Pioneer Christian Monthly - February, 1998

Letters To The Editor

Dear Editor,

Regarding the article "A Christmas Present for Camp Shalom--From Revenue Canada?" by Robert Anes. I can appreciate that Mr. Anes' ultimate goal is to raise money for Camp Shalom. I cannot accept his method. The feeling I had after reading his article was that we should go out and steal a Christmas tree and then celebrate Christmas.

Mr. Anes feels that "people have lost the art of being resourceful." The question arises, is he really talking about being resourceful or being honest? Personally, I think that people have lost the art of being honest. It seems that in today's world, all that matters is how we can get something for nothing or to get someone else to pay for it. "As long as it is legal," seems to be the battle cry. For a Christian the question should not be "is it legal?" but rather "is it right?" What is our motive as Christians? Are we just like the secular world, always looking for a way to get around obstacles, or should we trust in God's providence and ask for His help through prayer?

I have just returned from a visit to Holland. There are many seniors there who are living together in order to get more money from the government. They don't get married; they just live together. Is it legal? Is it right? No.

We are the body of the church. As Christians, we are to set an example to the world, not have the world set an example to us. Always remember that what you sow, you will reap. Are you being resourceful when you write out cheques when the only purpose is to get money from the government so we can pay for Camp Shalom? This is not being resourceful; it is called abusing the system. God forbid!

Yours in Christ

Case Verbeck

Woodstock, Ont.

To the editor

re December 15th issue

As the former chief ecumenical officer of the Reformed Church in Canada, and an active participant in theological controversies at the Canadian Council of Churches gathering in Charlottetown in 1994, I must note the profound ecumenical implications involved in the theological opinions of Rev. Bill Phipps, the new moderator of the United Church of Canada.

Rev. Phipps' comments spark an ecumenical crisis unparalleled in the history of Christianity in Canada. His comments, and their subsequent ratification as valid Christian opinions by the executive committee of the General Council of the United Church of Canada, places all ecumenically committed Christians in a severe quandary. For centuries opinions concerning the deity of Jesus Christ such as those presented by Rev. Phipps were defended by religious movements like the Jehovah's Witnesses, acknowledged by the consensus of Christians as cults and not Christian churches. Consistency requires one of two actions(either unprecedented): Classic Christian bodies must either consistently sever ecumenical ties with the United Church of Canada or expand their ecumenical ties to include at least classic cults. Maintaining the status quo of ecumenical relations in their current configuration lacks integrity.

Christians for centuries have united around the conviction that Jesus Christ must be both fully God and fully human in order for his life and death to have provided the gift of eternal life to all who believe in him. Consistently all who denied this view of Christ were acknowledged as non-Christians. Respectful dialog must be maintained between Christians and other cults and religions, but ecumenical relations at minimum imply a shared Christianity. Though initially painful, the essential ecumenical reshuffling required to maintain belief in Christ's deity as a nonnegotiable prerequisite to sitting at the table of Christian denominations will be a blessing.

The Rev. Dr. Jonathan N. Gerstner

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

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