Sawing Off Our Own Legs

DearMBchurch.ca:
            My experience in the Mennonite Brethren tradition has been very important in my life. I have learned so much and grown a lot being a part of an MB congregation. But dear MB church, you are not the only part of the church. I have felt God’s spirit moving in so many other churches; Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Baptist, Quaker, and even Mennonite Church Canada.
            What I don’t understand is why at every MB conference I go to, I hear leaders give statistics about the number of Christians in Canada that exclude the vast majority of the body of Christ. It’s like we are standing up there and saying to our lower torso, you’re not part of my body.
            At the last conference I was at, I heard a speaker from C2C say that he wants to belong to an evangelical church because those are the only churches where the gospel is proclaimed and scripture is read. This is not a true statement. Because in actual fact, there are no non-bible-reading churches in Canada. Every church in Canada reads the Bible in their services. The Lord’s Supper is served in every single church in Canada (except for a few Quaker churches). Who are we to say that Jesus is not present at those tables?
            Yes, there are differences. Yes, we talk about Jesus differently. But we all believe in Jesus. Jesus is proclaimed in all churches.
            When people make statements like these from the platform at MB conferences, what kind of witness is this to newcomers to the church, to people who are not Christian? They come into the church and see the church gnawing on its hands, or trying to saw off its legs. Tearing down other parts of the church is simply gruesome! It’s not a good news message that draws people to Jesus, it turns people away from the church.
            I love you dear MB church, and I love the evangelical church. But we are just one part of the body of Christ. I hope I can hear that from the platform at the next national MB Gathering in Toronto.

Love, Carol Penner, Lendrum MB Church, Edmonton

Comments

[erika klassen]

oh my, how bitter/sweet to have found this blog. like a refreshing drink of cold water in a hot and dry dessert. thank you for this and to my sister in law for sending it to me. i look forward to reading more from a kindred spirit.