Articles : Sept. 3, 2012
Bible
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Faithful heroes then and now
In the previous column we saw how the writer of Hebrews preaches a sermon that alternates between teaching theology and discussing its ethical implications. Using our high school English grammar, we can also say that the “indicative” of the teaching leads to the “imperative” of the ethics. Since A is true, therefore, we must do B.
Editorial
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Holy silence
Even though Hurricane Isaac bypassed the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., a political storm is lashing the U.S.
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Speaking to be heard
With a low, soft voice, I’m not always heard the first time I speak. When I project, I can easily sound angry. I prefer, when I have something important to say, to wait for a quiet moment.
Feature
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Kratz hitting everything but rock bottom
HARRISONBURG, Va. — Erik Kratz doesn’t like the phrase “rock-bottom.” He’s never truly felt that way. Not even through 10 years of toiling in the minor leagues, often getting told he wasn’t good enough.
Letters
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Broad compassion
Shane Claiborne’s “Jesus and the Violence Myth” makes a lot of sense. I would like to add to it. Why do we get emotional about six or 12 people being killed by one person? Well, we should. But why do we not get emotional about deaths in Syria or Iraq or Afghanistan or any other country? Why do we yawn at 85 people being killed every day by guns in the U.S. (2007 figure; more than half by suicide)? Why do we yawn at about 100 people being killed every day in auto crashes in the U.S. (2010 figure; 25 percent lower than five years earlier and the lowest in recorded statistics)? Why do we not cry about the lives snuffed out in abortion? Why do we not cry about children who starve to death? What about those who die due to inadequate health care? (Some people do cry; especially family members of the victims.)
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Changing Britain
We rejoiced in Stephen Kriss’ column (“Lessons from British Taxi Drivers,” Aug. 20) of his and the Eastern Mennonite Seminary students’ visit to the U.K. We rejoiced, too in their encouragement to U.K. Anabaptists. They were among the first American visitors to the new national Mennonite Centre in Birmingham, England.
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Child’s welfare
One wonders if editorialist Tim Huber (“Activism gone too far”) had thoroughly researched the subject before concluding that Kenneth Miller was on shaky theological ground for helping Lisa Miller take her young daughter to another country. Lisa Miller’s young biological daughter was being emotionally destroyed by court-ordered visitation arranged without any apparent regard for the welfare of the child.
News
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Amish population grows, in Ohio and elsewhere
MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio — The Amish are one of the fastest-growing religious groups in North America, according to a new census by researchers at Ohio State University.
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Website offers pledge for nonvoters
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are working hard to clarify to voters the ways they are different.
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Warmest welcome
Though Jeremy Shue has roamed the world, he never received a welcome like the one offered in Congo. “Congo is like no other place I’ve visited,” said Shue, a pastor at Silverwood Mennonite Church in Goshen, Ind. “What impacted me the most significantly from our trip [was the] hospitality.”
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