The Mennonite (2005)

2005·68.2 MB·English

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January4, 2005
Ayoungmemberof
ChristCommunityChurch,
DesMoines,Iowa
8 Give and take
6 A haven of healing
8 Changing the face of'Mennonite' Page 11
2 A watershed year
GRACE AND TRUTH
Unity or desolation and defeat
Jesusknewtheirthoughts,andsaiduntothem, inarrestingthediseases’death-dealingpotential.
“Everykingdomdividedagainstitselfisbroughtto “Keepingitreal”and“speakingthetruthinlove”
desolation;andeverycityorhousedividedagainst suggestguidelinesforofferinghealing,helpand
itselfshallnotstand.’—Matthew12:25NKJV hopei—npreventingfurtherdivision,destructionand
defeat forthechurchandthenation.Asmembers
omesayingsassociatedwiththeHip-Hopcul- ofthechurchofJesusChrist,weneedtobereal
Sturecanbeassociatedwithsayingsortruthsin (i.e.honest) inacknowledgingthetruthabout
Scripture.Oneis,“Keepitreal,”which whilelovinglyaddressingandactinginregardto
remindsmeof“speakingthetruthinlove” thecontinuingissuesthataredividingus.Prayeris
(Ephesians4:15). ameansofappropriatingGod’sgrace,i.e.having
Whatdothesesayingshavetodowiththetruth Godmeetingusatourpointsofneedintheperson
expressedbytheLordJesusintheaboveverse ofJesusChrist,includingallhispowerandprovi-
fromMatthew?Notonlyisournationdangerously sionforhealing,helpandhope.
dividedoverseveraliss—ues,butthoseofusinthe Somehaveprayed,andcontinuetopray,some-
ElaineBryant churchofJesusChrist includ- thingsimilartothefollowing:
ispastorof ingthoseofu—swhocallourselves Father-God(orGodofGrace
Englewood Mennonites aredangerously Actingasifdivisiondoesn't andGlory),Iacknowledgethat
Mennonite dividedaswell.Inviewofour wearedividedinregardtoabor-
CChhiucracgho.in Ldnaoetrnidyo’nstahwenodrddiasvs,iastidroyeninpnogumtitsnoauitsgin—oonra—esoiarn conmepeadrtaoblbeetdoeaalcttiwnigthasisif ttiyin,otnec,rhpburereitcnahtgipoaonnlt,iitryh,aocmmisoatsn,eabxgiubelamilceaanlcttiovif-
dangerofdesolationanddefeat a malignanttumorora theresourcesthatyouhave
byandbeforetheenemiesthat entrustedtous,militaryinvolve-
come“tosteal,killanddestroy.” blockedcoronaryartery ment,partisanpoliticsand
InasmuchastheLordJesusis propheticeffortstoinfluence
theembodimentofGod’slove, doesn'tneedtobetreated government.Suchdivisionindi-
hiswordswerespokeninlove. catesthatwehavemissedorare
SincetheLord’swordspres- assoonaspossible. missingthemark,i.e.wehave
entatruthtobereckonedwith, sinnedoraresinning,andthis
actingasifdivisiondoesn’tneed setsusupfordesolationand
tobedealtwithiscomparabletoactingasifa defeat.InthenameoftheLordJesus,Iaskthat
malignanttumororablockedcoronaryartery youforgiveus,individuallyandcorporately.Helpus
doesn’tneedtobetreatedassoonaspossible. see,asyoudoinregardtoyourwillforusindividu-
T—hosepretending,procrastin—atingorprevaricat- allyandcorporately,abouttheseissuesandothers.
ing withthemselvesorothers arenotoffering Helpusbringourhearts,attitudes,behaviors,
realhealing,helporhope.Thediseasesanddivi- ideas,thinking,selvesandverbalizationsinline
sionneedtobeopenlyacknowledged,properly withwhatyouknowtoberight,real,necessary,
addressedandappropriatelyactedagainst.For goodandappropriateforthemanifestationand
malignanciesandarterialblockagesthereare proclamationofyourkingdomandyourrighteous-
guidelinesthathavebeendiscoveredtobehelpful nessinthisnation.Amen. OH
TheMennonite Vol.8,No.1,January4,2005 gTlhoeriMfeynGnoodn,itgerosweeiknsftaoitshearnvedMbeencnoomneitaegeCnhtusrcofhhUeSalAinbgyahnedlphinogpereiandtehres
AEMdsaisrtokoGcEerido:tairiEttdnveogoerEnrDd@eHiiTt@rthtoeTerchJ:Mt.eoeGTrMn:ohenronoMdnanmioroatlnnseai.HtJooe.ru.Cgsooerlreg fOGp1afoh7xfso0:ihn0c5eee7Sn:s.4,:-8M50Ia3N0i5-n4-7669S5t00.25-602-4497894 Twseppcouunorrbecsillsetpiddsatc.aigaaoyTetrnshiepoeroafnafMistrdeeoesmnmaa:ancti$tohlS3hnc8esmio.atotNl7etne5edst(aw(ahIlUSeg.RSS,bre.Ny)evPie1Atpsm5hee21eerd25nyb-6tSeo78ata73nraor-6.n.d16dG9)4arf90roio9s0rdu.3pTpV3uChebaer1rlan8sitM5iaes,eodshnnGaeanSduvoPanTnooilislnnettaosbe.tsil,hneRoet.1Itenfh2Srcice2n.rrsar1tPitw9epiai2rtons4iunedo5ard3lenit.ochraiteSrlfeueddbr.--
AdveTrthiesMienngnCoonoirtdien@aTthoerM:eKnrniosntientee.Moirllger 7N2e2wtMoani,nKSSt.,67P.1O1.4Box347 theoTfhfiecivailepwossietxipornessosfeTdhienMtehinsnopnuibtliec,atthioenbdooarndoftorneTcheessMaerinlnyonrieptree,sIennct.,
EditorialAssistant:NoraMiller phone:[phone] orMennoniteChurchUSA.
Design:MerrillR.Miller fax:[phone]
EditorEmeritus:J.LomePeachey
Postmaster: Mennonite
Coverandpages11-15photosbyLaurieL. Website Sendform3579to616WalnutAve., Church
Oswald www.TheMennonite.org Scottdale,PA15683-1999. USA
2 TheMennonite January4,2005
— — ——— — ——
CONTENTS
8 Giveandtake
ThoughtsonahealthyMennoniteecumenism JohnD.Roth
11 Whole-lifediscipleship
NewcongregationfindsCentralPlainsa‘fit’infollowingChrist
faithfully. LaurieL. Oswald
14 Ajoiningofstories
Onecongregation’sjourneytojoinitsstorywiththestoryof
theMennonites. ChadMason
16 Ahavenofhealing
A—churchfamilysupportsacoupleaftertheirbaby’sdeath.
LaurieL. Oswald
19 ChoiceBookshitrecordsalesin2004
Nineregionaldistributorsand40distributioncenterssell4.5
millionbooks. E.DaleMast
20 Isa401kretirementaccountgambling?
ThirdWayCafestaffpickthetop20questionstheyansweredin
2004. MelodieDavis
22 MesereteKristosChurchnowoneofthelargestin
MennoniteWorldConference
—
ByronRempel-Burkholder
EPARTMENTS
2 Graceandtruth
Unityordesolationanddefeat ElaineBryant
4 Readerssay
6 Newsdigest
18 Speakingout
Changingthefaceof‘Mennonite’—JenniferSzambecki
25 Fortherecord
29 Resources
30 ACHE
Wecanlearnfromothersandsharetherisk JosephKotva
32 Editorial
Awatershedyear EverettJ. Thomas
January4,2005 TheMennonite 3
— — — —
—
READERS SAY
Holymigrations usingthenameFatherandothermaleappellations
IwouldliketoencouragewhatIcallholymigration fortheTrinityisnotwiththenameitself;itiswith
betweenareaMennonitechurches.I’mnotsure whatthenamehasbecomeassociated.Perhapsin
whereandwhenithaseverbeentried,butmy anunintendedborrowingfromRomanCatholicism,
thinkingaboutthiswasjump-startedbytwo wehaveassociatedmaleterminologyconcerning
requestsfromoursiblingcongregations. Godwithasystemofmaledominationandoppres-
Thispublicationwel- MarilynMiller,conferenceministerforPeace sion.ButtheFatherwhomJesusdescribesin
ceiotmheersayboouurtloetutrercso,n- MennoniteCommunityChurchinAurora,Colo., Luke15isaFatherwhoseeksaftersheepand
tentoraboutissues contactedallnearbyMennonitechurcheswiththe coinsandlostsonswithafervorthatdefies
fcahcuirncgh.thPeleMaesnenkoeneipte requestthatifthereareanywhowouldliketo humandescription.
yourlettersbrief attendPeaceMennoniteforawhile,orevenlong- IfallChristianmendisplayedsuchloveandcare
ogrnaepohrst—waonpdaraab-out term,asawayofsupportingthatcongregation-in- forallintheirlivesastheHeavenlyFathershows
onesubjectonly.We transition,theywouldbemostwelcome.Similarly, forallofhiscreation,wouldtheideaofFatherhave
redeisterfvoertlhenegrtihghatntdo PhyllisTribbey,pastoratArvada(Colo.) Menno- suchabadnameinourdenomination,orthe
clarity.Publicationis niteChurch,hasmadeanappealespeciallyfor churchworldwide?Ithinknot.Sothankyou,Karl,
allimsiotsatuibojnesc.tSteonsdpaycouer youngadultstojointheircongregation.Theyarea forpointingoutthatourLordJesusChristusedthe
letterstoReadersSay, smallprogressive-liberalcongregationinnorthwest termFatherforGodbecausethatiswhathemeant
STI.NheM4a6Mi5en2n6nS-ot.4n,7iG9toe4s,.h1eO7nr0,0 pDeeancveerantdhajtushtaisceaahcitisvtiotyr.yofinvolvementwith ttoorutseed,hniostmbeeacnaiunsge.pTahtreiadricshtaolrtgioosnpieslnwortitienrwshdiosm-
TehmaeiMlenunsoanti:tEed.iotrogr.s Whyshouldn’tweexpandthisconceptmore GodtheFatheris;itisinwhat“Father”hasbeen
Pleaseincludeyour broadlytoencourageholymigrationsaspeoplefeel warpedtomean.—JohnHockman, Topeka,Ind.
Wnaemweillanndotadpdrirnetssl.et- somoved?Smallercongregationscouldusesup-
terssentanonymous- port,andsomefolksmayenjoythesmall-church Hauntingquestions
wlyi,tthhhooulgdhnwaememsaayt journey.Ithinkitislegitimateandhighlyimportant Herearesomequestionsthatcontinuetohaunt
o—urdiscretion. forfolkstofindacongregationthatisthebestfit us: (1)Arewenot,asChristiansofMennonite
Editors forthem,aplaceinwhichtheyfindtheycanmake persuasion,topatternourlivesafterChrist’s
ajoyfulandwholeheartedcontribution. Kathrine example?Wefinditdifficult,ifnotimpossible,to
Rempel,Littleton, Colo. understandhow“believers”cangivetheirbless-
ingtokilling.CanyouimagineJesustotingan
Godnameshimself assaultrifleandurginghisfollowerstokillene-
AlthoughIappreciatedallofthefineworkinthe mies? (2) Isitrightfora“Christiannation”to
Dec.7issueofTheMennonite,myspecialapprecia- startawarinwhichmorethan100,000Iraqicivil-
tiongoesouttoKarlLandisforhisexcellentarti- ians,includingthousandsofchildren,havelost
cle,“GodNamesHimself’ (SpeakingOut).Ihave theirlives?We’resendingthousandstoa
beencontendingforyearsthattheproblemwith Christlessgrave. (3) Doesn’tJesusenjoinusto
loveourenemiesandletthembringoutthebest
IN THIS ISSUE inus,nottheworst? (4) Dowesubscribetothe
GreatCommission (Mark16:18),oristhatold
eallliketobechosen.ButafterChristCommunity fashioned? (5) Howacceptableisitforour
ChurchinDesMoines,Iowa,joinedCentralPlains “Christian”presidenttoforcefullydeclarethathe
MennoniteConference,someleadersinthatconference will“huntdownandkill”ourenemies? (6) If
f1e1l-t15n)o.tMoennlynoanfiftirempeadsbtuotrcDhaavlildenBgoesdha(rsteesatyhse,s“tTorhieeyshoanvpeacgheasl- wSoandddearmfucloumloddebrenc-odnavyeratpeods,tlweouPaludln?’t(7h)eWmhaykea
lengedthoseofuswhohavealwaysbeenMennonite...toartic- can’twepray,“God,blessIraqandothercoun-
ulateourbeliefsmoreclearly.”MennonitepastorSusanJanzen trieswherethereisgreatdangerandsuffer-
saysthiscongregationhelpsus“seetheoldthingswithnew ing”? GeneandRubyWeaver,Apex,N.C.
eyes.”MennonitehistorianJohnD.Rothhelpsuslookatour
relationshipswithotherChristiangroupswithneweyes(page Storiesaremorehelpful
8).Heoffersthreethingstoconsidertomakeourecumenism TheNov. 16issueofTheMennonitejustarrivedat
healthier.Youmayneedatissuetoreadthestoryofhowone theLondonMennoniteCenter,andIespecially
congregationsupportedtheMillerfamily,includingNora,our enjoyedJeremyGarber’sarticle,“ASporkinthe
editorialassistant,afterthedeathoftheirbabyboy(page16). Road”andEverettJ.Thomas’editorial,“Seven
JoetnhneirfeargeSsz,acmubletucrkeis,(bpaacgekg1r8o)ucnhdasllaenndgefsaiuthspteorisnpveictteipveeosptloeooufr e(xMiasmspiloensalo)fAhpoplwesm.i”ssIitownaaslwgroeraktitsobseeiengcodnocnree.teA
congregations.Inthismonth’sACHEcolumn (page30),Joseph fewstoriescanbesomuchmorehelpfulthan
Kotvachallengesustosharerisk. Editors hoursoftheologicalconversationinunderstanding
newconcepts. TimNafziger,London,England
4 TheMennonite January4,2005
— —
READERS SAY
GiveGodourbest whichGodcallsthemiftheypracticehealthy
Asthisnewyearopens,ourheartsarefullof habitsoflistening,prayerandreflection.
thanksgivingforeachonewhoreadsthislet- Congregationswithvibrantkingdomlifealso
ter—pastors,congregationalleadersandmem- learntobeopento“holychaos.”Venturingforth
bersofMennoniteChurchUSAcongregations inwitnessandministryusuallyresultsinsome
saintstogetherinsharingthegospelofJesus awkwardrealities.Wedon’talwaysknowwhat ONLINE POLL
Christ.Weareheartenedwhenwehearofmis- wearedoing.Wedon’tknowwhatsuccesslooks RESULTS
sionalinitiativeshappeninginyourcongrega- like.Itcanseemmessyandchaotic.Thetruth
tions.Mennonitesareclearlyagrowingpartof is,Godkeepsgrowingandformingusatthe SomeAnabaptists
bringingChrist’shealingandhopetoall. sametimeweareworkingtoshareGod’ssalva- areplanningto
Wewishwecouldvisitwithyouinyourcon- tionandwholenesswithothers.Fearoffailure createan
gregationalsettingandlearnfirsthandtheways neednotimpairus.Doingit“right”isnotwhat’s Anabaptistprayer
yourcongregationisbeingyeast,saltandlight mostimportant.Whatismostimportantisgiv- book.Thisis
athome,acrossthestreetandaroundtheworld. ingGodourbest.WecantrustGodtohelpus O
Thoughyoumayoftenfeeloverwhelmedbythe takestepsbeyondwherewehavecome. O agoodidea(69%)
needsaroundyou,yourperseveranceinbeing VibrantcongregationsinthekingdomofGod notagoodidea
thebodyofChristandministeringasJesusdid keepalerttowaystheycanaccessandshare O (14%)
meansyou—becomesomethingtheworlddesper- resourceswithothers.Theyconnectincommu- Idon'tcare(17%)
atelyneeds signsofthekingdomofGod.You nitiesandconferencestoenlargeandempower
becomesignsofhope.Youbecomesignsofheal- theirministries.Areaconferencesarereadyto Checkoutthenew
ingandreconciliation. besourcesfornetworkingandtoolstocongrega- TpohlelMqeunensotniiotnea.torwgww.
Jesustaughtustopray,“Thykingdomcome tionsundertakingministriesforChrist.There
onearthasiti—sinheaven.”Itisakingdomthat arealsoresourcesinthewiderChristian—church
ishereinpart andstillcomingincompleteful- thatmayprovefruitfulincongregations espe-
ness.Throughthisletterwewanttoencourage ciallywhenadaptedinwaysthathaveintegrity
you.Weencourageyounotonlytopraythis withAnabaptistfollowersofJesusChrist.
prayerbutbethisprayeraswell.Thecallisto ScripturerevealsthatGod’saimistobring
becomecongregationswithvibrantlifeinthe salvationandshalomtoall.InChristwebecome
kingdomofGod.Congregationswithvibrantlife partnerswithGodinGod’ssavingmissionin
inthekingdomofGodarepeoplewhowork theworld.“Churchesaremadeupofordinary
togetherinGod’smission.Congregationalmem- peopledoingtheirbesttodoextraordinary
bers,leadersandpastorsallplayimportant thingswithJesus,”someonesaid.Themissional
roles.TheHolySpiritworksmostrichlywhen priorityofMennoniteChurchUSAchallenges
peoplefromacrossthecongregationforma ustocontinuegivingGodourbest:hearts,
teamtobeanddotheirbestforGod. minds,energies,money,talents,giftsandskills.
Vibrantcongregationsintentionallylistento Thismissionalgivingofourselvesmeanswe
theHolySpirit.Theycultivatehabitsandprac- willnotonlypray,butwebecomeChrist’s
ticesthatgrowthemspiritu—ally.Theypayatten- prayer,“Thykingdomcomeonearthasitisin
tiontoanchoringoutre—ach bothevangelism heaven.” StanShantz,JaneRoeschleyandBeryl
andChristianactivism inprayer.Theyknow JantziforMennoniteChurch USA’sMissional
theywillonlybeabletosustaintheworkto Church Team
Pontius'Puddle JoelKauffmann
January4,2005 TheMennonite 5
NEWS DIGEST
Mil iiim
i
EMUconnects Bethelendsfirstphaseof academicreview
withDominican NORTHNEWTON,Kan.—BethelCollegepresi-
Republicseminary dentE.LaverneEppandvicepresidentforacadem-
MoiraR.Rogers,an icaffairsJohnSherifflastmonthannouncedthe
associateprofessor
ofSpanishatEastern resultsofthefirstphaseofanacademicprogram
MennoniteUniver- review.
sity,Harrisonburg, WhenEppassumedtheBethelpresidencyin
Va.,taughtanIntro- 2002,hesaidadeliberateandcomprehensive
ductiontoAnabap- processofinstitutionalplanningwasamonghis
tNiosvt.Th2e2-o2l6o,gy20c0l4a,ssat administration’stoppriorities.Thatplanning
theSeminario processresultedintheidentificationoffourcore
Anabautistadel strengths.Thefirstone,academicexcellence,is
CaribeinSanto thedrivingforcebehindBethel’sacademicpro-
Domingo,Dominican gramreview.
Republic.Thesemi-
nardiscussedthe “Ourpurposeinconductingareviewistoensure
distinctiveelements thatBethelCollegehasacademicprogramsthat
ofanAnabaptist areofthehighestquality,thatfitwithourAnabap-
approachtotheolog- tistChristianvalues,ourcommitmenttoaliberal
icalreflection.The artseducationandourmarket,andthatcanoper-
emphasiswasona
criticalreflectionon atewithintheparametersdictatedbyourinstitu-
whatitmeansto tionalmodel,”Eppsays.
respondtothe Lastsummer,ateamofadministratorsdevel-
currentcontextual opedtheinstitutionalmodeltowhichEpprefers.
cAppahneraratlsbiplaceepicntptgiaiesnvsttesfeaofmcfrpionhmgat-thhee tiOinnogentmoeofarimtewsocsretnuktdraeaniltm-pecudernapttoesraeecdhs.iweAavnisonttgohiemnrsatwkitaeusttiehonenacilonusrtiatgu-- lGaeurnmcahneyd,twhhreoedyieraercsteadgoth.—epMrWogCraNmewssincSeerivtiwcaes
sestoChristianfaith. goals.Themodelalsopositsanoptimalenrollment
Twiinhtcehlwuodeteehdke-rdlicoaonlngotgceulmea-ss poufs6;2519s5tundeewntss,tu7d5enptesrc(efinrtsto-ftiwmheofrmeslihvmeeonnacnadm- AIsTr-aTelUiWpAoNlIi,ceWpersotteBcatnkP—aleOsntiDneica.n9,ch2i0l0d4,reInsraeli
poraryLatin transfers) eachyear;andaretention/re-enrollment policehurriedlyloadedintotheirvehiclefive
Americantheological rateof87percent. PalestinianchildrenfromthevillageofTubaas
traditionsthatseek AboutathirdofBethel’sexistingprogramswill theywalkedtowardtheirschoolinAt-Tuwani.
tcNoheawrlselseSpneogrnevsidc.—teoElMocUal pseheasseidgniinfiocvanetrcthiamneg.—e,BtehthoeulghCoclhleagnegNeeswwsillSebrevice SMtai’cokn-wsieeltdtilnegmeInstradeliisrsucphtoeodltbhoeyirsefarrolmymthoernnienagrby
trekonfoot.
Newdirectornamedforyoungadultprogram AccordingtothePalestinianchildren,even
Twoviewsof STRASBOURG,France—YAMEN!theYoung thoughIsraelisoldiersinamilitaryjeepandIsraeli
who'sleftbehind AnabaptistMennoniteExchangeNetwork,ajoint policeinapolicevehiclewereescortingthem,the
TyndaleHouse, programofMennoniteWorldConference (MWC) twoIsraeliyouths,hiddenintree-shroudedHavot
wmihlilcihonhbaososkosldfr4o2m andMennoniteCentralCommittee,hasappointeda Ma’onoutpost,gotasclosetothemasfiveorsix
theLeftBehind newinternationalcoordinator.KarinaDerksen- meters.Butthepoliceloadedthefrightenedchil-
series,haslaunched SchrockbeganworkingfromMCC’sAkron,Pa., drenintotheirvehicleandspedofftowardAt-
acounterseries, officeonNov.22,2004. Tuwani.
writtenbyChristian MCChasassumedadministrativeresponsibility JerryLevinofChristianPeacemakerTeamsand
rHaadnieogrhaoasftf.HaConnktrary forYAMEN!withEvaChermackoftheVisitor Adriano,anOperationDoveobserver,heardthe
totheLeftBehind ExchangeProgramsupervisingtheprogram.Ray loudsmashofanobjecthittingoneofthevehicles.
viewofChristians BrubacherfromtheKitchener,Ont.,MWCoffice StudentslaterconfirmedthattheIsraeliyouthshad
beingraptured willserveasthelinktoMWC. thrownfourorfivestonesatthemastheyrodeby
beforeafutureapoc- KarinawasbornandlivedintheDemocratic inthepolicevehicle.
ableylpiseev,esHathneegBroaoakffof RepublicofCongo (formerlyZaire) until1998, Astudentaddedthat,besidesseeingthesettler
Revelationdescribes whenhermissionaryparents,RickandMarilyn youthdarttowardthemfromhidinginanIsraeli
first-centuryperse- Derksen,movedbacktotheUnitedStates.She settlementoutpost,asettlementschoolvehicle
cutionofChristians graduatedrecentlyfromBrynMawrCollegeand couldbeseenparkedclosebywithawomansitting
tunbreoniltdbieuesrlvoaeEmtrimseop.—nfesurtToouhfrreneNoenr-o, AVmianlrdlrraigeeewdawtAenArfdreriecyaowu2St0ch0h3srtoiencwkBauroldnaswJaautlyyot,h1e0Z.GiKlmoabbraaiblnwaCeah.nudrch hkneenxrotwfrtsoiettnhhdaestdhtrhaievveebro’sysesesnewahtt.hoiTsthvreieehdsitctluoeda—eotnftttaecsnka,ihdaensrdhaesnhadenhder
ChristianCentury KarinareplacesLiesaUngerfromKarlsrue, friendsgototheschoolinMa’on. CPT
6 TheMennonite January4,2005