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The story of the member who lost his tie to a pair of scissors was reported incorrectly and out of context. The tie-snipping incident was a staged joke (of admittedly questionable taste). The member wore an old tie and was not embarrassed. He was trying to illustrate the point that the leaders don't need to dress up to impress anyone.
It is important to understand the reasons behind the way we choose to operate as a church body. It is not a "new fundamentalism". Garden Valley Community Church has a specific focus on reaching unchurched people in a large new subdivision. Prior to its first service on Oct. 1, 1995, the interim leaders conducted a survey of the subdivision to find out people's attitudes.
The survey was very revealing. The four biggest reasons people gave for not going to church were that the sermons were boring and didn't relate to everyday life; members were unfriendly to visitors; churches were more interested in their money than in them as people; and churches seemed to care more about what they wore than who they were. A lack of belief or atheism were rarely mentioned.
Every decision at Garden Valley is made with the results of the survey in mind. The leaders choose to wear casual clothes not because God "prefers shirtsleeves", but because the people we are trying to reach will then come to our church without worrying about what they are wearing. On any given Sunday, we have a range of dress from street grunge to navy blazers. The sermons underscore how the gospel message is relevant to everyday life in the suburbs. Scripture used in the sermon is printed in a bulletin handout so that no one is intimidated by neighbours flipping effortlessly to the book of Nahum. Our music is contemporary because the people we are trying to reach listen to contemporary music. Many of us love the old hymns but choose to use the music of today's society (following the tradition of Martin Luther and others). We are casual so that those we are trying to reach can relax and be more receptive to the Good News. Garden Valley attempts to be relevant to the unchurched people in the community without compromising the fundamental message of the gospel.
God has responded in an amazing way. The church is growing faster than our leadership can respond. I've seen more people give their lives to Christ in the last 11 months than I have in the 13 years that I've been a Christian. Personally, through the work of this church, I've come to know God's presence and His clear direction for my life in a way I haven't felt since I first came to Christ.
Paul writes "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some" (I Corinthians 9:22). At Garden Valley, we choose to be what appeals to our target group. We have saved some, and we trust God that we will save many more.
Making fun of the way people choose to dress or to worship is wrong. Being casual for the sake of being casual is idolatry. However, what we do at Garden Valley is not motivated by feelings of superiority--just a heart for the unsaved.
P.K. McAra,
Kelowna, B.C.
Redekop stated that New Order Mennonites have a legalistic and narrow-minded approach to dress code and music. To judge one style of church ministry is wrong. Do we believe in creating a casual atmosphere? Yes! Do we have personal grievances against those who dress differently? No way! We stated from the beginning that we encourage people in our assembly to dress in a way that is comfortable; our purpose is only to allow people the option, to remove one of the many barriers that can make North American Christianity religious.
The way each of us worships Christ is extremely personal. How one church leads its congregation in worship should not be a subject for national consideration or ridicule. The style of music should be based on the group of people that the individual church is trying to target.
Corey Hiebert,
Kelowna, B.C.
I look at things differently, now. I have come to recognize the value of a number of differing points of view. I even like hymns.
I once heard a saying that rebellions consume their children. New Order Mennonites are a reactionary movement. Their insistence on nontraditional practices appears to be a backlash against traditions and rules that they were brought up with as children. It is unfortunate that anyone feels the need to overcompensate for past grievances.
This "movement" is merely an attempt by a new generation of Mennonites to redefine what it means to be Mennonite in their generation. The spitefulness in their attacks on old traditions and their dogmatism about the new ones will pass; soon, even the most die-hard New Order Mennonites will drift towards a middle ground between the old and the new. This middle ground will be something beautiful to behold--that is, until the next generation of Mennonites comes along.
Kevin Miller,
Foam Lake, Sask.
Thank you, John Redekop, for alerting us to the dangers of legalism and exclusionary behaviour in the new style of worship. I am a young, married woman who grew up in a very conservative MB church. I was taught that one should dress nicely for church. I enjoyed the fact that I could show my respect for God when I came to worship Him by dressing appropriately. In our church I was able to worship God by joyfully singing traditional songs of the faith from a hymnal. Those hymns meant so much to me that I often sang them to myself during the week.
Unfortunately, many people expect me, a woman of 26, to prefer the "new order" of worship--casual dress, singing off overheads and going to church on Saturday nights. While there is nothing wrong with these new trends, Christians must be alert to the fact that they can lead to a legalistic, exclusionary form of worship. Casual dress is fine, but if a newcomer dresses formally to show respect, he/she may feel "overdressed" and singled out. Similarly, while singing familiar tunes with no music is often uplifting, a newcomer will not be able to sing along if he/she does not know the "familiar" songs we sing from overheads.
Styles of dress and forms of worship must not become "protests" to the conservatism of many of our churches. Dressing casually to stand out is not respectful to God or other members of the church. Singing alternative forms of music because the older hymnals are "outdated" ignores the profound scriptural truths of many of those hymns. As Christians, we go to church to worship God and praise our Saviour--all other activities, styles of dress and forms of worship must assume a distant second place. If they become the primary motivation for attending church, we have lost our calling.
Ann E. Penner,
Gloucester, Ont.
I enjoyed the editorial on traditional schools. I teach grade 6/7 at a school that is classified as inner city. We have many families on social assistance and a lot of transitory and difficult home situations. I strive to teach children to think and develop communications, academic and social skills. Desks in rows and uniforms do not have much to do with this goal. Fill-in-the-blanks; worksheets which a lot of "traditonal" teachers use don't teach thinking skills.
I agree that "We Christians must be wary that we do not confuse tradition with Christianity."
Linda Polsson, (E)
Prince Rupert, B.C.
Most material published in the Herald is "unsolicited". Ed.
Banff '95 changed my life. However, letters regarding the evil nature of the weekend have ruined the experience. The dance was only a few hours out of a whole weekend, and I observed nothing that could be classified as sexually enticing. Is moving to music a sin? There were no slow dances, and they would have seemed out of place anyway. Dancing is evil only when it is sexually stimulating.
The seminars were wonderful! They hit a lot of people where it hurts. The concerts, both Audio Adrenaline and Carey T, were incredible! The free time activities were perfect for meeting new people from across Canada. I even enjoyed the long bus ride. I gave the weekend a 9 out of 10.
Andrew Penner,
Herbert, Sask.
In the list of "ongoing concerns" in the Board of Faith and Life report (May 17) was "how to develop worship styles that meet the needs of both young and old". That this is the first time I can recall Conference leaders directly stating an intention to deal with the area of corporate worship is both encouraging and disheartening.
In medieval Christianity, worship in song and word was seen as an offering of prayer. A dictum of that time was, "The rule of prayer is the rule of belief. As a denomination, have we taken care to deal with the relationship between our belief and our worship practice? It is more than a matter of "worship styles".
The current MB preoccupation with music in worship could indicate a dependence on form rather than substance, placing focus on a part rather than the whole of the worship experience. During recent changes in the use of music and other arts in worship, there has also been misunderstanding and pain. We may at times have put "art before heart" and doing before thinking.
I sense concerns for orthodoxy and unity in our Conference from leaders and others. Our worship should be at the centre of communicating what the enduring MB core values are. What are the distinctives, priorities and theological bases of evangelical-Anabaptist worship?
Conversation in terms of theology and not subjective likes and dislikes, will open the way for discovery of new and common ground. Results could range from a written "theology of worship" to practical help for local congregations. A core understanding would provide a thread of unity to our diverse expressions of worship, our most fundamental response to God's revelation.
Mark Bartel,
Dallas, Texas
Though Scripture uses predominantly masculine terms for God, we have to balance that with Christ's teaching that God is Spirit (John 4:24). A spirit is without gender, but, because of the limitations of language, we have persistently given God masculinity. Somehow male clergy have found it easy to ignore female images of God as the mother of Israel (Numbers 11:12), a midwife (Psalm 22:9-10), a labouring woman (Isaiah 42:14, 66:9,13), a nursing mother (Isaiah 49:15), and a mother teaching her child to walk (Hosea 11:4).
One of the results of attributing masculinity to God has been gender inequality in society and in the church. While women have suffered in a variety of ways as a result, many men have suffered in ways that we are only beginning to understand. Often they think of themselves more highly than they ought. They assume positions of leadership for which they are not qualified, mentally, emotionally or spiritually. Their female victims, who are not valued equally, are not encouraged to resist or expose abuse at the hands of men, whether family members or church leaders.
The Wind and Fire Conference addressed the gender error in our teaching and worship. The report on pastoral abuse does the same thing as the conference: It illuminates error in the church. It is painful for us to read, but the reality was surely much more painful for the victim, and in the end for the perpetrator and those who had supported him. Of course we would prefer not to know the results of incomplete teaching. But we have to consent to knowledge, however painful, if we are to permit the Holy Spirit to grow us as a Body.
D. Stewart,
Vancouver, B.C.
When people want "traditional schools" and are afraid of "oppressive Christianity", they show confusion about what Christianity really is. They may also be reacting in a worldly fashion to the mandate of Christ, that has always brought a measure of conflict and division. As long as we simply "hold the faith", nobody is offended, but when we "preach and teach", the gospel is offensive to some and will be opposed.
As Christians, we are called to witness to our faith. We should also affirm that true Christian faith and conduct are the only ultimate good in all our traditions (I Corinthians 11:2, II Thessalonians 2:15).
Volker Klaue,
Mission, B.C.
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