Following Jesus into the climate crisis - INSIDE Global Mennonite enviro task force established, pg. 20 - Canadian Mennonite
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July 20, 2020 Volume 24 Number 15
Following Jesus into
the climate crisis
Global Mennonite enviro task force established, pg. 20
INSIDE
PM40063104 R09613
In a perfect storm 4
God’s paintbrush of diversity 15
COVID-19 outbreak in Bolivian colonies 25
2 Canadian Mennonite July 20, 2020
editorial
A COVID-19 commandment
By Virginia A . H o stetl er
E xe cutiv e Ed ito r
I t is now month five for
Canadian communities
struggling with the
COVID-19 crisis. In this
time, we’ve heard many
shall love your neighbour as yourself ”
(Mark 12:31, NRSV). He was harking
back, of course, to an ancient teaching
by the highest authority, “I am the Lord,
and I command you to love others as
believe, to choose what we wear.
You have heard it said, “It’s my life
and I will choose how I live it.” But,
during this global health crisis, focusing
on one’s own rights misses the point.
pronouncements by health authorities much as you love yourself ” (Leviticus Jesus’ command is simple: “Love your
on what members of the public should 19:18, Common English Version). neighbour as yourself.” In other words,
and should not do to protect themselves Here’s a straightforward health order: wear a mask.
against the novel coronavirus. As it You and I are commanded to love our
spreads, health experts continue to neighbour. In this time of contagion, Looking ahead
research and learn, experiment and practices such as washing one’s hands, The next issue of Canadian Mennonite
make recommendations. As the weeks keeping physically distant and wearing will be digital only and will be dated
stretch on, some instructions have a mask are ways people of conscience Aug. 3. Digital subscribers can expect
changed; some of them have been express caring to those around them. it in their email inbox five days before
downright confusing. I am grateful for those in my life who that date. If you are receiving only the
Recently, Waterloo Region, where I heeded this commandment—for my print magazine but want to receive that
live, instituted a community-wide order daughter, daughter- in-law and work issue and two more digital-only issues
requiring residents to wear face cover- in 2020, you can sign up at
ings in all indoor public places and in all
public transportation areas. For some of
‘Love your neighbour
as yourself.’ In other
canadianmennonite.org
/subscribe/digital or send an
us, this will mean continuing with our email to office
usual practice. But, for others, this is a words, wear a mask. @canadianmennonite.org. There is no
new and constricting order. extra cost to current subscribers.
Here’s how health experts explain the colleague who all showed love by giving
benefit of wearing masks. Person A and me cloth masks. When I don one of Corrections
Person B both wear simple protective those masks, that act of caring spreads • Gettysburg is located in Pennsylvania.
masks over their noses and mouths. to everyone else nearby, neighbour and Incorrect information appeared in
Outcome: both are shielded from stranger alike. “Disillusionment and hope,” June 22,
droplets that spread the coronavirus. There are reasons why the wearing of page 11.
If only Person A wears a mask, Person masks might be problematic. For some • A sentence in Timothy D. Epp’s
B still has some protection. Health people, pre-existing breathing difficul- column, “A Black/Menno inventory,
professionals tell us that—contrary to ties make mask-wearing impossible. For June 22, page 13, should have read,
what one might think—the mask offers those with hearing loss, communication “Black Canadians were among the
the highest protection for the person through an opaque mask is difficult. recipients of Anabaptist mission work at
nearby, not for its wearer. By covering Cognitive and mental health challenges Sunnidale, Ont., and Winnipeg . . . .”
her face, Person A is primarily shielding present an obstacle for some. But for the Also, the Vacation Bible School photo
her neighbour. majority of Jesus’ followers today, wear- accompanying the story was taken in
This kind of mask doesn’t appear in ing a mask is an order we can follow. Shiloh, Sask., north of the community of
the Bible, and yet this concept seems so Some of us balk at following orders. Maidstone, and not in Manitoba.
biblical. Consider what Jesus calls the A cloth over one’s nose and mouth can Canadian Mennonite regrets the
second greatest commandment: “You get uncomfortable. Plus, it our right, we errors. l
Printed in Canada
Award-winning
member
ISSN 1480-042X
contents
Canadian Mennonite Vol. 24 No. 15 3
July 20, 2020 / Vol. 24, No. 15
ABOUT THE COVER: In a perfect storm
This plastic container of water was left in the forest at MCC 4
partner Sembrandopaz’s experimental farm just outside of ‘As communities moved
Sincelejo, Colombia, to provide the birds and animals that call the into the era of physical
forest home something to drink. To learn more about the new distancing, I had begun to
global Mennonite environmental task force, see story on page 20. reread the Book of Job. As
PHOTO: BY ANNALEE GIESBRECHT / MCC protests erupted on top of
everything else, I was
‘Being the church together’ 16 struck by how relevant its
MC Canada donates $50,000 to Global Sharing Fund to help meet basic dynamic remains,’
basic needs of sister churches in Mennonite World Conference writes Derek Suderman
distressed by the COVID-19 pandemic. in the introduction to his
feature.
COVID-19 outbreak in Bolivian colonies 25
‘Over the last weeks many people have died of COVID-19,’ including
at least one bishop and two ministers, according to Kennert Regular features:
Giesbrecht, editor of Die Mennonitische Post. For discussion 6 Readers write 7 Milestones 8
A moment from yesterday 9 ServiceLinks 36
Engaging with ‘people not like us’ 28 Online NOW! 38 Calendar 39 Classifieds 39
Alberta correspondent Joanne De Jong reports on a six-part Zoom
series involving young people talking about engaging with ‘the other.’ I’m thinking about sparrows Rick Neufeld 9
A life dedicated to helping others 34 ‘Lining things up’ Ed Olfert 10
‘Nour Ali’s name is known in households across Manitoba because
of his passion for helping people and making the world a better Why I’m not a Canadian Randolph Haluza-DeLay 11
place,’ writes Manitoba correspondent Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe in
her tribute to the former refugee who died in a boating accident on A living metaphor Joshua Penfold 12
June 13.
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4 Canadian Mennonite July 20, 2020
feature
In a perfect storm By D erek Su d er man
Special to Canadian Mennonite
‘Job’s Comforters,’ left, turn into his accusers in ‘Job Rebuked by his Friends,’ right. Both watercolour paintings were created by
William Blake in 1805-06 for a series on the Book of Job commissioned by Thomas Butts. (Public Domain)
Y
ears ago, I saw a movie about a fishing crew Job’s protest
caught at sea when two storms and a Job begins as a wealthy, well-respected, diligently
hurricane converged to create a “perfect religious man. In wave after wave of suffering, he loses
storm.” I have been reminded of this as possessions to marauders (economic collapse), all of his
widespread protest after the death of yet children die (trauma), and finally he becomes sick
another African-American man in the custody of white (disease). Job sits in anguish, and friends come in order
police officers crashed into an already devastating to “comfort” him.
novel-coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis. While Although this story is often depicted as a theodicy that
the medical and economic crises seem unprecedented, puzzles over God’s link with suffering, the narrator and all
racial injustice has brewed for centuries, and the of the characters, including Job himself, see some form of
combination has been devastating. connection between God and suffering. The central
The pandemic has raised age-old questions: question here does not appear to be, “Is God related to
suffering?” but rather, “How should Job respond?”
• Did humans bring COVID-19 on ourselves? From the beginning, speech is central. Even after
• Where is God in all of it? enormous suffering, Job “does not charge God with
wrongdoing” (1:22) and “does not sin with his lips” (2:10).
And in the case of racism and policing, we now face Finally, Job emerges with a heart-wrenching speech,
dueling perspectives: Appeals to “law and order” seek to wishing he had never been born—or even conceived!
maintain the status quo, with some tinkering at the Startled, the friends go on the attack to defend God,
edges, while voices of protest scream that profound citing traditional theology to explain his plight. Since
change is needed. God is just, you must have done something wrong.
As communities moved into the era of physical Perhaps God is teaching you a lesson.
distancing, I had begun to reread the Book of Job. As But Job will have none of it. He voices his exaspera-
protests erupted on top of everything else, I was struck tion—with his situation, his friends and his
by how relevant its basic dynamic remains. God—becoming increasingly frustrated and angry. He
Canadian Mennonite Vol. 24 No. 15 5
even calls on God to show up and
explain what’s going on. This debate
rages for more than 30 chapters—trad-
itional theology meets existential crisis.
In our present moment, this debate
sounds quite familiar. Is COVID-19 a
form of divine punishment for sin? If
not, why would a loving God allow it?
Does this pandemic prove that God is
not in control?
After the killing of Floyd, what is an
appropriate way to get people’s atten-
tion? Are protest and anger disruptive,
even sinful, especially during a pan-
demic? Or are they okay, perhaps
necessary? If Floyd’s killing is the spark
that lit the flame, it’s clear there’s a lot of
accumulated tinder all around.
In this moment, whose voices—and
lives—matter? Can lived experience
legitimately challenge inherited
tradition?
Experiencing Job
A while back, I taught a course on Job.
I had a number of bright, young engi- ‘The Lord Answering Job Out of the Whirlwind,’ part of a series of paintings on the Book of
neering and computer science students Job by William Blake, 1805-06, commissioned by Thomas Butts. (Public Domain)
who were clear, structured thinkers.
They read Job as an intellectual puzzle
to be solved. What doctrine answers existential angst embodied beside them. being separate from it.
this dilemma? How do we square God’s I spent a whole term encouraging For me, this has provided a helpful
omnipotence and goodness with the students focused on correct, universal way to think about a hurricane or virus.
presence of evil and suffering in the doctrine to also attend to lived experi- While insurance companies still speak
world? ence—and their classmate!—but with of “acts of God,” natural disasters are
In the same class, there was a mature little success. not signs of a punishment that God
student who had been a high-flying micro-manages, on the one hand, or
executive in a prestigious national Job and the ‘perfect storm’ evils that God fails to control, on the
company. He was living the high life, of COVID-19 other, but rather they reflect the
complete with horses in an equestrian Remarkably, God actually does respond wildness built into creation.
stable and a yacht in Florida, before he to Job (chapters 38-41), although Job 38-41 provides a helpful antidote
suffered a severe car accident resulting without giving Job an answer. While Job to a runaway human-centred perspec-
in a brain injury. Having fallen off the thinks that the universe should be fair tive in which Christians have justified
social ladder, he was reinventing and he demands an explanation for why environmental destruction by appealing
himself, training to become a all of this happened to him, God to God’s command to “have dominion”
social-support worker to help those in responds by moving from Job’s micro- (Genesis 1:26). Beyond the current
need. Eager and engaged, he still had scopic focus to a broad-angle lens crises, this reorientation holds signifi-
trouble articulating himself and would describing God’s care for all of creation. cant potential for re-thinking our role in
often lose his train of thought. Perhaps most intriguing—and disturb- the ongoing climate emergency, placing
As the course proceeded, it was like ing—the Behemoth appears as the “first ourselves within creation rather than
living in a parable, with the class of the great acts of God” (40:19). above it.
mirroring the dynamic of the book. I Biblical creation is often described as
saw Job’s friends draw on traditional God bringing order out of chaos, but Did Job sin?
views to explain his suffering, insisting this symbol of power reflects a wildness In our time, we should also reconsider
on logical coherence and predictable bordering on chaos and destruction that how we understand the climax of Job’s
consequences, largely oblivious to the forms part of God’s creation, instead of response to God: “Therefore I despise
6 Canadian Mennonite July 20, 2020
myself, and repent in dust and ashes” protesters clamour for change, I need to Job’s friends did, or focus on others’
(Job 42:6). In the King James Version, check an instinct to be defensive in individual sins while ignoring our own
“despise” appears in italics, and the order to listen to experiences far complicity in structural ones. This is a
word “myself ” is added in translation, removed from my own. moment for our perspectives to be
although it is not present in the original In doing so, I should also recognize challenged and our minds changed.
text. While many versions clarify this that systemic racism has long been It is not easy making sense of experi-
ambiguity, the original phrase does not justified with the Bible I hold dear. Far ences that defy prevailing logic. But as
actually specify what Job despises or from aberrations, slavery, the Doctrine the Bible repeatedly demonstrates, at
rejects: Himself? His “case” against of Discovery, and Indian Residential times the explanatory power of a former
God? His former perspective? Schools reflect our tradition’s historic perspective just doesn’t cut it in differ-
Even more significant, the English complicity in structural sin. Rather than ent circumstances. We can recall the
word “repent” suggests that Job admits defending Christianity, on one hand, or words of Jesus, who also suffered under
wrongdoing. In a common reading, Job jettisoning it, on the other, to partici- systemic oppression: “Every scribe
admits that he sinned by speaking up, pate in this living tradition means trained for the kingdom of heaven is like
repents and then receives double what critiquing where it has gone astray and the master of a household who brings
he lost—a nice tidy perspective that then seeking new understandings for out of his treasure what is new and what
keeps intact the doctrine of retribution, moving forward. is old” (Matthew 13:52).
with God as Santa Claus doling out Unlike Job, who enjoyed a privileged There is treasure to be found, but it
rewards and punishments. social and economic status, in our day does take some digging . . . l
However, the Hebrew word translated systemic marginalization has produced
as “repent” here has multiple meanings. disproportionate negative effects on Derek Suderman is associate
Remember how the friends came in those of lower economic means. While professor of religious studies
order to “comfort” Job (Job 2:11)? This COVID-19 is not a judgment for sin, the and theological studies at
is the same term. The same phrase as in structural sin of racism has amplified its Conrad Grebel University
Job 42:6 also appears in Exodus 32:14, tragic effects. College and the University of
when God concedes to Moses lobbying So let’s not get turned off by anger, as Waterloo, Ont.
for the Israelites, and in Jonah 3:10,
when God responds to the repentance
of the Ninevites. In both cases God ΛΛFor discussion
“relents” or “changes his mind” about
punishing them. 1. During this coronavirus pandemic and economic crisis, what suffering have you seen
So Job could be saying “I am com- in others and in yourself? Is this suffering catastrophic enough to be compared to Job’s?
forted” or “I change my mind.” In fact, Why have concerns about racism and policing, which have been brewing for many years,
since this term is never used in the erupted at this time? What fundamental changes is our society experiencing?
sense of “repent” elsewhere in the book,
this seems the least likely translation. 2. Derek Suderman says that the pandemic has raised age-old questions. Do you sometimes
Far from condemning Job’s words, wonder whether God has a purpose in bringing COVID-19? Does it make you question
God chastises the friends: “For you have God’s omnipotence or goodness? How does God respond to Job’s questions in the end?
not spoken of me rightly as my servant
Job has” (42:7-8). In the end, it wasn’t 3. Natural disasters “are not signs of punishment,” writes Suderman. They are not “evils
the systematic theologians trying to that God fails to control,” rather, “they reflect the wildness built into creation.” Do you
defend God who were in the right, but agree? What other questions arise from this explanation?
the one who got frustrated and angry.
While Job’s friends collapsed God into 4. Suderman concludes that “[t]he sin did not lie in Job’s lament after all, but in his friends’
their conception of the divine, only Job certainty about their erroneous positions!” What are the limits of systematic theology?
spoke to, and sought a relationship with, Why does uncertainty make us feel uneasy?
God. The sin did not lie in Job’s lament
after all, but in his friends’ certainty 5. What injustices has the pandemic exposed in Canada? What are some steps we can
about their erroneous positions! take to expand justice for all?
Among the friends —By B arb D r ap er
At present, I feel like one of Job’s
friends. A Bible scholar passionate S ee related God and Suffering resources at
about the church, I am deeply invested www.commonword.ca/go/1569
in the received tradition. But as
Canadian Mennonite Vol. 24 No. 15 7
opinion
ΛΛReaders write terms.” This letter reinforces the underlying racism and
disdain for Indigenous people in our society. Instead of
LL Today’s society is a progression of propping up those who are part of the problem, how
Canada’s colonial past about silencing them? How about not giving them a
platform or giving their ideas passive approval?
Re: “ ‘Decolonize’ and ‘settler’ meaningless terms” If CM wishes to positively contribute to tearing down
letter, June 8, 2020, page 8. the idea of white supremacy, perhaps a good place to
It is a nice idea that “our great-grandfathers and look first is within CM itself. You actually have the
great-grandmothers . . . through industry and innova- power to take away the voices of those who contribute
tion, built our advanced, civil, 21st-century society to the oppression of people. Why are you not using it?
with its advanced parliamentary government, social Bev Hunsberger (online comment)
system and compassionate health-care system.”
By listening to the voices of Black, Indigenous and
People of Colour (BIPOC), I am learning that the LL Mennonites should actively support
history of Canada is much messier and more painful good cops
than that. This supposedly upstanding and clear-
eyed “industry and innovation” was only made Bad cops and racism are important topics, but we
possible by the horrible use of the bodies of non- must also take a positive approach. I think most
white people, resulting in their cultures being policing in Canada is good.
decimated, to say the least. A quick look into the We should join the efforts to maintain it and make
history and labour behind the Canadian Pacific it better. Dismantling police forces certainly isn’t a
Railway is just one place to find terrible mistreat- realistic option. What we’re really looking for are
ment in the name of “industry and innovation.” improvements, such as better screening of people
Why do we have to be aware of this today, when who apply to become cops, quicker firings of those
this kind of extreme mistreatment is in the past? who prove bad at it, and the elimination of poor
Why do we have to understand the words “settler” techniques that might include neck-holds.
and “decolonize”? It’s because the way our society is Mennonites should be involved, not simply joining
organized today is a progression of the past, as it was the critics and working for alternatives to policing. We
intended to be. It is strongly centred on whiteness. must also express our support for quality policing. We
Think of our historical heroes, names of streets, want and need it as much as everyone else. However,
representation in movies. Just try to find a bandage many Mennonites are shy about such things. We
to match your skin colour if you are not white. admire good policing, but it’s never been worked into
Decolonizing means becoming aware of how our theology. Overall, we’re much too silent.
strongly our current “civil society” revolves around In addition, we should be encouraging and praising
the experience of white people and marginalizes those among us who want to be in this profession.
everyone else. It means listening to the BIPOC Peaceful people make good cops, and we should strive
voices when they say they are not thriving, and then as a people to do our fair share of the world’s dirty
actually believing what they say. work. But Menno cops may face social ostracism.
Serena Erb, Str atford , O nt. How backward. We love that the world is made safer
by police and that 911 will bring them to our aid, yet
some people seem to think it’s a sin for a Mennonite
LL Silence those who are problemmatic to be one. How contradictory. If there aren’t enough
good cops, part of the blame lies at our own feet.
Re: “What lingers in the air,” June 8, 2020, page 2. I suggest that we have many deep discussions
As the executive editor of Canadian Mennonite, about crime issues, and not avoid them. I suggest we
Virginia A. Hostetler has the opportunity to actually become very honest about our desires for good
affect change and yet she does not. Part of the policing and a stable society. It’s very good to side
dominant white culture oppressing people of colour with victims of racism and police abuses, and to be
is the idea that we all have the right to express our voices for change in such things, but we must also be
opinion—or freedom of speech—even if it reinforces active and vocal about good police forces.
white supremacy. Howard B oldt, O sler , Sa sk .
There was a letter published in print (June 8, page 8)
from an online comment that is still prominently
featured in the online Readers Write section called
“‘Decolonize’ and ‘settler’ meaningless, pejorative
8 Canadian Mennonite July 20, 2020
LL What does Atonement have to do ΛΛMilestones
with homelessness?
Births/Adoptions
Re: “Pastor praised, criticized for open letter to
governments” letters, May 25, page 8. Andres—Morgan Hostetler (b. May 30, 2020), to Angie
I did not understand that David Driedger was Hostetler and Ryan Andres, First Mennonite, Edmonton.
advocating “an imposed, enforced governmental Bartel—Twins Georgia Grey and Rusty Walter (b. April 30,
action,” as Walter Bergen wrote. Driedger was 2020), to Calvin and Leah Bartel, North Star Mennonite,
supporting a petition that asks the government to Drake, Sask.
consider legislation that would provide a fair living Graham—Dominic Ian Benjamin (b. May 26, 2020), to David
wage for everyone. Graham and Lise McMillan, Grace Mennonite, Steinbach,
The parable in Matthew 20:1-16 is about labourers Man.
in a vineyard who were hired at different hours of Kim—Loa (b. June 17, 2020), to Jinah Im and Pablo Kim,
the day, but it starts with: “For the kingdom of heaven Toronto United Mennonite Church.
is like the landowner who went out early . . . .” The Morasch—Audrey Maeve (b. June 18, 2020), to Maegen and
workers all received a fair living wage, but the ones Paul Morasch, First Mennonite, Edmonton.
who were hired in the morning, did not like it. Why? Schellenberg—Arlo Everett Friesen (b. April 14, 2020), to
Bergen also writes, “If the Christ of the gospels is Terry Schellenberg and Lenore Friesen, Sterling Mennonite,
to be believed, then the levelling comes not through Winnipeg.
an imposed, enforced governmental action, but by
the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” In whatever way Baptisms
Atonement might be understood, does it materially
change the condition of a jobless, homeless person? Jessica Vikse—Rosthern Mennonite, Sask., at the church,
Peter H . Peter s, Winnipeg June 14, 2020.
Kate Hanson, Tianna Bartsch—Rosthern Mennonite,
Sask., at Christopher Lake, June 14, 2020.
LL ‘By virtue of the absurd’
Marriages
Re: “Embrace the paradox,” May 25, page 13.
I actually had a very similar experience with Epp/Podaima—Rebecca Epp (Douglas Mennonite, Winni-
Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard as Troy peg) and Evan Podaima, at Douglas Mennonite, June 6, 2020.
Watson had. Kierkegaard’s work also helped to make
sense of Christianity for me. His depiction of the Deaths
Christian paradox is obviously central to this making
sense, “by virtue of the absurd.” I’ve also been Bartel—Leonhard, 86 (b. Sept. 10, 1933; d. May 22, 2020),
inspired by his explanation of sin as despair. It helps Greendale River of Life, Chilliwack, B.C.
to clarify that, while there are many kinds of sins we Harder—Hella, 93 (b. Oct. 6, 1926; d. May 31, 2020), First
may or may not agree on as sins, we can all agree Mennonite, Edmonton.
that, one way or another, the state of sin originates in Klassen—Johanna (nee Friesen), 100 (b. April 29, 1919; d.
a lack of faith, and take it from there. March 30, 2020), Wildwood Mennonite, Saskatoon.
Paul Redekop, Winnipeg Mathies—Helen, 100 (b. March 6, 1920; d. June 11, 2020),
Vineland United Mennonite, Ont.
Rosenberger—Velma, 86 (b. Aug. 23, 1933; d. June 26, 2020),
North Star Mennonite, Drake, Sask. (formerly of Sharon Men-
nonite, Guernsey, Sask.).
Zehr—Elaine (Bender), 87 (b. March 28, 1933; d. May 22,
We welcome your comments and publish most letters from
2020), Emmanuel Mennonite, Abbotsford, B.C.
subscribers. Letters, to be kept to 300 words or less, are the
opinion of the writer only and are not to be taken as
endorsed by this magazine or the church. Please address
issues rather than individuals; personal attacks will not Canadian Mennonite welcomes Milestones announce-
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Canadian Mennonite Vol. 24 No. 15 9
From Our Leaders
I’m thinking about sparrows
R i ck N eu fel d
“So do not be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31).
I am thinking about sparrows today,
about how many of them there are,
and yet how little I notice them until
am wondering who the “you” is of
whom Jesus speaks in this passage. Is it
you? Is it me? I have always thought so,
at the drive-through last week.
• All the nameless, faceless ones who
harvest and butcher and pack the food
they stop for a quick perch on the or at least I have always rested in this that lines my shelves and fills my freezer.
railing of my deck and I find myself powerful promise that God’s eye is on
wishing that they were some other us, as God loves us with an amazing I also think of so very many people of
variety of backyard bird, perhaps love that knows us so well that God has colour whose stories have been over-
something with just a little more the very hairs on our heads numbered. looked or downright ignored—to their
colour—like a wren or a goldfinch or an Today I am taken also to the many very peril—by those of us in the
oriole. Even a chickadee or a nuthatch others. All those others I too often do dominant culture. Today, I think about
will do. Dull in colour, yes, and lighter not pause to notice. Not unlike spar- these “sparrows,” at least in terms of
than air itself, these sparrows seem to rows, in a way. how much more God loves them.
be. We have called them “essential Indeed, all so deeply loved by God in
I am thinking about sparrows and workers” of late and, yes, those include spite of the fact that we who walk
how I have learned that, if you look doctors and nurses and health-care alongside often do not see or really hear
closely, they really don’t all look alike, workers, of course. I cannot help but them at all.
although the differences are subtle and believe that in an especially powerful Especially today, I am wondering
even invisible to one who has never and particular way God’s heart is with: what God’s call is for me and for us in
taken the time to actually pay attention. all of this. l
I am thinking about sparrows today • The young woman who, behind a
and I am hearing Jesus’ promise that plexiglass screen, checked me out at the Rick Neufeld is Mennonite
those who follow him into the struggle grocery store the other day. Church Manitoba’s director
of life are of more value than many of • The health-care aide who has no of leadership ministries, and
them and that all the while God has choice but to go to work to feed her interim executive minister
God’s eye on the sparrow, even as God family. until the end of this year.
has God’s eye on all of us. • The middle-aged woman with a
I am thinking of sparrows today and I heavy accent who handed me my order
A moment from yesterday
Public school teachers Samuel B. Nafziger, Dick Neufeld, Sara (Lehn) Harder,
Martin Goerzen, Grace Harder, John C. Harder and C. Boldt, are pictured in
the most northerly Mennonite farm community in the world, at Fort Vermilion,
Alta,. in 1958. Their presence was controversial, as some Old Colony Mennonite
settlers resisted the development of public schools, fearing their “worldly”
effect on children. To build trust, the superintendent recruited Mennonite
teachers from the more modern Mennonite Church. Young teacher Sara Lehn
won over the bishop’s wife by conversing with her in Low German; the wife
then introduced Sara to her husband as “one of our kind.” The schools also
included Indigenous and Métis students.
Text: Laureen Harder-Gissing, with reference to Dawn S. Boden’s “Resistance, acquiescence and
accommodation,” Mennonite Quarterly Review, 2010.
Photo: The Canadian Mennonite / Mennonite Archives of Ontario archives.mhsc.ca
10 Canadian Mennonite July 20, 2020
In the Image would be quite believable if one hadn’t
observed her earlier confrontation with
‘Lining things up’ a younger cousin regarding his most
recent hockey hero, her laughter as she
turns to hear big Mike’s latest outra-
By Ed O l fer t geous quote, her passion as she leans
her confident alto into a favourite hymn.
A recent article in Canadian Menno-
nite included a story of the closing
of Superb Mennonite Church (“Superb
for that wedding he is to usher. Today, The pastoral prayer begins. The
Holly frets as she looks down at the ugly Olferts sit quietly, heads bowed. Jeb has
sneakers from Zellers. the advantage; his slouch passes
helped me continue to have faith,” June Next to Holly sits Jen. Jen is wearing a reasonably well as a prayer posture.
22, page 20). Superb was my home. I little sun dress. It doesn’t matter if it’s 40 The prayer goes on. And on. Some-
was dedicated, married, baptized and below or 40 above, Jen is wearing a where, a child is born and learns to
raised a family there. dress that is only “this” long. Now, Jen is walk. Somewhere, a war starts, UN
It is the late 1980s, and the Holly and cold. She is slipping her hands between negotiators arrive and truce is bar-
Ed Olfert family are in their bench, fully her dad’s, moaning, “I’m so cold.” gained. The economies of small
engaged in Sunday morning worship. Wearing this dress has little to do countries grow, then ebb away, while the
They sit five strong, filling a pew. At with it, 40 below or 40 above has little to prayer continues.
the aisle end is Jeb, the youngest, tall, do with it. There is simply no blood in Jeb has not moved, but will later make
long-legged. He is leaning forward with Jen’s body; if she was wearing a snow- a mild observation about watching the
his elbows on his knees, looking totally mobile suit, Jen would be slipping icy entire lifecycle of an insect on the floor
bored, looking like his mind is miles fingers into Dad’s hands and moaning, between his Zellers sneakers.
away. However, history has shown that “I’m so cold.” Holly still frets, but now how to clear
Jeb is fully aware of the community that Then there is Ed, struggling with her house of smoke from a burnt roast.
surrounds him, aware of things said, weighty spiritual matters. “How will the Ed remains enveloped in his spiritual
sensitive to feelings, at peace with it all. farm chemical bill get paid?” “Why do moment until lips brush against one ear
Beside Jeb sits his mother, Holly. those pistons in the free air Skidoo keep and he hears, “Dad, that’s not a prayer,
Holly is a little stressed today. Some melting?” Ed, with the attention span of that’s another sermon!”
weeks ago Jeb went shopping with his a gnat, keeps closing one eye while the Then, from the other side, more
dad and came home proudly sporting a other lines up the second pew with the gently, into his deaf ear, but he knows,
pair of canvas sneakers from Zellers for first, the top of the pulpit with the “Dad, you’re lining things up again!” l
only $4, perfect canoe shoes for that window shade, the hymn book with the
upcoming school excursion. But this Duo-Tang behind it. Ed is getting the Ed Olfert (p2pheo
morning Jeb appeared from his elbow and being accused of “lining @sasktel.net) is grateful
bedroom dressed in those sneakers. things up.” for the Superb community
Holly offered a comment regarding their By the wall sits Kira, the eldest of the that loved his family.
beauty, and Jeb spontaneously decided three. The dark cloud on her forehead
that they would become his full-time announces that she doesn’t want to be
Sunday shoes and also perfect footwear here; she is too tired, too bored. That
Et cetera
WCC releases online COVID-19 pandemic publication
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has released an online publication, “Health and hope: The church
in mission and unity,” a collection of previously published articles that resonate with the worldwide struggle
amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The collection, published by Wiley, is a combined edition of The Ecumenical
Review and International Review of Mission, and marks only the second time in history that such a combined
edition has been produced. The historical perspective also lends a new air of appreciation to current efforts
to care for each other, efforts that have erased the boundaries between faith groups and nations. The
publication is available at bit.ly/wcc-health-hope.
Source: World Council of ChurchesCanadian Mennonite Vol. 24 No. 15 11
Mind and Soul
Why I’m not a Canadian
R an d o l p h Halu z a-D eL ay
I am an immigrant. After serving with
Mennonite Central Committee in
Canada, I chose to stay in this amazing
“A modest proposal for peace”: That the
Christians of the world agree not to take
up arms against one another.
and Ireland and Iraq and El Salvador
and . . .” on they went.
Our religious faith gives us visions for
country. The Canadian way was closer Ponder history: Irish Catholic vs. Irish society. This is the definition of “political
to the “thousand points of light” to Protestant. German Lutheran against theology”: “explicit ideas that religious
which one of the leaders of my left-be- American Lutheran. Rwandan Catholic communities hold about authority and
hind country called his own people. (I’ll vs. Rwandan Catholic. What would be justice, and how to enact those ideas.”
leave you to guess what country.) different if Christians did not take up Our faith is automatically political. It
Canada Day has just passed as I write arms against each other or, in defence of demands we think about Indigenous
this. Normally my neighbourhood is a the nation, against fellow brothers and peoples; about poverty, the poor and
gigantic party with a rich tapestry of the sisters? what causes poverty; about caring for the
many cultures that have chosen to come Clearly in that last example not only creation and the effects of fossil-fuel use;
to Canada. The joy is more than just national loyalties can take the place of and whether policing is the best vehicle
food and fireworks. But 29 years here the lordship of Christ. Tribal allegiances for social health and safety.
and I am still not a Canadian citizen. claimed first place in Rwanda. Therein is There are a few things a nation-state
The obstacle for me is to be exclusive- the issue—anything that tries to seize does and needs to do. It serves a
ly committed to the one Lord that first place in our devotion should be coordinating function. It navigates the
transcends national boundaries. To be a anathema (which by definition is a system of other nation-states. The
citizen means to declare (avow, accept) formal denunciation or vehement pandemic response is a clear example of
allegiance to a nation-state. The nation dislike). the roles of different levels of govern-
is an entity that seeks to capture our Support for the military is rarely a ment, especially the national.
loyalties and identities. As a Christian, question for Christians in my former And we all have to travel on some
I do not think anything should replace country. Every leader must announce nation’s passport. Crossing borders with
allegiance to the Alpha and Omega. that God blesses the country. When my my former country’s documents gets
Let me be clear. I strongly identify as kids were little, a relative sent a CD of increasingly troublesome. I may
a Canadian. I am very committed to this “patriotic songs” to them. A stunning someday become a Canadian citizen
country, involved in all areas of advo- number of these songs were explicitly after all. l
cacy and politics (except for voting). religious. It is a very fond memory to
I pay my taxes in full and gladly receive recall those kids singing along—and Randolph Haluza-DeLay
the services. Nevertheless, since the replacing the actual country in the song attends First Mennonite
earliest days of my Christian journey, with any other country they could Church in Edmonton.
I have carried a postcard that presents remember: “God bless . . . and Canada
Et cetera
MCC distributes school kits in Cambodia
Nearly 48,000 Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)
school kits arrived in May 1983 and were stored for dis-
tribution during the 1983-84 school year. Along with the
kits, some 170,000 notebooks were supplied, plus a small
amount of corrugated roofing for village schools.
Source (text and photo): MCC12 Canadian Mennonite July 20, 2020
Tales From the Unending Story others would prefer not to relate to.
Although having all power and prestige,
A living metaphor Jesus decided to hang out with the
lowest of the low. Emmanuel entered
into a subjugated nation, a people living
J o sh u a Penfo l d under the rule of almighty Rome.
Jesus lowered himself further by
I t’s outlandish really, what God asks
Hosea to do. To think that someone
known for his holiness and intimate
relationship with the divine would take
up residence with a woman everyone
full-blown tantrum, with a barrage of
booming expletives for all to hear.
I’m realizing just how humbling this
associating with those the leaders and
rulers of that subjugated nation
wouldn’t dare be seen with. He des-
experience is for me, especially my ego. cended the status ladder so far as to
This is not how I roll in my life, and in associate with shepherds, fishermen,
knew was promiscuous. these situations I find myself worrying lepers, and “sinners” of all kinds.
It would have been one thing if God about how we are being perceived, Amazingly, not only did Jesus not
had sent Hosea to Gomer to pass on a specifically how I am being perceived. seem to mind it, he embraced it, invited
message, although even that would have No one knows the context of why it and turned the world upside down,
looked bad, someone like him meeting Andrea and I are together, and I wonder telling everyone to look to these
with someone like her. But no, what if everyone is silently labelling us and embarrassing riffraff as a living meta-
God requested of Hosea was far more judging us together. phor of the Kingdom of God.
unthinkable and humiliating: a call If I’m honest, I realize that, if I was a Reading Hosea, thinking of Jesus and
designed to fail. Hosea, the prophet of bystander, I would likely think that way reflecting on my own work, I realize just
God, was to marry Gomer, the harlot, too. I am aware that my association with how concerned I still am about my own
just so she could cheat on him and be a Andrea affects how the people who image, my own ego, my own status, and
living metaphor of Israel’s unfaithful- witness us perceive me, and it’s rarely in what others think of me. Once again,
ness. a positive light. I’m amazed by Jesus’ love for all human-
I am a personal-support worker for Is this how Hosea felt? Did life with ity, with no regard to himself. Oh that
someone who is so far from my lifestyle Gomer change his social status? Did my life might be less concerned about
and circles of contact that our lives Hosea worry that he would be wrongly my own image and, instead, become a
would never have intersected in regular perceived? Did he worry about his living metaphor of God’s outlandish and
life. Andrea (a pseudonym) struggles image? Did Gomer’s lifestyle force him selfless love for all. l
with various diagnoses and addictions, to interact with people and parts of
and is an incredibly challenging person town that he didn’t know existed and Joshua Penfold
to support. She is not someone I would didn’t want to be caught dead in? Did (penfoldjoshua@gmail
normally want to be associated with. Hosea worry that his entire calling as a .com) is a member of
We have had multiple occasions in prophet would be washed away in this Tavistock (Ont.)
different public settings where Andrea union, and that his reputation would Mennonite Church.
will become enraged when she pushes dissolve to nothing?
the established boundaries and I won’t Then I think of someone else who
bend to her wishes. She will unleash a intentionally associated with people
Et cetera
Discrepancies in COVID-19 death rates
Long-term care homes in Ontario that are owned by for-profit corporations
have had a higher COVID-19 death rate than non-profit homes or those
owned by a municipality, reported the Ontario Health Coalition on May
6. The study looked at 700 for-profit, 275 non-profit and 82 municipal
homes. The rates of death of homes with COVID-19 outbreaks were:
• 9 percent in for-profit homes
• 5.25 percent in non-profit homes
• 3.62 percent in public (municipal) homes
Source: OntarioHealthCoalition.caCanadian Mennonite Vol. 24 No. 15 13
Viewpoint tolerance in the sense of indifference,
but a real interest in the other, and an
Receptive ecumenism honest, common search for biblical
wisdom and theological reflection that
meets the reported challenges.
Students start to ask each other: How
Becoming vulnerable to the other do you do that in your community? On
what grounds? Why can’t I do that/
Fer nan d o Enns believe that in my own church? Or can I?
Now the classroom becomes a real
T here is a moment when
everything changes among
the students who take the
Mission and Ecumenism course at
the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,
to cherish what they have learned ecumenical space, an image of the “one
from their belief systems and household of God” in all its diversity. We
personal experiences with church. have become believers who seek to
Becoming receptive
strengthen each other in faith by sharing
doubts in the presence of the other. Can
the Netherlands, where I teach. The Then comes a moment when everything we receive together that which is of God?
student composition of this compulsory changes.
course is quite diverse; the majority This usually happens when I intro- Receiving the gifts
represent shades from the Reformed duce the concept of “receptive For me, it is always a miracle how the
tradition: some (mostly young men) ecumenism.” Instead of asking, What do spirit changes, how gently the students
who consider themselves as “conserva- other traditions need to learn from behave toward each other, how cautious
tive” or biblicist; some (mostly women) mine? the leading question is, What are they are in pointing to the strengths of
are “liberals.” There are Baptists (“evan- the weaknesses that I experience in my the other’s tradition.
gelical”), Mennonites (considered the own community? and, Are there “gifts” Having been involved in official
most liberal), Pentecostals and students in other traditions that could help me to ecumenical dialogues and institutions
without a clear religious affiliation. overcome these weaknesses? over decades, I realize that becoming
Most of the students are rather Paul Murray, who has developed this receptive to the other is quite different
sceptical about ecumenism. Some do approach at the Durham Centre for from trying to convince others why my
not believe there is any need to reflect Catholic Studies, says the assumption is way is not only legitimate, but superior.
on their relation to other Christians. that “if all were asking this question Unless I make myself vulnerable to the
Others believe that inter-Christian seriously and acting upon it, then all other—trusting that they will not
relations are irrelevant in the context of would be moving in ways which would destroy my faith but become a compan-
multi-religious encounters and extreme both deepen our authentic respective ion in growing it—I will not be able to
secularism. identities and draw us into more receive the gifts of a global church that
intimate relationships.” celebrates its reconciled diversity as a
Laying the foundation Of course, there is some reluctance in blessing from God.
During the first sessions of the course, the beginning. The students split up into Besides, isn’t this approach exactly the
my Reformed colleague, Heleen groups of three or four, composed of wisdom of the peace church, which
Zorgdrager, and I lead the students to different backgrounds. This provides a teaches nonviolence as yet another
study biblical texts on the unity of the safe space to share problems, difficul- essential mark of the Church of Christ?
church, like John 17 or Ephesians 4. ties, challenges—even pain—they Being nonviolent to another opinion,
As we reflect on ecclesiology (the experience in their own community. culture, mentality, tradition makes my
nature of the church), we discover that own faith vulnerable. As we know from
“being one” is an essential mark of the Sharing vulnerably our own history, this takes a lot of
church in every tradition. When they return to the larger group, courage and deep trust in God’s guiding
We also learn about the history of the everything feels different. Students now Spirit.
ecumenical movement. report, sometimes with tears in their I am proud of my students for their
Up to this point, most students prefer eyes, the experiences they never thought confidence! And I learn a lot from them.
to stay in their comfort zone. They have they could share with anyone, let alone l
learned to “tolerate” others, but I sense someone outside their own circles.
they hold stereotypes about each other The other students listen in a very Originally published in the April 2020
(and their Mennonite professor). sensitive way. All the arrogance and issue of Courier/Correo/Courrier.
None of them really question what ignorance from earlier sessions is gone. Reprinted by permission of the author
they have believed so far. And I encour- Now they relate to each other, and Mennonite World Conference.
age them to present their own identity, gradually building trust. It is no longer14 Canadian Mennonite July 20, 2020
Personal Reflection
I am my brother’s keeper
Ar t Sh eil
Many years ago now—I’m getting a to a fundamental social contract. That way,” often equated with rugged individ-
bit long in the tooth—I took what I contract involved acknowledging what ualism, and by no means limited to the
thought would be a bird course in my I would forgo for your benefit and what United States. Besides the fact that “new
second year at what was then known as you would forgo for my benefit, in order normal” is an oxymoron, the energy
Waterloo College. It turned out to be for us to live together in community. He seems to be all directed at how quickly
anything but, and I remember more also claimed that every civilization be- we can get back to the way things were.
from that course than from any other in gan its decline when that social contract Jesus sent his disciples out to an-
my seven years of university education. weakened in the face of the rise of indi- nounce a new kingdom, a kingdom
It was a course on political philosophy. vidualism. The dominant philosophy is based on his way. That kingdom is
The response to “shelter at home” played out for us all over the world in not a place. It is an experience: your
brought on by the COVOD-19 pan- the simple refusal to wear a mask, for experience when others put you ahead
demic brings back one of the key the benefit of others, when you
insights we discussed in that course. go shopping.
The response I refer to involves scenes Maybe it’s a preacher’s lia-
of crowded beaches, the absence of bility, but I cannot keep from
masks, the rush to fill the bars minutes contrasting this “way” of man-
after they opened, and, most significant- aging our life with the words of
ly, the protest marches demanding that Jesus: “I am the way, the truth,
the country be opened so we can get and the Life” (John 14:6). The
back to the “American way.” way of Jesus sounds very much
However, I do not want to be seen as like embracing a social con-
simply an American basher. The “way” tract. He is called “the Man for
referred to is the same in every corner others.” Early Christians were
of the civilized world. It focuses square- known by how they loved one
ly on individual rights and freedoms. It another. “If meat will cause my PIXABAY PHOTO BY CANICEUS
leads churches to defy directives from brother to offend, I will eat no
political and health professionals, and meat,” the Apostle Paul wrote
The way of Jesus sounds
vast crowds to fill the streets demanding in I Corinthians 8:13. “If my very much like embracing a
what they see as their right. not wearing a mask may en-
In the course I took in 1960, we were danger my brother, I will wear
social contract. He is called
asked to read and discuss Walter a mask,” he might have written ‘the Man for others.’ Early
Lippmann’s book The Public Philosophy, today.
published in 1955. The author analysed The “deep disorder in our so-
Christians were known by
the writings of the leading journalists of ciety” that Lippmann identified how they loved one another.
the day and claimed that what drove has been attested to in various
their thinking was simply a reflection of ways since he wrote about it
the dominant philosophy in our society. 75 years ago. You can fill library shelves of themselves, and for others when we
He concluded that “there is a deep with books about the “Me generation.” put them ahead of ourselves. It may be
disorder in our society.” That disorder, I worked for many years with youth as simple as stepping out of the aisle so
he claimed, was not the result of any who were frequently the negative result another person can pass a safe distance
outside pressure but was generated of the “it’s all about me” parenting de- away or wearing a mask when such
entirely from within ourselves. bacle. Sadly, the Christian church, and distance is not possible.
He came to that conclusion after we its members, from time to time have Then we begin to heal the deep dis-
studying the rise and fall of civilizations also been seduced by the appeal to look order in our society and bring in God’s
as far back as recorded history and out for No. 1. Kingdom. l
archaeological studies could take him. We hear a lot right now about some-
What he claimed to find was that every thing called the “new normal.” We also Art Sheil is a co-pastor of Nairn
civilization rose when citizens bought in hear a call to return to the “American Mennonite Church, Ailsa Craig, Ont.Canadian Mennonite Vol. 24 No. 15 15
Viewpoint
God’s paintbrush of diversity
G l en Guy to n
Mennonite World Conference
I t does not happen often, but I am at a
loss for words as cities across the
United States burn, and as I have
endured several weeks of seeing Black
bodies sacrificed in the name of order
the globe. Missionaries have
come from North America and
Europe, wrapping God in the
cloak of whiteness. But, as
Anabaptists, we must insist that
and discipline. I am torn between being we are all created in God’s
an enraged Black man and being a image. The Spirit connects us
leader in a predominantly white all and we should treasure the
institution whose members are united brush of diversity that God uses
by theology and, for many, a common to paint humankind.
ancestry. Along with thoughts and
The most recent names that have prayers, we need action. We
shredded my heart are George Floyd, need to be unified around who
Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. we are as a global body of
I watched in horror as a woman peacemakers. I have challenged
named Amy Cooper who, walking her the church in the United States
unleashed dog, attempted to weaponize to reflect on the following:
the police against Christian Cooper (no
relation), who simply wanted to peace- • How will you join God’s
fully watch birds in Central Park in New peace at work in your commu-
York City. nity or nation?
Christian Cooper, like me, is an • Are there people or organi-
African-American man. The language zations in your communities who UNSPLASH PHOTO BY SHRAGA KOPSTEIN
used on the white woman’s call to police demonstrate what peace looks
means that any Black male—me or my like?
son—could have fit the description,
giving the responding officers a licence
to kill with the qualified immunity that Missionaries have come from North America
withholds justice. and Europe, wrapping God in the cloak of
Systems of racial power would like
nothing better than for leaders like me whiteness. But, as Anabaptists, we must insist
to lay my Blackness and pain aside; that we are all created in God’s image.
however, they are part of what shapes
my identity.
As a leader, I am called to push down • Where have you found God’s peace oppression anywhere we see them. The
my fear and sadness. I need to call upon in the work that you’re doing? violence and unrest that is happening
the people of Mennonite Church U.S.A. • What are some things you can do to now in the United States is not an
I also call on my Anabaptist family from actively be a conduit for transformative accident; it is what the system is
around the world to speak out against peacemaking? designed to do, and it jeopardizes all of
racial injustice at home and abroad. us. l
We must reject cultures that demon- People from around the world have
ize dark skin. We must reject cultures reached out to me, asking how they can Glen Guyton is the
that cause some to whiten their skin help. Let us stand for justice. Together, executive director of
because that is somehow perceived as we can make a difference. We need to Mennonite Church U.S.A.
better. engage in more costly peacemaking,
Our Anabaptist churches need to rooted in radical discipleship, which
speak to the growing injustice around seeks to dismantle systems ofYou can also read
