Readers write: August 27, 2018 issue
It’s important for a pastor to be married, not just living with a partner Re: “Introducing Dave Rogalsky, Eastern Canada correspondent,” June 18, page 2. Are we so proper now that we cannot say whether people are married or not? When I was much younger, people “were living in sin” if living with a partner…
Readers write: July 23, 2018 issue
Calling suicide selfish is uncharitable Re: “Suicide may not be painless, but it is selfish,” July 2, 2018, page 7. Victor Huebert writes that suicide “is a very selfish act and inconsiderate of family.” Really? Is it also selfish and inconsiderate to die of pancreatic cancer, a brain tumor, heart disease, or leukemia? Mental illness…
Readers write: July 2, 2018 issue
Suicide may not be painless, but it is selfish Re: “Suicide isn’t painless,” May 21, page 16. I sympathize deeply with the Brandt/Penner family. My cousin used a gun to end his life; a very deep depression must have affected them both. It’s difficult to say, but it seems to me that suicide is…
Readers write: June 18, 2018 issue
Unity starts with the fruit of the Spirit Re: “Ethics not the basis for Christian unity” letter, April 23, page 10. Walter Klassen states in his letter, “No matter how uncompromisingly we disagree on ethical issues, could we, as Christian believers, use that creedal confession [‘I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of…
Readers write: June 4, 2018 issue
It’s not easy being single in the church There were never many girls my age at the Mennonite church in Scarborough, Ont., prior to my adolescent years, nor did my becoming a teenager make much difference. There were many personable Upper Canada College girls at the high school I attended. But Mom said, “No!”…
Readers write: May 21, 2018 issue
‘Just one more example of a privileged western interpretation’ Re: “A peace that ignores Jesus’ atoning work” review of A Palestinian Theology of Liberation, April 9, page 24. While I have high respect for reviewer Harold Jantz and his work within the Mennonite church, I can’t help thinking that he has provided just one…
Readers write: May 7, 2018 issue
Resurrection feature re-opens old wounds Re: “Is belief in Jesus’ resurrection necessary?” feature, March 12, page 4. The final sentence in Michael Pahl’s feature notwithstanding, both the title and content turn out to be an occasion to re-open wounds from the splitting apart of congregations over the very question of the resurrection. I have myself…
Readers write: April 23, 2018 issue
Spiritual directors thanked for their Lenten prayer guide Re: “Lenten prayer sheet reflects Lululemon spirituality” letter, March 12, page 7. The references to the Lenten prayer guide as “scriptural soundbites, social-justice propaganda and Lululemon theology” that is “hacking away at the roots of faith” are inflammatory rhetoric that is unproductive, not to mention deeply…
Readers write: April 9, 2018 issue
Feature writer breaks faith with Paul’s word to the Corinthians Re: “Unity of the Spirit,” Feb. 26, page 4. I found the adapted presentation of Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld disappointing and unhelpful. I cannot detect any engagement by him with parts of I Corinthians. This omission severely, if not completely, undermines this piece of…
Readers write: March 26, 2018 issue
It’s important to listen well Re: “The skill and soul of listening,” and “What kind of Mennonite?” (Feb. 12, pages 16 and 2, respectively). The Bible refers often to listening; Proverbs expounds the value of listening and so do Jesus, Paul, Peter and James. But social media bombards us with all sorts of information so…
