Tag: Letters

Reader finds assurance in the Holy Spirit’s presence Troy Watson has exposed us to the topic of the Holy Spirit among us as believers, in his April 7 column, “Many Christians do not believe in the Holy Spirit.” The presence of the Holy Spirit gives us comfort, guidance, conviction and much joy. Let’s discuss it…

The religion of peace The week the F-35 fighter jet was on the cover (Jan. 30), I had pulled an antique book of sermons off the shelf that my wife had from her grandmother. Published in 1896, it is titled The Message of Peace by R.W. Church. It was written within memory of the U.S.…

Adjusting to ‘no longer being dominant’ In his “Is the ban back?” editorial in the March 13 issue, Will Braun encourages readers to “ask Mennonite professors, pastors, students and magazine editors if progressive backlash keeps them from voicing questions they consider important.” I thought I would go on the record stating that I have only…

Alvin Baroro On page 6 of the Feb. 13 issue is a picture mentioning two people’s names and identifying another as “an Indigenous coffee grower.” Please do better than that and offer all equal dignity by making the effort of having all the names. —Harold Penner, Arnaud, Man. (Arnaud Mennonite Church) Editor’s note: Good point.…

Convenient pacifism In response to “Conscientious” (Jan. 30): Wherever religious Mennonites locate in the world, security is usually provided mostly by others. Others suffer and die in their place, while Mennonites denounce their work, reap the benefits and are secretly grateful. If Mennonites acknowledged everyone’s dependence on compromise solutions and participated in those solutions, their…

Complexities of pacifism Below are four responses to “Conscientious” (Jan. 30), which critiqued the Canadian government purchase of fighter jets. Horrors in Ukraine If countries do not stand up to dictators like Putin, Hitler, Mussolini and Napoleon, we would not have the freedoms we enjoy now. Yes, we need the pacifists as well to promote…

Making God manageable I really appreciate what Ryan Dueck is trying to get at, as well as the powerful responses (“To set a soul aflame,” Jan. 30). When Karl Barth visited European Mennonite Bible School near Basel in 1967, a student asked him if groups like the Mennonites have a reason to exist today. Barth…

Tell your story of faith The article “Eyes to see” (Nov. 28, 2022) discussed, “how to help members talk about faith and God’s work in their own lives.” Many of us would rather talk about Mennonites in the past or present, thus evading talking about God in our lives. As followers of Jesus, we are…

Feeling like a pandemic leper I really appreciate the three articles Will Braun wrote regarding the polarization of vaccines (“The sweet solace of polarization,” Oct. 3, Oct. 17, Oct. 31, 2022). I am immunocompromised and was the first member of my church to get COVID-19, back in November 2020. After the two-week quarantine, I got…

Two views on ‘sweet solace’ Re: “The sweet solace of polarization” series, Oct. 3; Oct. 17; and Oct. 31. At the heart of the gospel message is the admonition of Jesus to “love your neighbour as yourself.” It is impossible for me to understand how refusing potentially life-saving precautions, such as vaccines and masks, to…