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: 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: 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: February 12, 2018 issue
Anabaptist Essentials ‘a quintessential travesty’ The following letter was abridged from one originally sent to Herald Press, the publisher of Palmer Becker’s Anabaptist Essentials. I’m writing to express amazement that you would have published Anabaptist Essentials, when what it presents is highly simplistic and seriously uninformed. Consider that there is no mention of the…
Readers write: January 29, 2018 issue
When community discernment leads to a golden calf Re: “Recognizing potential in an uncertain future,” Dec. 11, 2017. When I read, at the very end of the article, that “the church is experiencing a shift away from the Bible as authority, to community discernment,” curiously a picture of Moses coming down the mountain came…
Readers write: January 15, 2018 issue
‘Come to the table . . . and meet Jesus’ Re: “A memorable remembrance,” Nov. 20, 2017, page 12. I want to affirm Troy Watson’s assertion that our communion services should “result in our hearts being set ablaze within us.” It is now more than a year since we found a welcoming church home…
Readers write: January 1, 2018 issue
More responses to Maple View’s paid supplement on sexuality Re: “Honour God with Your Bodies” insert, Sept. 25, 2017. Thank you, Maple View! I have waited for years to see a statement such as this in Canadian Mennonite and I commend CM for publishing it. A true biblical interpretation cannot read other than that…
Readers write: November 6, 2017 issue
Manitoba church celebrates pastoral couple’s retirement Carman Mennonite Church celebrated a retirement party on Aug. 27, in honour of Bob and Martha Pauls, who had served our church for 17 years. The morning service was a more private event, during which we were encouraged to let our tears flow, and we did. The afternoon was…
Readers write: October 23, 2017 issue
‘Shared land’ event deserved front-page coverage Re: “Shared land’ event photo, Aug. 28, back cover. I was rather set back by the minimal attention you gave to an event at Ancient Echoes Interpretive Centre in Herschel, Sask. This is of front-page importance, not a back-page afterthought. I have been there on various occasions over the…
