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If he has not read his Bible concerning sex outside marriage, then it is time that he does. Any sexual intimacy outside marriage is sinful. There is no question about that. In saying that "we Christians do others a great injustice by branding all sexual intimacy outside heterosexual, church-sanctioned marriage as sinful", I understand the writer to say that it is the church that has given us a moral standard. I beg to differ--God has done that long before the church existed.
Abe Quiring,
Calgary, Alta.
This letter was sent last fall, but was apparently lost in the mail. Mr. Quiring resubmitted the letter as a result of the letter by Carin Hiebert in the March 8 issue. Ed.
Second, what does he mean by "genuine love"? If it mainly consists of sexual intimacy, rather than values such as trust, loyalty and mutual respect, it becomes highly dependent on temporary emotional situations. That kind of love changes like the weather.
Third, I certainly don't think I'm an expert on the subject of love--romantic or otherwise. A Christian's only advantage is that he can know Who the source of genuine love is.
Roland Derksen,
Vancouver, B.C.
1. The internet is interesting and entertaining, but it doesn't make the meals, clean the house, play with the kids or run errands. I will not spend time on the net when I should be doing something else.
2. The internet may be interactive, but it can never replace a conversation with my neighbour, the stories of my children or the company of my husband. I will not hide behind my computer screen when I can enjoy the presence of real people.
3. The internet is a perfect place to be someone else (putting the word "virtual" beside the word reality). Are you bored? Are you angry? Are you looking for adventure? It is too easy to find deceptive thrills on the net. Therefore, I will never lie about who I am as a person or what I represent, and I will not be entertained by idle chat. If I am going to converse, it will be for a reason, representing positive values and Christian morals, and to provoke the thinking of those I meet.
I am both fascinated by the internet and scared of it. Perhaps this is the healthiest way to approach it.
Teresa Klassen,
Abbotsford, B.C.
I appreciated the articles on the Easter theme, especially "Thank You, Teacher" by James Pankratz.
John M. Thiessen, (E)
Winnipeg, Man.
As a physician, I appreciated Robert Pankratz's articles (April 19) regarding euthanasia. I was distressed by the quote "Total deaths where physicians shortened life" from the Remmelink Report. As Pankratz correctly pointed out, when treatment is withdrawn or withheld, or where analgesics are used to decrease pain, it is the illness which kills the patient, not the physician. It is these kinds of misunderstandings which lend credence to the euthanasia argument.
Carl Janzen, MD (E)
Three Hills, Alta.
Do we not trust our young Christian people to apply the biblical value system modelled by their parents and youth sponsors to a carefully supervised activity? Anyone who believes that preventing youth from dancing will guide youth to appropriate behaviour with sex and drugs is naive. I doubt there is a Bible school in Canada that has not had to deal with drug and alcohol problems or premarital pregnancy at some time, where dancing has been totally taboo. Let's look at the bigger picture, and guide our youth through the intricate maze of life with Christ's grace, understanding, acceptance and humor, and cut them a little slack.
In my church, I have observed wonderful Mennonite "pillars" who do not dance, and yet who own cell phones, luxury automobiles; beautiful homes, airplanes, motorcycles and speedboats; surf the net; take in movies and the arts; go to lunch at a restaurant after church; listen to secular music; have country club memberships; make large investments; and take Caribbean cruises. Aren't all these behaviours just as much "being conformed to this world" as dancing? Could it be that we expect our youth to accept standards that we ourselves have been unable or unwilling to accept ourselves? No wonder the lines often get blurry for our youth.
Brian Meller, (E)
Lethbridge, Alta.
In our congregation, there is dancing almost every week. (I generally don't participate, because I'm on the music team, busy with my electric bass.) It's very organized--each song has a particular dance that goes with it, consisting of steps taken from traditional Jewish folk dance. The dances are usually circle or line dances. A few of the members are expert dancers, and whoever else wishes to may join in. It's done decently and in order, usually off to one side, but sometimes in a line winding up and down the aisles. It is definitely a form of worship, and a very expressive one.
I would encourage anyone who's interested to find a Messianic congregation and attend one or two services. (They're on Friday night or Saturday morning, so it doesn't take you away from your church's services. My brother and I are active in my congregation, and my sister visits sometimes; it seems to give the Jewish folks no end of delight to teach Mennonites to dance.
Dan Wiebe, (E)
Delaware, OH
Notwithstanding Psalm 149:3, quoting the Bible to rationalize dancing as necessary to glorify God is far-fetched. There are two incidents of dancing in the New Testament. In one, the older brother complains about the fun and dancing in celebration of the prodigal son's return. The other is the erotic dance of Herod's stepdaughter that resulted in the death of John the Baptist.
I used to envy other young people the fun they had dancing and drinking, but I didn't consider it worth the risk. Later, when I saw the problems and suffering that resulted from such fun, I thanked God for the upbringing that considered dancing and drinking sin.
Henry Koop,
Winnipeg, Man.
David Ewert wrote, "I didn't need to say another word; the ministers all understood" in "Waiting for His Second Coming" (April 5). He made the wrong assumption. All the ministers understood that Ewert doesn't know what he is talking about.
Jake Peters,
Winnipeg, Man.
Second, Ewert refers to "biblical", but the terms "First Coming" and "Second Coming" are not biblical terms either.
Third, these quotes are personal opinions: "The notion that Christ will take away His church before seven years of tribulation . . . demands we divide Christ's coming into two parts, for which there is no good reason"; and "Where in the New Testament is there a single reference to a seven-year period of tribulation?"
Ewert is an excellent Bible translator, but he could better leave prophecy to those who have the gift of prophecy.
Norman H. Fehr,
Armstrong, B.C.
1. Hal Lindsey does not "set dates"; though convinced the end is near, Lindsey, like Ewert, constantly reminds his followers that "no one knows the hour".
2. Eschatologists "focus on Europe" because much Old Testament prophecy concerns this region. But they do not overlook China; they note that China's army is large enough to fulfill Revelation 9:16 literally.
3. Ewert "wouldn't be surprised if some North American believers interpret the North American Free Trade Agreement" as "the beginning of the rule of the Antichrist". Actually, this view has been widely promoted in Christian radio programs from the US.
I appreciate Ewert's reminder that it is wrong to be pessimistic, to see the increase in evil around us as a hopeful sign that the end is near. We are supposed to be salt and light--one is a preservative, the other a disinfecting agent. It may well be that pessimism and resignation on our part, by inactivating our work and witness, will be the very things that bring about the final end.
Alan Chattaway (E)
Surrey, B.C.
Ewert says 666 has no significance for 20th-century Christians, but Revelation 13 makes it clear that receiving the mark has real significance for Christians at the end of the age, for without it no one can buy or sell.
Ewert minimizes Israel's place in end time events. One need only bring to mind the centrality of Israel in the unfolding of God's plan as found in Ezekiel 38 - 39 and Zechariah 14:2-4.
Jesus pinpoints the commencement of the Tribulation in Matthew 24:15-21: "When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel . . . then there will be great tribulation." The Lord, in referring to that passage in Daniel, validates it as an end time prophecy.
These are not pleasant things to look forward to; it is tempting to enter into denial, an attitude which was common among the disciples. Peter, on being told of the Lord's coming suffering on the cross, said, "Far be it from you Lord; this shall not happen" (Matthew 16:18). But it did.
Jesus told us what to look for as signs of the end of the age. To deny the reality of prophetic truth is to deny the authority of Scripture; we do so to our own peril.
R.C. Lovett,
Abbotsford, B.C.
Many of the so-called prophecy conferences are merely updates on statistics surrounding wars; rumours of wars, famines, pestilence (one speaker "believed" AIDS to be the pestilence of Matthew 24) and earthquakes, with very little attempt made at serious study of the Word.
in the same edition of the Herald, People & Events refers to the Jehovah's Witnesses' abysmal attempts at predicting the end of the world. Before we become too smug and dismiss this as the errors of an unchristian cult, consider the flurry of book publishing around the year 1988. This was fuelled by Hal Lindsey's discussion of the re-constituting of Israel in 1948 (in chapter 4 of The Late Great Planet Earth. "A generation is something like forty years. If this is a correct deduction, then within forty years or so of 1948, all these things could take place." Is this any more valid than the JW falsehoods?
This sort of speculation, albeit from godly men, casts a shadow over the truth of God's Word and causes it to become fodder for the skeptic. My intent is not to demean Lindsey and others who major in these themes (they are brothers in the Lord), but any attempt to read fantastic, preconceived notions into Scripture must surely be challenged. Ewert has done us a service by not only pointing out what the Scriptures say, but also what they do not say.
Bob Tebbutt,
Queenston, Ont.
For a number of months, I have been trying to find the right words to describe the love and support that I have received from my church family, at least a core group within the church, including our pastor couple. When I think of the shock, pain and struggle that I have been through, I cannot imagine how I would have managed without them.
I have been in touch with other widows, and when I hear how lonely they are, even in our churches, I am continually amazed at all the friends God has allowed into my life. I have thanked these precious friends personally, but I want others to know what a special group of people there are at Komoka Community Church. I hope that others might also be encouraged to act more loving to lonely people in their churches.
Tina Reimer,
Strathroy, Ont.
We have been blessed through the latest issues of the Herald. "Meditations on the day by Ron Carleton (March 22) was so touching and helped prepare my heart for this special time of remembrance.
The report Jim Coggins wrote on the Saskatchewan convention (April 5) is so upbeat and encouraging. Thanks.
Lena Friesen,
Waterloo, Ont.
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