell you about some of the ways that Mennonites do actively seek peace and justice on earth:

CPT was begun as a response to a challenge made by Ron Sider at the Mennonite World Conference assembly in France in 1984:

“Those who believed in peace through the sword have not hesitated to die. Proudly, courageously, they gave their lives….

“Unless we...are ready to start to die by the thousands in dramatic, vigorous, new exploits for peace and justice, we should sadly confess that we never really meant what we said, and we dare never whisper another word about pacifism to our sisters and brothers in those desperate lands filled with injustice. Unless we are ready to die developing new nonviolent attempts to reduce conflict, we should confess that we never really meant that the cross was an alternative to the sword.”

—Marie Moyer

God, money and me

—Dave Kroeker

Mutual aid

Mutual aid is not just something quaint that is practised by the Amish and Old Order Mennonites. It is an integral part of what it means to be Jesus’ followers. Our Scriptures tell us that it is sin for someone to know to do good and then not to do it.

Mutual aid became a lifestyle of choice and conviction for Anabaptist-Mennonites and their offspring communities long before government-sponsored social programs came into vogue. Taking their cue from the Bible, they and other followers of Jesus soon institutionalized this conviction to begin hospitals, orphanages and care facilities, among others, for the sick and unfortunate in society.

When the Russian Revolution and World War I left many of their compatriots in the Ukraine and elsewhere in dire straits, Mennonites in North America—knowing they were the privileged and that privilege brought with it an obligation—formed Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to gather and send food and other necessities to their kin, and to others, to help them survive.

This fledgling organization is still alive and well today, and has been the chief agency through which Mennonites and other communities have provided aid and development assistance around the world for nearly 90 years.

But mutual aid does not begin and end with MCC or other aid organizations. It begins with you and me, and with the conviction that those who have must help those who have needs we can meet. It really is not a choice for those who walk in Jesus’ way. It is an integral part of the commitment we have made, the journey we are on.

A mutual aid lifestyle begins with the recognition that all I call my own is merely a gift to me—my abilities, my health, the knowledge and aptitudes I have gained, my time, and my financial resources—and that if I squander these simply to enhance my lifestyle and my comforts, rather than employ them to assist others, I have violated my testimony of walking on the road Jesus walked.

This is serious business; this is moral ground. Let us determine that our own lifestyle decisions and our convictions will meld into one grand whole, that gives testimony that we are serious about mutual aid and accountability in our own lives, in the life of the congregation of which we are part, and in the world beyond. And further, let us challenge each other to the faithful use of our gifts in building a world that is sustainable, where healing is provided to those who suffer, and where hope reigns for all.

As I conclude my work with Mennonite Foundation of Canada (as I near 67 I know it is time for others with greater energy to carry on this important work), my conviction about the positive value of the foundation’s efforts to challenge its constituents to first fruits living (stewardship) remains as strong as ever. I trust that many more will catch the vision the foundation promotes.

Dave Kroeker is a Mennonite Foundation of Canada stewardship consultant. For stewardship education, estate and charitable gift planning, visit mennofoundation.ca for details.

Family Ties

—Melissa Miller

Timeless space

As research for a Bible study on the subject of time, I read In Praise of Slow by Carl Honoré. The author covers the value of slow living with such topics as food, exercise and cities. He suggested that people purposefully choose to slow themselves down; for example, by going to the longest line at the grocery check-out. Such a counterintuitive act provides a little more space for our harried, rushed souls to step out of the fast lane, to breathe more deeply, to soothe our frenetic nerves.

I took him up on his offer. While I’m not always eager to join the longest queue, I consciously try to set aside my impatience and claim the possible benefit of waiting. I found the pause did refresh me, and make me more conscious of my own tension and edginess, and of the people around me. Gradually I took in the pleasantness of the staff, and the weariness I sometimes saw in their eyes. My interactions with them and the others waiting in line became more friendly. In a little way, I became more human, less self-absorbed.

The first small step led me to take another. Instead of checking the bus schedule ahead of time (and then fretting about whether I will make or miss the bus), I began to allow a window of suitable time, and then simply headed out the door within that window. (Note: This works best when it is not an extremely hot or cold day!)

My mood was the first change, as I gained a sense of calm acceptance. I also became aware that I had more space to take in beauty through my senses: the scent of lilacs, the neighbours’ gardens, the cooling breeze and the play of light on the leaves. Prayers emerged in the waiting times—for my family and neighbours, for my community, for peace in the world. Stepping off of the hurry train does provide immediate benefits.

What does this have to do with our family relationships? In reply, I offer a quote from a poster I read many years ago: “Of course children get in the way, but where are you going?” Our hurriedness often propels us past that which is most vital. We need to ensure that we allow ourselves to be with each other, to connect in slow and lazy ways.

Last winter I travelled to Pennsylvania for my grandmother’s funeral. On the night before the funeral, I stretched out on the couch, settling in with a novel. Soon after, my mother sat down beside me, asking for feedback on the eulogy she planned to offer at the service. I turned from my book, and she began to read, her head close to mine, her words painting warm memories of her mother and family life. My spirit stirred with the blessing of being able to companion my mother as she recalled her life as a daughter, as she prepared to bury her mother. We were wrapped in intimate, sacred space. Timeless.

Melissa Miller is a family life consultant, pastoral counsellor and author from Winnipeg. Her Bible study, My Times Are in Your Hands, is now available from Canadian Women in Mission.


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