The desire to stay true to biblical principles is ever near the heart of Mennonite churches across Manitoba. It stands to reason then that certain human practices, ideologies, or conditions have historically created discord among them over the years, especially in the face of what some would consider ambiguous biblical texts.
On January 12, Mennonite Church Manitoba (MCM) held an all-member meeting in Winnipeg, attempting to bridge the gap between the many Mennonite churches who come out on different sides of the same-sex marriage issue. Attendance was low due to a blizzard and a similar meeting was held again in Morden on March 4, with almost 200 people in attendance.
The purpose of both meetings was to provide an open forum for discussion, listening, and understanding, regardless of where individuals or congregations came out on the issue.
“While no clear consensus was reached regarding the topic of same-sex marriage, the tone of the conversation on the floor was gracious, gentle, and cordial,” says Ken Warkentin, executive director of MCM. “We take that to suggest that, although there is not agreement on the issue, it is one that will not break our fellowship.”
But several Manitoba congregations have already chosen to cut ties with MCM over this issue. Others are still wavering.
“Not everyone agrees with each other when it comes to which biblical passages get the most prominent place in our discernment,” Warkentin adds. “For some, it is strict adherence to particular texts. For others, it is emphasis on other texts. Since we are dealing with what most of us consider a prime source of God’s revelation to us, emotions about agreement and disagreement run very high.”
T. Kehler, an attendee at the Morden MCM meeting, agrees that differing biblical interpretation is at the heart of the debate. She notes that biblical passages have undergone a wider variety of translation and interpretation since the time of the printing press.
“[This is why] we see the splintering of the church,” says Kehler. “Most churches, however, continue to follow an orthodox path of believing in certain tenets or doctrines based on particular biblical passages, traditional church teaching, and historical interpretation, the sacredness of the marital union between husband and wife being one of those. It is a matter of believing something that has been weighed by centuries of thought, understanding, and general consensus.”
Kehler goes on to say that most fundamental Evangelicals believe in a literal translation of the Bible and its inerrancy.
“[For these Christians], God’s acceptance of us is based on what we believe,” Kehler says. “The danger of believing in anything other than heterosexuality within the context of a marital relationship is that we will be wrong and incur God’s judgment. Being wrong has eternal consequences. If one believes this, then one cannot be ‘unequally yoked.’ One cannot continue to worship, have fellowship, [and] partake of communion with those who are condemning themselves.”
Kehler suggests that believers in this camp would argue that those who interpret the Bible differently are worldly and interpreting scripture for their own ends.
On the other end of the debate, some churches have been actively working toward accepting those with alternate sexualities who still long for a relationship with God and the church body. Hope Mennonite Church (HMC) of Winnipeg is one such congregation, and they have found an equilibrium with the issue while maintaining their membership with MCM.
Their website openly states, “Hope Mennonite Church desires to follow Jesus’ example of welcoming all people to God’s table. In our context, this includes welcoming lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and affirming their full participation in the life of our church.”
In November 2012, HMC leadership created a consensus document to provide clarity to the congregation after years of wrestling with the topic. The document expresses their belief that scriptural passages referring to LBGTQ people must be understood within the context of the time, place, and culture in which they were written, and similarly adapted to address today’s societal differences. It states that this was the very example that Jesus set when he challenged the traditional holiness and purity codes of the time.
“Our congregation reached a consensus in 2012, after an eight-year process, to fully include LGBTQ people,” says Rick Zerbe Cornelsen of HMC. “While the journey is ongoing, reaching this milestone allowed us to refocus on our broader welcome message and other ministries of our congregation.”
Cornelson is one of four members of an in-house ally group whose mandate is to respond to questions or concerns regarding LGBTQ within their church community and beyond to the broader church. Last year, the congregation made the decision to hire a second pastor for their growing congregation, herself a married lesbian.
“We believe it is important to be a faith community where LGBTQ Christians feel safe,” Cornelson says. “We are thankful that we are an energetic and growing congregation. At the same time, we acknowledge that there are individuals and congregations who do not share our perspective.”
He adds that, in spite of the strong views towards same-sex marriage from other Mennonite churches within the conference, HMC has never considered breaking ties.
“We continue to be committed to the body of Christ and to Mennonite Church Manitoba,” says Cornelson. “It’s where we find support and where we remain in conversation on matters of disagreement.”
While same-sex marriage appears to be the most current of many contentious issues the Mennonite church has faced over the years, Warkentin believes they will eventually be able to come to terms with this one too.
“Several generations ago we dealt with the issue of language,” says Warkentin. “German was the language of the church and it kept us separate from ‘the world.’ This was a very contentious issue. Other issues have included the role of women in church leadership, what language we use to describe God, and divorce and remarriage. This is not a complete list of divisive issues… but we have had difficult conversations before and we have been able to weather them.”
