MWR : Articles : June 25, 2012

Articles : June 25, 2012

oldest >>

Bible

We want a king!

In the Old Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures), Joshua through Esther make up what are known as the historical books. 1 and 2 Samuel tell the story of the origin and development of ancient Israel’s monarchy, beginning with the birth of Samuel and the story of Samuel’s career.

Editorial

A big tent needs stakes

At an event honoring Mennonite World Conference general secretary emeritus Larry Miller on May 23 in Switzerland, attendees presented gifts both musical and material, from colorful African clothing to Latin American flags and scarves.
War made easy

The drone — the latest achievement in better killing through technology — is changing the nature of warfare. Its purpose is “targeted killing.” Or, just call it “assassination” — a word that cuts to the heart of the legal and moral issues at stake.

Feature

Old hymnals still popular

Stacked in neat piles on warehouse shelves at MennoMedia’s main office in Harrisonburg, Va., two sets of black-bound hymnals look out of place by a century.
Resettlers in Germany mix tradition and change

NIEDERNBERG, Germany — Jenny Spenst is fascinated by her parents’ stories of life in the Soviet Union. “It’s worlds away from what I experience today,” said Spenst, a 24-year-old member of Christuskirche Niedernberg (Niedernberg Christ Church). “They speak more of nature and childhood, like what you sometimes find in books. But they also tell of poverty and vulnerability.”
What is a Mennonite? An Ethiopian definition

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Is the Meserete Kristos Church of Ethiopia really a Mennonite church? This is a question we frequently hear in the U.S.

Letters

Let’s stick together

Genuine concern for the church speaks in “It’s More Than One Issue” [a May 28 article signed by 32 people calling for closure of Mennonite Church USA’s discernment on sexuality]. As a newcomer to the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, I wonder whether the greatest danger is not theological and sociocultural chaos, but impatience. In the scope of history, 10 to 20 years of conflict and uncertainty is not that long. Calls to “just fix this already” reflect the impatient times we live in. They might also be inconsiderate of those who do not have a firm position on the matter in question [homosexuality] and want to keep listening, and of the many global Anabaptist communities who still face similar conflicts ahead of them.
Upside-down world

I was a strong bigot in my attitude against the practice of homosexuality. My views have softened but are not settled. Homosexuality was once regarded as perversion, and rightly so, because the human anatomy was not designed for it. To accept the union of two people of the same gender is like having the world turned upside down. Can someone advise me how to keep my balance in a topsy-turvy world?
Doctrine, not dialogue

In “Why I Officiated a Same-Sex Ceremony” (May 28), Joanna Harader mentions the need for premarital counseling “to see if this will work.” The Apostle Paul gives specific information about the marriage relationship in Eph. 5:21-33. I’d like to know how she whittled that peg down to make it fit. Maybe the larger question isn’t about homosexuality at all. Maybe it has to do with biblical truth: What was God saying before cultural correctness became popular? Biblical truth always trumps human wisdom. It’s about what God says, not how we want to interpret it (2 Peter 1:20-21). It’s time to stop standing around like Pilate asking, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) and muster up the courage to challenge error. God help us if we allow “dialogue” to replace sound doctrine in confronting sin.

News

Different memory of a war

Canadians are celebrating the bicentennial of the War of 1812 with re-enactments, monuments and parades. But the government has not included the peace church experience in its official commemoration events.