Autocracy of Consensus and Dignity of Dissent

I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Rev. 3:15-16)

There is so much handwringing going on in Mennonite circles about same-sex relationships, the threat to church unity and the possibility of raised voices, that we are forgetting the point. We are confronted; we have been confronted for several decades, by persons who by their very presence ask whether the church will embrace them not just as individuals, but as couples. They have grown old, waiting for our response. Our deliberations have grown tired.

Perhaps at one point this hesitation could be forgiven. Once, Mennonites had reputation for schism, harsh separation and (I hear) authoritarianism. Since then, we have preferred to characterize ourselves as communities epitomized by sensitivity and potlucks. Who wants to disrupt a family dinner with politics and religion? Why force a question that may polarize and disrupt? Well, we have had our chance and more than enough time to find an easier way. The thing is, this is not about "us". It is not about unity. It is about the responsibility of the church to answer, with integrity, those who have been knocking at the door for much too long. If forming a response results in discomfort, conflict, strained relationships, and perhaps separation, we may just have to take our medicine.

Responding to Same-Sex Relationships

A MOTION RELATING TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGES

COMMENTARY: Three members of Waterloo North Mennonite Church (WNMC), Mandy Witmer, Ross Willard, and Russel Snyder-Penner, have met on a number occasions to craft a proposal on how their congregation could move forward on the narrow question of same-sex marriage. The document below is the result. It is not entirely clear how a proposal such as this ought to be considered and decided at WNMC. In the absence of clear precedent it has been framed as motion to be made at a members' meeting of the congregation.

WHEREAS:

At present Mennonite Church Eastern Canada does not recognize same-sex

marriages nor sanction the marriage of same-sex couples by their member

congregations;

A significant portion of the congregation of Waterloo North Mennonite Church

wants our church to recognize and be prepared to perform the marriage of

same-sex couples;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

1. The congregation of Waterloo North Mennonite Church will recognize

and honor marriages of same-sex couples and invoke God's blessings upon

them.

COMMENTARY: This paragraph should not be interpreted as meaning the congregation will perform marriages of same-sex couples. Rather, it is a response to the fact that in Canada same-sex couples may legally marry, and that such couples may wish to be present in our congregations. Paragraph 1 represents an affirmation of those relationships, while remaining deferential to the present position of Mennonite Church  Eastern Canada with respect to performing marriages.

2. The congregation of Waterloo North Mennonite Church calls on

Mennonite Church Eastern Canada to authorize our ministers to perform

the marriage of same-sex couples.

COMMENTARY: Our  congregation has a responsibility to both the broader church (specifically, Mennonite Church  of Eastern Canada) and to same-sex couples. If this congregation concludes that it ought to be willing to  perform marriages for same-sex couples, it may honour both responsibilities by remaining subject to the authority of Mennonite Church  of Eastern Canada on the question, while clearly and unambiguously calling for a change to MCEC's opposition to the marriage of same-sex couples by its ministers.

Three Words for Scripture: A Sermon Delivered Sunday, September 15, 2013

[This text is still formatted and edited for delivery as a sermon.]

Is scripture SACRED? 

Is the bible different for us from other literature; Shakespeare's plays, for example; the books of other religions; Harry Potter?

Do MIRACLES matter? The bible is full of miracles. Can we ignore them? What do we make of them?

Whose WORD is the bible? Is it human words? Is it God's word? How do we come to one view or the other? Should we?

The SACRED; MIRACLES; the WORD of God; three words to help us consider the place of the bible in our lives and our church. 

What next for Waterloo North Mennonite Church?

The discussion series at WNMC concluded with the following question:

Should our congregation consider the scriptural and theological rationale for an “open” communion?

Please see the foregoing post for one perspective on what "open" means, and what an open communion might look like.

What do you think?

Anabaptism, 2063 A.D.

This past Sunday we concluded the last session of our discussion series at WNMC with an effort to tie off a few loose ends and conceptualize how a future Mennonite- Anabaptist congregation might address the various themes that have been canvassed.  The metaphorical vehicle we used was time travel - at trip to 2063 A.D. to visit a hypothetical congregation and consider what practices it might be following that remain rooted in Christian and Anabaptist conviction and tradition, and yet represent innovation.

Revisiting Baptism - Waterloo North Mennonite Church, June 2, 2013

I apologize in advance to readers of this post who were not present at the WNMC Class and panel discussion, because I will not be able to provide a lot of the context and content of what took place this morning. My purpose is to publish this post promptly, in order to permit participants in the class who did not have an opportunity to speak this morning to provide on-line comment in a timely manner, if they would like. Unfortunately, that means I cannot provide much more than an outline of the discussion, but here goes.

From Pagan to Christian: Part II – The Religious Marketplace

The previous post described the culture of the Roman Empire within which Christianity originated as religiously cosmopolitan.  Types of religiousity included atheism, polytheism, pantheism, monotheism, animism and mysticism, as well as philosophers and proponents of religion who sought to identify truths representing the essential unity of all religions.

What drew people to religion in this cosmopolitan religious environment? Not surprisingly, the motives were varied. In Among the Gentiles: Greco-Roman Religion and Christianity, Luke Timothy Johnson ventures to identify four general categories of religiousity or religious interest, in Greco-Roman culture, including desire to “participate in divine benefits”, hope for “moral transformation”, a desire to “transcend the world”, and the use of religion to “stabilize the world”.