62.10 | October 2023

OCTOBER 2023 MBHERALD.COM

Digest

More than sixty years of sharing the life & story of the Mennonite Brethren in Canada

An audience of one Ultimately, we serve only one master

VOLUME 62 , NO. 10

T H E M B H E R A L D I N T E R V I E W W I T H I A I N P R O VA N I S YO U R C H U R C H G O I N G W O K E ?

I N S E A R C H O F A B E T T E R I - D O N ’ T- I T Y

Mennonite Brethren Herald Digest is digitally published monthly by the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, primarily for the use of its members, to build a Canadian MB community of faith. We seek to 1) share the life and story of the church by nurturing relationships among members and engaging in dialogue and reflection; 2) teach and equip for ministry by reflecting MB theology, values, and heritage, and by sharing the good news; 3) enable communication by serving conference ministries and informing our members about the church and the world. However, the opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the church as a whole.

Digest OCTOBER , 2023 | VOLUME 62, NO. 10

“We need to be the church and not simply the religious wing of some other organization.

The difficult thing in the modern world and urbanized environment, is genuinely

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practicing robust Christian community.”

Read Kristal Toews’ interview with Iain Provain on page 8.

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Q&R CORNER Ken Esau

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AN AUDIENCE OF ONE Philip A. Gunther

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IS YOUR CHURCH GOING WOKE? AND DOES IT MATTER? Pierre Gilbert

The Mennonite Brethren Herald is a publication of

CANADIAN CONFERENCE OF MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCHES

CONFÉRENCE CANADIENNE DES ÉGLISES DES FRÈRES MENNONITES

IN SEARCH OF A BETTER I-DON’T-ITY Nikki White HOLY SPIRIT—FILL US WITH YOUR SELF CONTROL Jodi Enns

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Sharing the life and story of Mennonite Brethren in Canada

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

OCTOBER 2023

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From the editor God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging Psalm 46:1-3

lease don’t tell anyone, but I’m a wrestling fan. I was indoctrinated at an early age, sitting alongside my grandfather on Saturday afternoons, both six inches from the TV set, cheering the heroes and booing the heels. Upon learning that wrestling was in the Bible, imagine my amazement—WHAT? On the eve of his rematch with his brother Esau, our heel (grabber), conniver and schemer, Jacob, is confronted by the angel. Jacob, unwilling to submit, receives his comeuppance in the form of God’s blessing, and his wrestling days are ended. I oversimplify, but the point is that submission to God is good for us. In our stubbornness and self-assured vanity, we plot our paths on a map of our design. But to what end?

Without God, we are lost.

In our cover story, An audience of one, Phil Gunther writes, “As disciples, we can run into a conflict of interest—a conflict of loyalty—if we are not careful in our discernment. Are we seeking to appease others at the cost of pleasing the Lord? Gaining the approval of others can easily come at the expense of honouring the Lord.” I often seek other’s approval without first seeking God’s blessing. Can anyone else relate?

All too often, we play to the crowd, searching for belonging and an identity based on unrealistic earthly standards and expectations. On page 17 (In search of a better I-don’t-ity), Nikki White challenges us to seek our truest selves in submission to God and a desire to be in the image of Jesus Christ.

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As we witness the devastating casualties in both Israel and Gaza, we feel overwhelmed and helpless. However, we must remember the promises in Psalm 46 that God is our refuge, strength, and ever-present help in times of trouble. Even though it may seem like everything around us is falling apart, we are called to pray for peace in the midst of war. Let us pray to God who “breaks the bow and shatters the spear,” and who “burns the shields with fire” (Psalm 46:9).

We cling today to the words of the psalmist in verse 10: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The articles in this issue are all about being still and submitting ourselves to this great God whom we believe in faith will one day be fully exalted among the nations and all wars will cease.

I extend gratitude to Phil, Nikki, and all who have penned articles in this month’s issue.

Thank you, reader, for supporting MB Herald Digest and engaging in deep, sometimes challenging topics with grace and wisdom.

By the way, if you plan to be in the Abbotsford area October 26-28 and want to wrestle with the question, “Why Church? Why MB?” there’s still time to register for EQUIP 2023.

Visit equip.mennonitebrethren.ca for more information.

With respect,

Carson

CARSON SAMSON

Communications director

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M B H E R A L D.C O M

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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY October 28, 2023 | Click to register

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Q& R corner

Q&R corner provides responses to questions that readers may have about CCMBC and its work collaborating with provincial MB conferences in areas of spiritual health and theology, leadership development, mission, and organizational health in order to achieve the overall mission: “To cultivate a community and culture of healthy disciple-making churches and ministries, faithfully joining Jesus in his mission.” If you would like to contribute a question, please send it to questions@mbchurches.ca Please note that we will not be using your name in the MB Herald Digest in order to respect those who prefer anonymity. There may not be space to respond to every question—and sometimes we might not really have the ability or authority to respond to some questions (for example, those that relate more directly to one of our provincial MB conferences or to a local church leadership).

We apologize in advance if we are unable to publish a response to your specific question.

It seems that in the past few years people are using the term “disputable matters” a lot and I’d like your perspective on what constitutes a disputable matter. During COVID not everyone agreed on whether or not responses to the vaccine or to government regulations were “disputable matters”. Some people said they were, others said that there is a specific response which is more biblical than others. This is carrying over now into topics of gender and sexuality. Even if people agree with each other theologically, there is often disagreement on how to apply theological truth (e.g., the balance between speaking truth and being hospitable towards people who have different beliefs or make different lifestyle choices). How do we know if the choices or decisions we are making are ‘disputable’ or not? When should we work hard to get everyone on the same page, and when should we keep a more open hand and allow people to make decisions according to their conscience?

Note: This question was passed on from one of our provincial leaders and did not come directly by means of our questions@mbchurches.ca email.

Thanks so much for this group of questions you have asked. They are certainly being asked by those in our churches. Once again, I want to highlight that in whatever way we decide to answer these questions, we prioritize faithfulness to Jesus, and seeking first God’s kingdom and his righteousness as we understand it based on Scripture.

A “disputable matter” is a biblical expression that we define as a theological and/or ethical question that is deemed to have enough biblical support in both directions (or has no particular biblical support either way) that disciples of Jesus can rightfully disagree about

without one perspective in the disagreement being considered outside of the theological and/or ethical convictions of the whole group. The term itself comes from Romans 14:1 where Paul says that the church community needs to “[a]ccept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.”

Paul was concerned here that there would be division in the early church over questions of observing Jewish sacred days or whether to eat meat. Paul declared these two questions to be disputable matters that should not divide the church community. According to what we see in Romans 14-15, questions of personal scruples around food laws and sacred days are the kinds of questions that could be included in that category.

Here are a few key points about “disputable matters” that hopefully can guide us today:

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S P I R I T U A L H E A LT H A N D T H EO LO G Y

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First, a disputable matter is not any question that sincere Christians disagree about. Sincere Christians have disagreed through history on all sorts of questions, ranging from what might seem minor to us (e.g., the appropriate dress people should wear when they attend church gatherings) to what is critically important theologically (e.g., whether the Bible teaches a Trinitarian understanding of God). If Christians disagree about something, it is a disputed matter, but a disputed matter is not automatically a disputable matter unless it is discerned as such by the larger church community. As you note, some Christians are embracing new perspectives on sexuality and gender in part because a number of well-known pastors and scholars are “changing their minds” about what the Bible teaches. But the existence of alternative perspectives does not make these questions disputable matters no matter how well-respected and sincere the individuals are who are holding alternative views. Disputed matters have always existed in the Church. Some of them became recognized as disputable matters but many others were deemed to threaten orthodoxy and therefore not given the status of disputable.

Second, a disputed matter becomes a disputable matter at the prayerful and biblical discretion of the larger group. In denominational groupings, it is not the individual or even the local church that provides this assessment but only the collective. Church history shows that disputed matters relating to the nature of Jesus, the means of salvation, and so on, were confronted in creeds and theological pronouncements.

These disputed matters led to clear definitions of what constitutes faithful Christian orthodoxy. This is presumably why the Mormon Church and Jehovah’s Witnesses are generally considered to be outside of “orthodox Christianity.” In our MB church family, the determination of what is and is not a disputable matter is done by the Canadian MB family, in consultation also with our USMB family and our international ICOMB family. Our MB Confession of Faith states convictions on many disputed matters—and this posture demonstrates that we do not consider them to be disputable matters. If we did, our MB Confession would not state clear convictions about them.

Third, we do not divide up our Confession of Faith into salvation questions (not disputable) and everything else (disputable matters). Some would argue that we only have a very few things that really matter (viz., Jesus rose from the grave; salvation is by faith and not by works, etc.) and everything else is a disputable matter that we should not argue about. The assumption here is that if there are respected Christians outside of our denominational family who hold alternative views on things that we (and our MB Confession of Faith) disagree with (e.g., infant baptism,

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In our MB church family, the determination of what is and is not a disputable matter is done by the Canadian MB family, in consultation also with our USMB family and our international ICOMB family.

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same-sex-marriage, redemptive violence, etc.), then our MB family should consider all of these non-salvific questions to be disputable matters. But churches in the Believers Church tradition have always seen salvation as not simply a one-time past-tense event—but an ongoing discipleship journey of walking behind Jesus in all of life. The New Testament writers wrote their letters with the assumption that there were many non-negotiables in the discipleship journey post-conversion. They did not seem to believe that all of these discipleship questions were disputable matters. For us as an MB denomination in Canada, we express many clear convictions in our MB Confession of Faith and in that process are saying that these convictions are not disputable matters for us. Some of these convictions define what it means to begin the faith journey with Jesus and others define what we believe it looks like to walk faithfully with Jesus in the years and decades after that. We believe that both are vitally important.

Fourth, a disputable matter does not mean that the varying perspectives on the question are all equally “correct” or equally biblical or that the answer doesn’t really matter. From Paul’s comments in Romans 14 about disputes over what Christians ought to eat, it seems clear that Paul is convinced that “nothing is unclean in itself” (v.11). However, out of love and a desire for “peace and mutual edification” (v.19), Paul argues that the community should accept others who disagree on these sorts of questions and not exclude them (cf. Rom 15:7). If something is considered by the group to be a disputable matter, strong convictions on both sides can still exist, but the group’s unity should not be torn apart by these different convictions.

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we must acknowledge that some nondisputable questions have become disputable matters in our family.

However, this does not mean that we now have license or precedent to do this on any question that we feel should be a disputable matter.

S P I R I T U A L H E A LT H A N D T H EO LO G Y

Fifth, disputable matters are generally identified in our family by their lack of presence in the MB Confession of Faith. When the MB Confession provides no guidance on a theological/ethical question (and this seems to be done intentionally as opposed to it not being a question that even existed when the Confession was created), we can consider this a disputable matter. Our MB Confession does not address the scientific nature of how God created the physical world or the exact nature of Jesus’ millennial kingdom. Our family has signaled that these matters are disputable.

While we might prefer that every local church would also make these matters disputable, there are some local MB churches that take convictional stances on matters that the MB Confession has made a disputable matter. In such cases, we hope for mutual grace within the varying perspectives that exist in our family so that we can pray and participate together in Jesus’ mission that he has given us.

Finally, we must acknowledge that MBs have moved some questions from non-disputable matters to disputable ones in our history. For example, I grew up in a local MB church that required complete abstinence from alcohol as part of my membership commitment. But this non-disputable matter at my local church level was not mentioned anywhere in the 1975 MB Confession of Faith in effect at the time. One could argue that our USMB family in their revision of Article 13 have demonstrated movement of a non-disputable matter to a disputable matter. So we must acknowledge that some non-disputable questions have become disputable matters in our family. However, this does not mean that we now have license or precedent to do this on any question that we feel should be a disputable matter.

So to get back to your question, our larger MB church in Canada did struggle over the question whether all the varying and often conflicting responses that Christians proposed to government Covid regulations and vaccinations should be seen under the category of disputable matter—or whether we should be challenging some responses as being less worthy of the witness of Christ in the world. Our MB Confession of Faith did not have a specific article about “responding to pandemics,” although there are articles that address closely related topics (e.g., stewardship of one’s body; Christian love for neighbour; the Church and Government; etc.). But without absolutely clear guidance on this question (and a willingness by individuals to actually submit themselves to group guidance— something becoming increasingly rare today), it does seem that most churches in our MB family tried to consider this a disputable matter. While we hope that the pandemic is a once in a lifetime event, we may want to reflect more on what we have learned by

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taking this approach—and how our actions during the pandemic have or have not lifted up the name of Jesus in our communities.

When it comes to questions of sexuality and gender, our MB Confession of Faith guides us much more in terms of shared convictions, so I would say that there is much less space for the language of disputable matter. However, as you rightly note, just agreeing on a theological/ethical vision doesn’t lead immediately to agreement about how to live all of this out. Our tradition highly values drawing in prayerful, Holy Spirit guided people to discern together how our theological/ ethical vision in a certain area can be lived out in the complexities of our local situation. But in a world weighted toward the individual, this group discernment will continue to hit walls unless individuals are willing to believe that the Holy Spirit is guiding the larger group, and willing to submit themselves to that larger discernment.

Thanks again for passing on this group of questions. We certainly need biblical guidance, Holy Spirit wisdom, and much prayer to lean into disputed matters inside and outside of our family.

Thanks for your question. I hope that this response is helpful.

Ken Esau (National Faith & Life Director)

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The MB Herald interview W I T H I A I N P R OVA N

we have four children and four grandchildren. I live in North Vancouver and am the founder of the Cuckoos Consultancy which helps people process challenging questions about humanness.

ALL O F O U R 2023 EQU I P PLE NARY S PE AKE RS TH I S YE AR AR E AC TIVE PARTICI PANTS O F M B CO N G R EGATIO N S. CAN YO U TE LL US WH ICH CH U RCH YO U AR E AFFI LIATE D WITH , WHAT D R EW YO U TO TH I S CO N G R EGATIO N , AN D WHAT HA S KE P T YO U TH E R E?

Iain Provan was born and educated in the UK, emigrating to Canada in 1997 to become the Marshall Sheppard Professor of Biblical Studies at Regent College in Vancouver. Retiring in 2022, he founded The Cuckoos Consultancy, which is designed to help serious Christians understand how they should answer the question, ‘What is a human being?’ and what this means for how they should live.

It also aims to equip them to recognize the non-Christian roots of the powerful, competing ideas of ‘the human’ that they encounter every day and to have the courage to reject them.

Iain will be delivering the Thursday evening plenary, “Why the Church needs a biblical ethic of sexuality, birth sex, and gender identity” at EQUIP 2023.

Kristal Toews sat down with Iain for an interview.

M B H : YO U H AV E B E E N I N V I T E D T O PA R T I C I PAT E A S A P L E N A RY S P E A K E R AT THE CANADIAN MB EQUIP CONFERENCE I N O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 . W H AT D O YO U T H I N K I S I M P O R TA N T F O R E Q U I P AT T E N D E E S T O K N O W A B O U T YO U ?

IP: I suppose it’s relevant that I’m a former professor of Biblical studies!

I taught in the UK and then at Regent College in Vancouver for 25 years, and I have recently retired. I am married to Lynette, a retired child psychologist,

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I attend Christ City, South Vancouver. I was drawn there because our family was a bit scattered at the time and our daughter and her fiance were attending. I didn’t want to go to church by myself, so I went with them. Then other family members returned and joined in. In the meantime I discovered that it’s a very excellent community.

Very good, thoughtful, well-prepared teaching; smart, wise leadership; doing a lot of things well, including church planting, so it’s a very good place to be.

T H E T O P I C F O R YO U R S E S S I O N I S , “ W H Y THE CHURCH NEEDS A BIBLICAL ETHIC O F S E X U A L I D E N T I T Y, B I R T H S E X A N D G E N D E R I D E N T I T Y.” H O W H AV E YO U R A R E A S O F A C A D E M I C S P E C I A LT Y A N D YO U R E X P E R I E N C E S Q U A L I F I E D YO U T O SPEAK ON THIS TOPIC?

The question, “Why do we need Biblical theology of this?” is part of a bigger question of, “Why do we need a Biblical theology of everything?” Why? Because the Scriptures are given to us by Christ to guide us on our journey. The Old Testament and the New Testament are both equally Scripture, and we have to read from Genesis to Revelation to find out what we ought to believe and how we ought to live. We also need to be able to recognize unbiblical, less than biblical, quasi-biblical ideas which interfere with our discipleship, and can be dangerous and damaging.

Having been a biblical scholar, I’ve developed quite a lot of expertise on the Bible, how best to read the Bible, and what the Bible teaches. I also have long experience of helping people to apply the Bible to all of their lives. And I have a lot of practical experience through friendships, acquaintances, and speaking to people wrestling with these issues.

you find yourself to desire is really the key to what you should believe and how you should live”, that’s not a trivial messing with Biblical teaching, it’s up-turning the entire thing.

I F P E O P L E B R O W S E T H R O U G H YO U R

TH E FO LLOWI N G Q U E STI O N S CO M E

W E B S I T E ( I A I N P R OVA N . C A ) , T H E Y

FROM SOME KEY IDEAS IN THE BOOK.

YO U ’ V E W R I T T E N C U C K O O S I N O U R N E S T: TRUTH AND LIES ABOUT BEING HUMAN, A N D A N I N T E R V I E W W I T H J A K E L A FAV E F R O M C H R I S T C I T Y I S AVA I L A B L E H E R E .

WILL ENCOUNTER A LONG LIST OF R E S O U R C E S YO U ’ V E W R I T T E N O R C R E -

WHEN IT COMES TO THE TOPICS OF

AT E D . D E S P I T E T H E B R E A D T H O F YO U R

S E X U A L I D E N T I T Y, B I R T H S E X A N D G E N -

I N T E R E S T S , YO U H AV E I N T E N T I O N A L LY

D E R I D E N T I T Y, W H AT P O S T U R E S H O U L D

C H O S E N T O F O C U S , N O W, O N W H AT I T

T H E C H U R C H TA K E T O WA R D S E D U -

MEANS TO BE HUMAN: WHY?

C AT I N G T H O S E I N S I D E T H E C H R I S T I A N

I think this is a theological crisis at the moment in the church. Christians are really confused, and also have a profound loss of confidence in the ability of Scripture to speak to contemporary questions. The key question in the fourth century was, “Who is Jesus?” and the key question in the Reformation was, “How can we be saved?” I think our question, which goes to the very heart of the gospel is, “What does it mean to be human?”

W H Y D O YO U B E L I E V E T H AT T H E O L O G ICAL IDEAS SURROUNDING THE TOPICS O F S E X U A L I D E N T I T Y, B I R T H S E X A N D GENDER IDENTITY ARE ISSUES OF PRIM A RY I M P O R TA N C E F O R T H E C H U R C H ?

When you step back from specific questions on gender and sexuality, with all of their emotional charge, you discover people saying that we settle ideas about what we ought to believe and how we ought to live, not fundamentally by going to Scripture, but actually by consulting some other authority.

The favorite authority at the moment is what we find, or think we find, deep within ourselves. We think that we’re on our own, and can’t trust external authorities, so what we find inside takes on the status of Revelation.

That, I think, is not a matter about which we can be open-handed, because it speaks right to the heart of how you would know what a Christian way of living is. When you say, “Well, what

COMMUNIT Y?

We need to admit that we have been asleep at the wheel, and our children are being catechized by strangers: people on the internet, social media, and Netflix. Who is really shaping our desires, our imaginations and those of our children? All too often, it’s not actually the Church.

So, we need to work out what our discipleship and community ought to involve. We need to be the church and not simply the religious wing of some other organization. The difficult thing in the modern world and urbanized environment, is genuinely practicing robust Christian community. Humans are creatures of the group, and if we’re spending more time in peer groups that are not focused on Christ, we are naive if we think that they’re not shaping us.

W H AT P O S T U R E S H O U L D T H E C H U R C H TA K E T O WA R D S E N G A G I N G M I S S I O N A L LY W I T H T H O S E W H O A R E O U T S I D E THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNIT Y?

It ought to be what it’s always been. The church’s job is to be the church and to be salt and light to society. Part of that is preaching the gospel and inviting people to repent as we have repented, to join our community and be disciples. We ought to do this self-consciously as the church: an identifiable, discipleship community in which everyone has bought in. That involves loving your neighbour and all

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>> To register for EQUIP 2023, visit the event website.

of the good works that Christians do in the culture. What it shouldn’t involve is blurring the boundaries between the church and the culture.

I N YO U R B O O K YO U TA L K A B O U T CHURCHES BEING COMMUNITIES WITH

>> To learn more about Iain Provain, visit his website

H A R D B O U N D A R I E S . C A N YO U D E F I N E W H AT YO U D O A N D D O N O T M E A N B Y THIS TERM?

We all have baggage in this area because we have seen people behave foolishly, in a nitpicking way, with the wrong posture. However, we can’t say that it is wrong to have boundaries because it’s biblical, apostolic and the Apostle Paul (for example) advocated it. Our Lord himself talked about sheep and wolves and he didn’t say, “Sheep and wolves are basically just the same, don’t worry about it!”

If you make a strong claim about Christ it offends somebody, it always has. The fact that church discipline has been done badly, doesn’t mean that it is, by itself, bad. It’s proper for parents to protect their children from bad influences, and it’s proper for us to protect the sheep. I rather shake in my boots when I hear people adopt a casual attitude towards protecting sheep, which is actually our primary responsibility as Christian leaders.

W H AT P O S T U R E S H O U L D T H E C H U R C H TA K E W I T H P E O P L E I N S I D E T H E C O M M U N I T Y W H O A R E A DVO C AT I N G T H AT T H E CH U RCH SO F TE N ITS BO U N DARI E S O N THESE TOPICS?

K R I S TA L T O E W S

We need to persuade them that they are mistaken and try to dissuade them from ways of living that follow from those beliefs. So, we always take a gentle posture, we always try to persuade, to lead, to rebuke, discipline.

But, if we are unable to persuade, the church must gather around the figure of Christ and be committed to what is true and good.

Community is a secondary matter. Our culture has made community and inclusion the primary matter, as if church discipline or even church splits were the worst thing that could ever happen.

A F T E R AT T E N D I N G YO U R S E S S I O N AT T H E E Q U I P C O N F E R E N C E , W H AT D O YO U H O P E P E O P L E W I L L WA L K AWAY W I T H ?

I hope they will walk away with a renewed understanding of the moment as a crisis. I hope they will walk away with a renewed commitment to be part of the solution.I hope they will leave with a better sense of what some of the cuckoos in the nest are and be able to better distinguish between biblical and unbiblical ideas.

We’re all under colossal pressure emotionally, intellectually, and the pressure is not just outside, it’s inside our families and our church communities. The difficulty is that this is all recognized in the Bible as well, right?

At the end of the day, our primary commitment must be to Christ. I don’t know if we could take too seriously the responsibility we have to lead people onwards on this journey.

is the Pastor of Discipleship at Northview community Church in Abbostford, BC. She also serves as a Member at Large on the CCMBC National Faith & LifeTeam.

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S P I R I T U A L H E A LT H A N D T H EO LO G Y

U LT I M AT E LY , W E S E R V E O N LY O N E M A S T E R

BY PHILIP A. GUNTHER “A M I N OW T RY I N G TO W I N T H E A P P R OVA L O F H U M A N B E I N G S , O R O F G O D? OR AM I TRYING TO PLE ASE PEOPLE? IF I WERE STILL TRYING TO PLE ASE P EO P L E , I W O U L D N OT B E A S E R VA N T O F C H R I S T.” G A L AT I A N S 1 : 1 0 N I V “ B E A B S O L U T E LY H I S . ” OS WA L D C H A M B ERS

uthor of A History of Christianity In The World, Clyde L. Manschreck, claimed the 1521 Diet of Worms was the climax of Martin Luther’s ministry. A diet was a formal Catholic tribunal. Before that event, in 1517, Luther, an ordained priest, nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church. This proclamation outlined Luther’s protest against particular practices and beliefs of the Holy Catholic Church. The Ninety-five Theses were printed and widely circulated making Luther a hero amongst the common citizenry, but eventually an enemy of the state church. Several unsuccessful attempts by the church were made to refute and silence Luther. Eventually Pope Leo X drafted his 1520 bull (edict) Exsurge Domine branding Luther as a “wild boar in the Lord’s vineyard.”1 Leo gave Luther sixty days to recant. Luther refused and months later burned the edict outside the walls of Wittenberg Castle. Leo responded to this act of perceived insolence by issuing the bull Decet in 1521 excommunicating the radical priest. It was after this papal edict that Luther was summoned to Worms, Germany by imperial and ecclesiastical authorities. They intended to forcefully persuade Luther to repent, recant and reform. Luther, however, stood before the tribunal and challenged his accusers to prove his convictions

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1 Clyde L. Manschreck. A History Of Christianity In The World. Prentice-Hall Inc. 1985, P.171.

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were in error. He would not act contrary to his conscience which he claimed was “captive to the Word of God.”2 “I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, so help me God.”3 Little came of the Diet of Worms as each side became further entrenched in their dogma. After the tribunal, Luther ministered impactfully for another twenty-five years until his death in 1546.

Martin Luther was likely the greatest theological revolutionary of the Reformation. Some called him a genius, the second Elijah, the new Apostle Paul, others called him a heretic, a destroyer of culture, a delusional apostate. Either way, the church at large (Catholic and Protestant) was forged anew because of him. Our understanding of the authority and role of Scripture and the church was forever changed.

Friends, I simply share this slice of church history to shine a spotlight on Luther’s conviction at the Diet of Worms that he would not live to appease the state church nor Pope Leo; his heart was set to stand accountable to God. Luther was living his life for an audience of one. Eric Henry Liddell was born in Tientsin, China in 1902 to Scottish Christian parents serving with the London Missionary Society. Liddell became a faithful disciple of Christ. As an adult he became an accomplished athlete at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland). At Edinburgh, he trained to compete as a runner in the 100-metre race for the 1924 Olympics held in Paris. As the Olympics neared, he was told that the 100 metre heats would be held on a Sunday. Liddell declined to race.

He believed that Sunday was the Lord’s Day and competing during the Sabbath would displease the Lord. Liddell pivoted and began earnestly training for the 200 and 400 metre races. At the Paris Olympics Liddell won a bronze in the 200-metre sprint and a gold in the 400-metre race. Later in his life he stated, “One word stands out from all the others as the key to knowing God, to having his peace and assurance in your heart; it is obedience.”4 After the Olympics Liddell entered full time ministry as a missionary in Xiaozhang, China. During WWII, Liddell was placed in the Weihsien Internment Camp by the invading Japanese military and died there from a brain tumour. Speaking of his life as a disciple of Jesus, his final words were reported to be, “It’s complete surrender.”5 Liddell lived life, not to appease his peers at the university, not to appease his public supporters, nor to retain his popularity, but for God. He lived life for an audience of one.6 In the Old Testament, Israel’s call was to serve and worship only God; they were to be loyal to an audience of one.7 We see this lived out n Daniel’s life. Daniel was a Hebrew exile who rose to prominence in the government of King Darius. As a foreigner, his ascent to power was met with disdain by others in Darius’ administration. As a means to oust Daniel from his position, they devised a scheme to have Darius issue a thirty-day decree that no one could pray to anyone or anything but to the king. Daniel’s distractors knew of his devout faith in God. Daniel, being a man of God, refused to obey the decree: “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published,

2 Ibid., 172.

3 Ibid.

4 https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/802465.Eric_Liddell 5 Sally Magnusson. The Flying Scotsman, A Biography. Quartet Books Inc.: New York, New York. 1981, p.160-170.

6 The 1981 Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire recounts Liddell’s story.

7 Exodus 20:3; 34:14

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he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down and prayed, giving thanks to God, just as he had done before” (Daniel 6:10). Daniel lived life, not to appease King Darius, not to appease his peers, not to retain his position, but for God. He lived life for an audience of one.

Our call from Jesus is clear: “follow me” (Matthew 4:19).8 The invitation is not to follow a philosophy, ideology or set of spiritual precepts, it is a call to a person. This call is exclusive.9 Disciples are to respond favourably to this call out of a love for the grace shown to them through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Pleasing the Lord is a love response, not a religious one. In addition, it is from the Lord, above all others, that disciples want to hear the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

On the stage of life – our life – the only one we want to ensure is pleased with our thoughts, words and deeds is the Lord. In a world where many are clamouring for our time, resources and loyalty (many of whom are worthy to receive it), ultimately, we have an audience of one. Servants of Christ are known by their service, loyalty and devotion to Christ above anything and anyone. Jesus, himself, taught that disciples cannot serve two masters.10 As disciples, we can run into a conflict of interest – a conflict of loyalty – if we are not careful in our discernment. Are we seeking to appease others at the cost of pleasing the Lord? Gaining the approval of others can easily come at the expense of honouring the Lord. People-pleasing can come with many troubles because its motivation is often unhealthy. For example, there were those who believed in Jesus but would not publicly confess him because of their fear of being cast out of the synagogue by the religious gatekeepers.

Their people-pleasing was rooted in fear and as a result, “…they loved praise from men more than praise from God” (Matthew 12:43). The consequence of being ashamed of Jesus in this life is judgement in the next.11 In contrast, God-pleasing is a love response which brings blessings.12 And yes, there may be a significant cost. Daniel, for example, was thrown into a lion’s den by King Darius. Eric Liddell did not compete in the 1924 summer Olympics as a 100-metre sprinter.

As disciples, we rightly should make concerted conscious efforts to do right by others. We are to consciously bear in mind the interests and needs of others.13 We must demonstrate respect and fulfill our commitments and responsibilities. Ultimately, however, we live our lives for the Lord just as the Apostle Paul directed: “…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31b). When all is said and done, as disciple of Jesus, ours is ultimately an audience of one.

REV. PHILIP A GUNTHER

is director of ministry for the Saskatchewan Conference of MB Churches

“ M Y U T M O S T F O R H I S H I G H E S T.” OS WA L D C H A M B ERS

8

Luke 5:27; John 1:43

9

Matthew 4:10; John 14:6

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Matthew 6:24

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Luke 9:26

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Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 6:33; 2 John 1:6,8

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Philippians 2:4

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Is your church

[And does it matter?]

BY PIERRE GILBERT

he woke phenomenon is nearly ubiquitous thse days. Universities, businesses, and government agencies annually spend millions of dollars to promote wokeness, which, in those settings goes under the well-known DEI acronym: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Like the social justice movement from which it derives, the woke ideology is predicated on the idea that all inequality is the result of oppression, and that it can only be redressed by imposing an equality of outcomes via the use of state and institutional power.1 What differentiates woke from social justice (and its 20th Century Marxian forerunner) does not so much reside in its central thesis. In a recent interview with Frontier Centre for Public Policy, David Leis, Professor Frances Widdowson points out that it is the totalitarian character of this ideology that distinguishes it from these earlier versions.2 As pervasive as this metastasized variant of identity politics has now become, we can at least take comfort in the fact that the Church, with its two thousand years

T

1 I strongly encourage readers interested in pursuing these questions further to read Thomas Sowell’s The Quest for Cosmic Justice (New York, NY: Touchstone, 1999) and his Social Justice Fallacies (New York, NY: Basic Books, 2023).

2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PRuTHw6948

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of religious and intellectual tradition is and will continue to be a bastion of reason and judicious thought against an ideology that will surely cause irreparable damage if it is not rigorously critiqued and contained.

But are churches embracing their prophetic vocation in these troubled times? That remains to be seen.

The tragic reality is that too many churches have, for want of a better word, been colonized by the culture, and have found it infinitely more convenient and virtuous to jettison their prophetic voice altogether.

The mainline protestant churches became glorified social clubs decades ago. The current leader of the Catholic Church seems to be much more concerned with the dual “evils” of man-made climate change and capitalism than with reinserting Christian orthodoxy into the culture. As for the rest of the ecclesiastical rainbow, it is undeniably a mixed bag—with some churches aspiring to greater wokeness and others valiantly resisting this utopian ideology.

Since churches do not advertise their ideological leanings with colour-coded neon signs on their windows, here is a ten-point check list that should help readers determine the woke concentration of their congregation.

1. Does your pastor regularly pepper his or her sermons and prayers with such expressions as social justice, systemic racism, diversity,

T H E T R A G I C R E A L I T Y I S T H AT T O O M A N Y C H U R C H E S H AV E , F O R WA N T O F A B E T T E R W O R D , B E E N C O L O N I Z E D B Y T H E C U LT U R E , A N D H AV E F O U N D I T I N F I N I T E LY M O R E C O N V E N I E N T A N D V I R T U O U S T O J E T T I S O N T H E I R P R O P H E T I C V O I C E A LT O G E T H E R .

inclusion, and equity?

2. Does your church promote a culture of victimhood over a culture of responsibility?

3. Are the congregants encouraged to seek forgiveness for alleged sins committed by deceased people against other deceased people a century or two ago?

4. Does your church regularly exhort the congregation to acknowledge its collective guilt for sins committed against mother earth?

5. Does your church call for a ban on natural gas and other fossil fuels with no regard whatsoever for the tragic consequences of such policies for the poor and the working class here and in developing countries?

6. Does your church “gently” censor any attempt at raising the profile of the one hundred thousand babies terminated before birth every year in Canada?

7. Does your church subtly devalue individual rights, liberty, and the free-market economy?

8. Does your church rationalize a decline in attendance and donations as the price to pay for being “faithful”?

9. Does your church measure its theological fitness in terms of how well it aligns with society’s dominant worldview?

10. Does your church frequently appeal to the discernment of the community (otherwise known as “community hermeneutics”) rather than Scripture to justify its stand on morality?

If you answer yes to more than half of these questions, it is highly probable that your church is well on its way to woke country or may in fact have already taken residence there.

So, what if this is the case? Does it matter?

It matters a great deal, for the simple reason that with its fixation on identity politics and the subjective self, the woke ideology is fundamentally at odds with the biblical view of human nature and humanity’s relationship to God and the world.

A church that is woke is a church that is in full retreat from Christian orthodoxy, has abdicated its prophetic mandate, and has tragically ceased to be a voice for life, reason, and hope.

This article was first published by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy

PIERRE GILBERT

is associate Professor Emeritus— Biblical Studies and Theology at Canadian Mennonite University.

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IN SEARCH OF A BETTER I-DON’T-ITY NIKKI WHITE

“Appie?” I asked, offering the tray of roast beef crostini and bacon-wrapped mini sausages with a confident smile. Who could resist? Apparently she could.

“I’m vegan,” my young guest shook her head. “I don’t do meat.”

Ah. One of those. “Cheesy crackers?” I countered, my smile still determinedly in place.

“No thanks, I’m already over my carb count for the day.”

Dang. And here’s me, all out of organic, fair trade, free range, non-GMO broccoli florets.

Perching the tray on my hip, I tried to look breezy and millennial. “So hard to find healthy, affordable snacks these days, isn’t it?” I asked casually. “What with the pandemic, global warming, political sub-agendas regarding non-renewable fossil fuels and the insidious manipulations of social media disinformation by the dominant consumeristic Western global powers.”

Ha! Take that, Keto Queen.

She raised a derisive eyebrow. “I don’t really do politics. Just watching what I eat, you know.”

“Oh, yeah, totally. Me too.” I gritted my teeth, rapidly scraping the bottom of my social etiquette barrel.

“Well, we women like to keep fit, right?”

Her look was now openly condescending. “‘We women’?” she sniffed. “That’s a little binary, isn’t it?”

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“In my children’s generation, all labels– along with all claims of meta-narrative and absolute truth–are to be discarded. Young adults are being asked to define themselves without any parameters for self-definition.

‘I am not, therefore I am’ is a fitting, if nonsensical, maxim for the millennium.”

As a newbie Christian, I recall panicking over how to raise children.

Was there a manual? How do Christians successfully breed other little Christians? My default strategy was harm-reduction: Keep the bad stuff away, and hope that good stuff takes its place. In this way, my kids grew up with a long list of prohibitions–everything from TV shows to clothing styles to plastic guns to iffy playmates to reductionistic divine sovereignty theology. Just doin’ my job.

In place of an identity, I managed to instill in my children a strong sense of “I-don’t-ity.”

As adults, they look back now with disdain over my clumsy attempts at protectionism, but the issues they face as parents are not so very different. If anything, the list of religious and societal prohibitions seems longer than ever.

In his book, GloboChrist: The Great Commission Takes a Postmodern Turn, Carl Rasche writes, “The dominant culture of the West since the eighteenth century has been secular and individualistic, convinced that the supreme goal of human life and human history is the private pursuit of happiness and the guarantee of distinct individual

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political rights.”1 With personal fulfillment as the ultimate goal, it is inevitable that we become obsessed with personal agency. In today’s extreme of expressive individualism, a sense of Self must be established apart from any status quo; one must be decisively “not” something, in order to “be” anything. Individualistic self-actualization apparently requires frequent fits of oppositional defiance: Don’t tell me what to believe. Don’t tell me what I am feeling. Don’t tell me how to behave. Don’t tell me what I am.

Don’t, don’t, don’t.

My parent’s generation believed in moral absolutes and human potential. My generation realized that to fulfill human potential one must break with those traditions that limit and label. In my children’s generation, all labels–along with all claims of meta-narrative and absolute truth–are to be discarded. Young adults are being asked to define themselves without any parameters for self-definition. “I am not, therefore I am” is a fitting, if nonsensical, maxim for the millennium.

Secular wisdom (and certain animated ice princesses) would have us define ourselves according to our core desires; a daunting, if not impossible, task. How do I pull identity out of the tangle of conflicting, inconsistent, and ambiguous human desires? Do I want freedom, or intimacy? Safety or love? Autonomy or community? Ice cream or a waistline? Do I defer to the spontaneous burst of my most powerful emotion, or to the incessant nagging of my most recurrent one? What of those emotions that are so nuanced— or so turbulent—that they are incomprehensible?

If my emotions are to lead the way in discerning my identity, how can I know which Self is my truest Self?

Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor, in his book Sources of Self, describes Western culture as a “society of self-fulfillers”2 revolving around the primary values of self-expression, self-realization, self-fulfillment, and authenticity. It is a crushing burden. Anxiety and depression among young adults in developed countries has reached an unprecedented high. Youth are told to pursue a life path that fulfills their heart’s desires–but which desire? Overwhelmed, many are paralyzed by indecision.

1 Carl Rasche, GloboChrist: The Great Commission Takes a Postmodern Turn (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic Press, 2008) 17.

2 Charles Taylor, Sources of the Self: The Making of the Modern Identity (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1989) 508.

Identity is much more than a right that we claim, a potential that we develop, or a desire that we uncover; it is a garment that we are given.

If they do manage to choose a path and forge ahead, they are appalled to find that, just as they reach their goals, their desires have shifted and left them stranded.

In the face of such disillusionment, who can blame one for blaming? We all do it. We blame others (“You are failing to fulfill me. I want a new lover”), we blame society (“This social system is failing to fulfill me. I am perpetually outraged”), we blame ourselves (“I am failing to find fulfillment; I am a loser”), we blame God (“God, you are not fulfilling me–the deal is off!”), or we simply give up (“There is no such thing as fulfillment; Nietzsche was right”).

This is not the Gospel.

All things, we are told in Romans 8:28, are working together for good, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Yet this is not the “good” of personal self-actualization, but the good of being conformed to the image of Christ (v. 29). Being conformed involves not what one rejects, but what one embraces. It is to choose, as Jesus did, to be led by the Holy Spirit, to be submitted to the Father, and to be committed to a People.

Led. Submitted. Committed.

Words that are emphatically not the parlance of our day. The Gospel is profoundly counter-cultural, more so now than ever before.

Identity is much more than a right

that we claim, a potential that we develop, or a desire that we uncover; it is a garment that we are given. Ephesians 4:24 tells us that it is God who clothes us, as we “...put on the new Self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Only God sees us as we are meant to be, as he created us to become. He offers us not a label, but a name.

My hip young friend at the party looked blank when I later asked, “So, what’s your story? Who are you? How did you get here?” Years later, we are still having that conversation. Slowly she has become less and less about her list of “don’ts” and is beginning to see within herself the emerging image of a Creator. The great “I Am”–the one who has had no personal identity crisis whatsoever–is naming her.

NIKKI WHITE

is a writer and prayer mobilizer with MULTIPLY, teaching prayer training workshops in both local and global churches. White is the author of Identity in Exodus, winner of the 2019 Braun Book Award for non-fiction. She and her husband live in Langley, B.C., and attend North Langley Community Church.

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OC TO B ER 2023

Moments in prayer

HOLY SPIRIT—FILL US WITH YOUR SELF CONTROL T H E F R U I T O F T H E S P I R I T I S … S E L F - C O N T R O L . ( G A L AT I A N S 5 : 2 2 ) F O R G O D G AV E U S A S P I R I T N OT O F F E A R B U T O F P OW E R A N D LOV E AND SELF- CONTROL . (2 TIMOTHY 1:7) I T [ T H E G R A C E O F G O D ] …T E A C H E S U S …T O L I V E S E L F - C O N T R O L L E D …

LIVE S I N TH IS PRE S ENT AG E . ( TIT US 2:11 -14) … M A K E E V E RY E F FO R T TO A D D TO YO U R FA I T H … S E L F - CO N T R O L ….”

(2 PETER 1:5-6)

y frustrations had gotten the better of me, and I found myself unable to hold back. “He always does this. He never listens and he doesn’t care about how this will impact others,” I vented. As I shared my grievances to the closest ear, I became aware of the absolutes I was using (“always” and “never”) and how I was attributing motivations to someone else’s behaviour. It felt cathartic to vent, especially to someone I knew would support me. Can you relate to such an outburst? Does a personal experience come to mind, where you erupted during a disagreement or expressed frustrations in unconstructive ways?

I don’t regret the anger that surged within me because I value emotions that signal the importance of something. These feelings indicated that something important to me was being threatened, that something crucial was at stake and required my action. However, I’m less proud of my impulsive venting that involved another individual before I could seek clarity.

These moments where we lose control can arise instantaneously. Our bodies register a threat to something meaningful, triggering our automatic defences. In these moments, our mental faculties shut down, restricting our ability to problem-solve, process new information, and exercise discernment. This response, driven by adrenaline, can lead us to react hastily, saying hurtful things we don’t truly mean or behaving out of character. Such reactive responses can lead to trouble and even irreparable damage to both ourselves and our relationships. It is in these moments that we could greatly benefit from a greater filling of self-control from the Holy Spirit. This is the ninth and final quality in the fruit of the Spirit list found in Galatians 5.

When we pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us with self-control, we are seeking guidance in managing our impulses and improving our decision-making. When faced with challenging situations, the Holy Spirit empowers us to respond with

M

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S P I R I T U A L H E A LT H A N D T H EO LO G Y

power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). Embodying self-control reflects godly living, both in the present and in anticipation of the glorious appearing of Christ (Titus 2:11-14). We are encouraged to practice self-control, which is not a command to only hold back with passivity, but to act with discernment. While our responses to our circumstances can seem automatic, we can lean on the Holy Spirit to provide us with transcendent abilities to embody self-control amidst these challenges.

Taking some time for reflection (and a moment to catch my breath), I came to realize that I didn’t know the reasons behind the other person’s disappointing behaviour. I approached them and conveyed how their actions had affected me.

To my surprise, the person responded with an apology and provided more context, which ultimately offered me the perspective I needed to move forward with understanding. Furthermore, after addressing the source of my frustration, I returned to the person I had vented to and apologized for unnecessarily involving them. (To be fair, I believe there are appropriate spaces for processing conflicts, but in this instance, my processing was impulsive and not well discerned.)

This experience served as a reminder of my ongoing journey guided by the Holy Spirit to cultivate greater self-control. As I engage with others, I strive to pay attention to what my emotions communicate to me, knowing that the Holy Spirit empowers me to exercise self-control, leading to meaningful connections with those around me.

CONSIDER: To cultivate greater self-control, what would it look like to invite the Holy Spirit to help you become curious about your responses when you feel threatened? Ask yourself:

˚ ˚ ˚ ˚

What did I just experience that may have impacted me?

What is at stake for me in this situation?

How could I understand more about the other person?

What am I missing?

P R AY W O R D S O F I N V I TAT I O N A N D WELCOM E FOR TH E CH U RCH: Holy Spirit! Come and fill us today! ˚ Welcome Welcome Holy Spirit! May May we be a commu˚ nity marked by self-control.

Holy Spirit! May our actions of discern˚ Welcome ment and grace set us apart and attract people to follow Jesus.

P R AY W O R D S O F I N V I TAT I O N A N D W E L C O M E T O T H E H O LY S P I R I T F O R Y O U R O W N H E A R T: Holy Spirit! Come and Fill Me Today! ˚ Welcome Welcome Holy Spirit! Overwhelm me with ˚ self-control!

˚ ˚

Welcome Holy Spirit! Help me to invite you into my responses when I am feeling threatened or overwhelmed.

Welcome Holy Spirit! Teach me to turn to you in my decision-making and when I am tempted to react rashly.

JODI ENNS

attends The Gathering Church in Abbotsford, BC. She is a Conflict Consultant and teaches Conflict Management at Columbia Bible College.

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OCTOBER 2023

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BOOK REVIEW

What is a Secular Government?

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN A SECULAR AGE B Y M I C H A E L F. B I R D , ZO N D E RVA N R E F L E C T I V E , G R A N D R A P I D S , M I C H . ; 2 0 2 2 , 1 8 7 P P. $ 2 3 . 9 9 C A N A D I A N .

REVEIEWED BY HAROLD JANTZ

In this modest volume, Michael Bird, academic dean and lecturer in New Testament at Ridley College in Melbour ne, Australia, is addressing what is often a poorly understood meaning of “secular” when it relates to government.

For many today, their notion is that “secular” must mean that any religious or faith perspective must be excluded from the public square. Worship and faith should be restricted to church, mosque or temple settings, but have no place elsewhere. It takes little reading of public sentiment to learn how widely it is held. A Christian voice ought not to be heard in the public square.

On the other hand, many Christians in settings within the church community, would like to see a government that is clearly and actively sympathetic to them. This has often found expression in recent U.S. presidencies and certainly here in Canada too. It runs the risk of “marrying national and religious identities” and happens in many countries.

In contrast, Bird argues for what he terms the true nature of secularism, “not an attack on religion, but...a political settlement designed for creating space for people of all faiths (or) none.” As Christians, we should not be arguing for a privileged position, but for all groups whatever our faith. Furthermore, he wants such secularism to be seen as freeing rather than limiting religious expression.

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But Bird is realistic, he knows this will be a growing challenge, with a “potentially uneasy relationship between the state and religion.” Hence he calls for Christians to adopt what he calls the “Thessalonian strategy” as a way of maintaining a Christian witness in a post-Christian society. This is “offering an intelligent and compelling alternative to militant secularism.” And he encourages Christians to embrace “a grand new age of apologetics by being prepared to defend the Christian faith and the freedom of all faiths in a secular age.”

We need only think of the wording of the preamble to Bill C-4, the so-called anti-conversion therapy legislation passed by our Canadian government to sense the meaning of militant secularism. It states that conversion therapy causes harm to society because it is “based on and propagates myths and stereotypes about sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.” In effect, it is saying that what persons feel about themselves, even if their biology would argue otherwise, the feelings should trump biology and to argue otherwise “propagates myths and stereotypes.”

Presently, medical practitioners and nursing homes face serious challenges for their refusal to participate in medical assistance in dying (MAiD).

In his book, Bird explains how various versions of secularism pose challenges to religious freedom and explains what it is and is not. He calls it a way of creating “appropriate spaces for religion to be pursued...and, on the other hand, [to] establish spaces that are desacralized to make them common to all, irrespective of someone’s faith or lack of faith.”

It was exactly this that led a group of us to organize a Conference on Faith and the Media

in Ottawa some years ago with all the major religious groups in Canada present to talk about how we might help the media understand how our faiths directed our actions. We saw it as an exercise in creating a civic culture that respected all faiths or no faith, though we tried to exclude cults (such as Scientology).

A few additional points. Part of the context here arises out of the enormous pressure being placed on faith communities such as ours to become LGBTTQ* affirming, in the face of long biblical interpretive traditions that would not support such affirmation. Even for single persons to dissent today invites national attention: think of recent NHL players who did so.

Moreover, the process of desacralization has become so strong that it is the practice of believers that is now coming to be seen as evil, the Bible as the source of prejudice, intolerance and hate, and virtue the mantle of those with “progressive” values. Orthodox Christians, especially those of evangelical persuasion, are increasingly viewed as aliens within their cultures.

How, then, are we to respond? Christian leaders offer a variety of directions.

Bird suggests that Christians embrace a “Thessalonian strategy.” It deserves close attention. He says it can work best in a society that practices “confident pluralism” where victory is “not vanquishing your adversaries, but winning their respect, living at peace with them and affirming their right to be who they are.”

He argues against trying to restore what he calls a “Christian America” (or Canada): that is, get every Canadian “converted, baptized and enrolled to vote.” Nor is he in favour of thinking of ourselves as “Christians in exile.” We are citizens who’ve been “outvoted literally or metaphorically,” but we still have the rights of citizens.

Though he commends elements of “faithful presence,” Bird believes the Apostle Paul sets an example in Acts 17, when he visits Thessalonica, that suggests a more confrontive approach. Paul and Silas had a “well-earned reputation of turning the world upside down.” It was Jesus-centred,

gospel-centred, subversive. They weren’t political activists. They didn’t argue for a theocracy.

They offered a more compelling worldview.

Bird says he is “advocating [for] a Christian-sponsored cultural pluralism in which all religions are free and respected within a diverse culture under a secular government.”

Such a culture will give Christians (and others too) great freedom to witness to their beliefs and live out their faith. It is a strategy that will help Christians avoid “the seductions of civil religion.”

More could be said about Religious Freedom in a Secular Age. Can his suggestions work in countries with very little history of Christian influence and parliamentary democracy?

I wonder. Clearly, we live in a time when we find ourselves face to face with many people of other faiths and no faith. How can we foster a culture that offers a way to live together with a generous spirit and resist government pressures to force faith and practice into narrow confines of its making? That’s the challenge we face.

HAROLD JANTZ

is a former MB Herald editor and the founding editor of ChristianWeek, a national evangelical newspaper. He and wife Neoma are now part of the Crossroads MB Church community of St. Boniface in Winnipeg.

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

OCTOBER 2023

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A moment in time

WINNIPEG , MANITOBA , 1986

A precursor to EQUIP, the Dynamics of Faith and Culture symposium was held in Winnipeg to discuss, among other topics, the emergence of Mennonite Brethren as its own expression among traditional Mennonite colonies.

Pictured are James Urry, Delbert Wiens, Katie Funk Wiebe, Paul Toews and Ken Redding. Please take a look at the next page for more.

Courtesy of the Mennonite Archival Information Database

MENNONITE BRETHREN HERALD

OCTOBER 2023

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S U B S C R I B E T O M B H E R A L D D I G E S T W W W. M B H E R A L D . C O M / S U B S C R I B E -V I A - E M A I L