| For a new dad, the thought of fatherhood is more mysterious than ever | | https://www.mennonitemission.net/blog/5084/For-a-new-dad-fatherhood-feels-more-mysterious-than-ever | For a new dad, the thought of fatherhood is more mysterious than ever | By Travis Duerksen | <p><em><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:115%;font-family:calibri, sans-serif;">In recognition of Father’s Day on June 12, <a href="/about/staff/Travis%20Duerksen">Travis
Duerksen, writer and multimedia producer with Mennonite Mission Network</a>,
reflects on his experiences with newfound fatherhood.</span></em><br></p><p>I was privileged to become a father last September. I earned this title through hours of teeth-gritting labor (and months of discomfort). Not of my own, but of another person — the love of my life, a woman who became a mom the same moment I became a dad, and a little boy became our son. </p><p>Before that moment, my wife and I had spent years, both on our own and then together, coming to terms with the possibility that we would not become parents, at least in the biological sense. </p><p>Individually, we had wanted to become parents someday, even as we both remained single into our 30s. As our relationship with each other blossomed, we talked about how excited we would be to parent together. These conversations came with a looming asterisk: we also knew that health complications meant our ability to conceive was not guaranteed. Neither of us would describe ourselves as pessimistic, but we are realists, and sometimes that looks the same. Through dating, we determined that we wanted to be together more than we valued the potential of becoming parents with other people. We married in the spring, and on the first day of fall the following year, our son was born. Healthy, on-time, and adorable.</p><p>We were surprised. We were ecstatic. We knew that we were very, very lucky.<br></p><h4><img src="https://assets.mennonites.org/PublishingImages/2024/image%20cropped.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;" />Erica, Travis, and their son. Photo provided.<br></h4><p>Before our son was born, I would daydream about what being a dad might look like some day. What would I want to teach my child? What games would we play together? How would I guide a little person through a world that can be both cruel and beautiful in equal measure?</p><p>As our son's birth grew closer, those daydreams of activities and life lessons dissipated, replaced by a deeper, fundamental question: what even is the purpose of fatherhood?</p><p>Every day, throughout her pregnancy, my wife's body worked at knitting together this little person growing inside her. Her body shifted and swelled; made her sick and sore. Her bone structure changed to make the physical act of birth possible. Her immune system shifted and suppressed itself so it wouldn't attack the fetus as it would any other parasite that was taking nutrients away from the body. </p><p>We attended parenting class after parenting class that detailed the wonderous ways that the mother's body tends to her child, before and after birth – following a set of instructions laid deep throughout her biology, well below any conscious thought. Pheromones and touch. Antibodies and gut bacteria. Body temperature regulation and milk production. The bodies of the mother and baby influenced each other at the most basic levels, taking turns leading and following each other like dancers, swaying to a rhythm that God had drummed since time immemorial.</p><p>Any act of fatherhood felt rather trivial by comparison. </p><p>For a while, I had a habit of asking my male friends what healthy masculinity looked like for them. No one had difficulty thinking of what toxic masculinity looked like. Suppressed emotions (except for anger), violence and domination. Those were answers that came quickly. But examples of healthy masculinity were harder to define. Most ideas (kindness, trustworthiness and self-acceptance) were traits that anyone would want to have, regardless of whether they considered themselves masculine or not. Even a valuation of physical strength or fitness wasn't just reserved for men. After all, there were plenty of different people that showed up to the gym every morning. One friend finally concluded that his favorite part of being a man was growing a thick beard. </p><p>I enjoyed asking this question because I didn't really have an answer myself. The men in my life that I admire, that I wanted to model myself after, are not unlike the women in my life that I admire – they are people who work to respect others and respect themselves; reflecting the love of Jesus in the process. Healthy masculinity just seemed like a natural byproduct.<br></p><h4><img src="https://assets.mennonites.org/PublishingImages/2024/SGCAM_20240120_163646682.MP%20copy.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;" />Overall, Erica and Travis' cat, Ollie, has adjusted well to the newest member of the family. Photo by Travis Duerksen.<br></h4><p>Likewise, I have a feeling that my understanding of fatherhood, and what it means to be a good example of it, will boil down to a similarly universal ideal. Yes, I can consider myself a father in the same way my friend might consider himself a man based on his beard — we both have the physical traits to prove it. Yet that definition does a disservice to what fatherhood (and healthy masculinity) can be. It sells short the potential inherent in the role.</p><p>I grew up with the understanding that God was a father. I was taught to refer to God as 'he,' and 'him.' For me, the idea of God being a fatherly figure was appealing, in no small part because the father (and grandfathers) in my life were kind, gentle men. My working blueprint for who a father is and how they interact with their family includes many things I want to do like my dad did, and only a few that I want to make sure I do differently. I know that's not the case for many people.</p><p>God is, by nature, unknowable. God reveals themselves to us, and yet is beyond our understanding of time, of place, and of self. Like anything beyond our comprehension, then, God is compared to things we know, even if these comparisons individually fall short. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+40:11&version=NRSVUE">God is like a shepherd</a>. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12:29&version=NRSVUE">God is like a consuming fire</a>. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+42:14&version=NRSVUE">God is like a woman in labor</a>. </p><p>For me, the perspective of God as a father figure is helpful. The perspective of God as a mother figure is helpful, as well. Remembering that God is well beyond my comprehension of these two roles helps keep me from making God so small and so predictable that I might be able to put God into a box, contained for my convenience.</p><p>My son is now eight and a half months old, and he continually reminds my wife and me that he is soaking up everything we say and do – taking the pieces of life we model for him and arranging them in a way that makes sense. He wants to turn the storybook pages like we do. He wants to eat the same food we do. And he desperately, desperately wants our phones. </p><h4><img src="https://assets.mennonites.org/PublishingImages/2024/IMG_20240524_192423999%20cropped.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;" />Travis and his son. Photo by Erica Stoltzfus.<br></h4><p>There is still a slight edge of fear when I consider that I will be the one who sets his understanding of what a father is like. To know that there will be aspects of my parenting that he will vow to do differently if given the chance. Yet I also find a sense of deep comfort, knowing that through the years, he will be helping me to grow, expand, and redefine my understanding of fatherhood, too. <br></p> | | |
| Anabaptist Witness combines scholarship and global solidarity with Ethiopian issue | | https://www.mennonitemission.net/blog/5077/Anabaptist-Witness-combines-scholarship-and-global-solidarity-with-Ethiopian-issue | Anabaptist Witness combines scholarship and global solidarity with Ethiopian issue | By Henok T. Mekonin | <p><em>This is an excerpt from an open letter by Henok T. Mekonin, introducing the </em><a href="https://www.anabaptistwitness.org/volumes/volume-11/issue-1/">Mission and Peace in Ethiopia</a> <em>issue of</em> <a href="https://www.anabaptistwitness.org/">Anabaptist Witness</a><em>. Mekonin is originally from Ethiopia and currently resides in Indiana with his spouse and two daughters. After graduating from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in 2021, Mekonin was asked by the leaders of AMBS, Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) and its seminary in Ethiopia to help with the Master of Arts: Theology and Global Anabaptism cohort program offered through AMBS's partnership with Meserete Kristos Seminary (MKS). This work is also supported by Mennonite Mission Network. </em> </p><p>Dear friends, both far and near, </p><p>I am writing to you to share a special journal release with you and invite you to be part of a project in support of the global church. </p><p>Several months ago, I received an invitation from Dr. Jamie Pitts, editor of a journal called <a href="https://www.anabaptistwitness.org/"><em>Anabaptist Witness</em></a><em>, </em>to be the guest editor of an issue focused on Ethiopia and the Mennonite church in Ethiopia, <a href="https://www.meseretekristoschurch.org/"><em>Meserete Kristos</em> Church</a>, which is the largest national body in the global <a href="https://mwc-cmm.org/en">Mennonite World Conference</a> family. </p><p>The project appealed to me for many reasons:</p><ul><li>I had flexibility in choosing the theme for the journal. </li><li><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">There was interest in having all the articles authored by Ethiopians.</span><br></li><li><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">My familiarity with MKC's peace ministry.</span><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> </span></li></ul><br style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">The powerful stories and wisdom shared in this issue, </span><a href="https://www.anabaptistwitness.org/volumes/volume-11/issue-1/" style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;"><em>Mission and Peace in Ethiopia</em></a><em style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;">,</em><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> moved me so deeply that I was inspired to use this special issue of </span><em style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;">Anabaptist Witness</em><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> to directly support the church in Ethiopia. </span><em style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;">Anabaptist Witness</em><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> is a publication of </span><a href="https://www.ambs.edu/" style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;">Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary</a><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">, </span><a href="https://mcc.org/" style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;">Mennonite Central Committee</a><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">, </span><a href="https://mennonitechurch.ca/" style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;">Mennonite Church Canada</a><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">, and Mennonite Mission Network. I am grateful that the council representing these organizations agreed to have proceeds from </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3J11DJ9?" style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;">the print edition of this issue</a><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> support two worthy causes: </span><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> </span><br style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> </span><br><ul><li><strong>A scholarship fund.</strong> AMBS and MKS have a partnership, sponsored by AMBS donors, that allows MKS students to attend AMBS online, tuition free. However, students in this program have room and board expenses while in the program. MKC leadership has designated a new scholarship fund that will support the AMBS-MKS students in the <a href="https://ambs.edu/master-of-arts-theology-and-global-anabaptism/">Master of Arts: Theology and Global Anabaptism program </a> to cover room and board. The scholarship prioritizes women, to expand MKC's leadership capacity through this program. </li><li><strong style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">The Peace and Reconciliation and Prison Ministry departments of MKC.</strong><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> The articles in this issue of </span><em style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;">Anabaptist Witness</em><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> offer several stories about how these ministries are serving God's mission of shalom. A portion of the funds that are raised through this project will go to support these ministries. </span><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> </span></li></ul><br style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"><strong style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">A special invitation and request</strong><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> </span><div><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"></span><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">My special request for you, my dear friends, is that you please consider purchasing paperback copies of </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3J11DJ9?" style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;"><em>Anabaptist Witness: Mission and Peace in Ethiopia</em></a><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> for yourself and as gifts for friends, co-workers, family and congregation members. All proceeds from these sales will support the two initiatives noted above. </span></div><div><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"></span><span style="font-size:22.4px;"><br></span><ul><li><strong>If you are a church leader</strong>, please consider ordering copies for members of your congregations, to be accompanied by <a href="https://www.anabaptistwitness.org/volumes/volume-11/issue-1/">this letter</a>, so they can learn the impact of this project. I also encourage you to print this letter and put one in each congregation member's mailbox. </li><li><strong>If you are an academic, </strong>please forward <a href="https://www.anabaptistwitness.org/volumes/volume-11/issue-1/">this letter</a> to your colleagues and encourage them to read it, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3J11DJ9?">buy the journal</a> and use it for their courses to include Ethiopian perspectives on various issues. This issue contains powerful articulations and syntheses on how Anabaptism is defined outside of European Christendom and post-Christendom by non-Eurocentric theologians and scholars. If you are interested in learning what it is like to be an Anabaptist Christian in the Ethiopian context, what Ethiopian Christians discuss among themselves, what their prayers are and what their struggles are, the stories in this journal have much to offer. </li><li><strong style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">As you prepare for the </strong><a href="https://anabaptistworld.org/mkc-promises-memorable-and-inspirational-mwc-assembly/" style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;"><strong>Mennonite World Conference Assembly in 2028</strong></a><strong style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">, </strong><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">this journal will help you learn more about Ethiopia, its culture and customs. It will also help you pray for the church in Ethiopia with more connection and knowledge. </span><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> </span></li></ul><br style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">Thank you so much for considering this way of supporting the global church. </span><div><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"></span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-size:1.4rem;">Your brother in Christ, </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-size:1.4rem;"> </span><div><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">Henok</span><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> </span><br style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"><br style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">Henok T. Mekonin</span><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> </span><br style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">Global Leadership Collaborative Specialist</span><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> </span><br style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary</span></div></div></div> | | |
| Complex grief of climate change | | https://www.mennonitemission.net/blog/5078/Complex-grief-of-climate-change | Complex grief of climate change | By Sara Gurulé | <div><p><em>Sara Gurulé (she/her) is a constituent engagement representative for </em><a href="/"><em>Mennonite Mission Network</em></a><em>. Sara is passionate about liberation and justice movements that are intersectional, with one such area being environmental justice. She is a graduate of </em><a href="https://www.ambs.edu/"><em>Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary</em></a><em> and <a href="https://www.fresno.edu/">Fresno Pacific University</a>, receiving an Master of Art in theology and peace studies with an environmental concentration and a Bachelor of Arts in biblical and religious studies with a minor in environmental studies, respectively.</em><br></p><p><em></em><em>This blog was originally published on the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) website as part of </em><a href="https://www.mennoniteusa.org/ministry/peacebuilding/learn-pray-join/climate-justice-seeking-shalom/"><em>MC USA's Learn, Pray, Join: Climate Justice: Seeking Shalom series</em></a><em> on May 16.</em><br></p></div><blockquote style="padding:0px;border:0px;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:16px;line-height:inherit;font-family:roboto, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:#adadad;background-color:#ffffff;"></blockquote><p>I grew up in the high desert region of central New Mexico, as well as the southern Central Valley area of California. Whenever I write on the topic of climate, I find it to be a grounding practice to name the lands that raised me. The Sandia Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains witnessed my birth and growth; the warm clay, the junipers, the pines, the desert wildflowers and all the creatures of the desert — these became teachers to me. And these are only the beginning of my kin! Even though I now live among the lush greenery of eastern Pennsylvania, I have grown up seeing the effects of climate change on many parts of the places that I call home. Specifically, I have witnessed annual precipitation that has led to the subsequent loss of ecological diversity and resilience against things like wildfires, disease, erosion and infestation, in addition to monsoon seasons getting shorter, less snow on the mountain peaks and mass tree death …</p><p>I mention these as elements of the complex grief that I experience around climate change. A lot of these elements are visible phenomena that are springing from much deeper issues, which have been brought about by climate change. It wasn’t until I was in college that I began learning about how accelerated global warming has become, particularly over the last 100 years or so.</p><p>The effect on my worldview and faith — at the time — were catastrophic; it took years — and counting! — to reconstruct how I understand the world around me, as well as what my purpose looks like in deeper relation with all of my kinship. From college onward, I have learned how climate change is directly tied to how empires extract and exploit resources and human lives to build wealth for the privileged few. I have learned how violence, oppression and religion have been used against the least of these, in order to assert control and domination over people, the land and all therein. I heard the stories of people who have had to flee political violence, economic despair, natural disasters and the like; within each of those stories, the land was a central component. The already complex climate grief I was witnessing deepened and complexified further, as I learned that climate change is directly interconnected to social justice efforts around the world.</p><p>As I continue to learn the depths of injustice that directly contribute to the climate crisis, the constant question I face is this:</p><blockquote><h2><span class="ms-rteForeColor-6">How does one remain hopeful in the face of systems of oppression and systemic violence, while also continuing to resist these systems and powers, by actively fighting for justice/liberation for of all creation?</span></h2></blockquote><p>It is a loaded question — and I am not sure of its grammatical accuracy — but I think that it is one that is on many people’s minds. Within this question are many others: How can I persist, when I have limited power to enact large-scale change? When I am involved with liberation movements, how can I maintain the energy and urgency that the climate crisis requires, in the midst of burnout? How does global and local environmental loss impact my understandings of faith and praxis? These are the many of the questions that I have been asking myself in the last couple of years.</p><p>In the time that I have been asking and reflecting on these questions, here is what I have learned:</p><p></p><ul><li>It is incredibly important, in times of great grief, to have communities. To go through crisis together, to mourn, to process, to work together — communities that I have been a part of and who have surrounded me in times of crisis have been crucial to the ongoing work of climate justice and social justice.</li><li>Taking time to be surrounded by the natural world can be a healing experience, even in the midst of grief. Although the places that I call home have been irreparably changed, my environmental kin constantly teach me new ways of being. While global warming still threatens life in a diversity of bioregions, all the flora, fauna and insects continue to adapt.</li><li>It is okay to actively grieve, and I would argue that it is a necessary step in becoming more engaged in resistance movements/liberation work. I am learning that toxic positivity and optimism are not sustainable tools when talking about and engaging with ongoing crises. The more that I am honest with myself and with the situations directly connected to the crises, the more I can learn how to regulate my emotions in ways that allow for ongoing work toward positive change.</li></ul><p></p><p>I would like to end how I started — reflecting on places and kin that have raised me. With less snow on the peaks of the Sandia Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the changing landscape of flora, fauna and insects within all the places that continue to nurture me, I am learning from my kin to keep being. The death and destruction that surrounds creation and impacts us all directly is very real, and yet creation continues to be. May the bold action of being continue to be a form of resistance against the ways of empire, which are greed, exploitation and extraction in the names of wealth, “health” and security. May communal interconnection and interdependence provide a way of being that moves us all toward healing and new life.<br></p> | | |
| Privilege shapes our response to the migrant crisis | | https://www.mennonitemission.net/blog/5068/Privilege-shapes-our-response-to-the-migrant-crisis | Privilege shapes our response to the migrant crisis | By Joseph Givens | <p><a href="/workers/Europe/France/Joseph%20and%20Rachel%20Givens"><em>Joseph Givens and his family</em></a><em> accompany volunteers at the Maria Skobtsova House in Calais, France. Their ministry includes offering temporary shelter to people fleeing oppressive regimes in Africa and the Middle East, as they </em><em>travel to the United Kingdom to seek refuge</em><em>.</em></p><p>I feel like no matter what I say, I can't change anything. I can't add more to the discussion than I already have. Commenting on these <a href="/blog/5043/A-call-for-compassion-and-change">endless stories</a> doesn't seem to make a difference.<br></p><p>But I <em>can't </em>ignore it. I <em>have</em> <em>to </em>say something.<br></p><p>Another group of people called migrants has died. <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/europe/article/2024/04/23/at-least-five-migrants-including-a-child-die-attempting-to-cross-english-channel_6669257_143.html">This group was made up of at least five people</a>, including a four-year-old girl. The newspapers are reporting it the same as always: "More migrants have died in the [English] Channel." The people remain faceless and nameless, and they will be remembered as nothing more than migrants who have died — more in a countless stream of other migrants who have died in a similar fashion. And nothing changes. More people will die seeking life this week, and it seems that no one, beyond their families, will care.<br></p><p>And we received more news this week. <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/22/uk/uk-passes-rwanda-bill-intl/index.html">The United Kingdom has passed a new law</a>, after years of fighting, that states that migrants can be removed from the country and flown to Rwanda for resettlement, despite mountains of evidence that Rwanda is not a safe place and despite the British Supreme Court declaring the law unconstitutional. <br></p><p>And the old, tired arguments are recycled: </p><ul><li>We have plenty of homeless British people whom we should help before we help the migrants.</li><li>It costs too much money to house migrants.</li><li><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">We need to keep Britain for the British.</span></li></ul><p><br>It's so easy to talk in such a dehumanizing way about a faceless mass of people with whom you have no relationship nor the desire to form a relationship with.</p><p><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">I'm on vacation in France</span><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;"> and Germany with my family, taking a break from our work and visiting with some of the Mennonites here. I can't help but feel guilty, because I'm taking time off, when so many people are suffering. While people are dying in the Channel near Calais, my family gets to enjoy some time away, visiting a train museum with our kids and driving 100 miles per hour on the autobahn, the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany.</span></p><p>I know I shouldn't feel guilty, but I do. I can't change anything by myself. My presence in Calais wouldn't have saved the lives of those five people. It wouldn't have blocked the passage of the new law in England.<br></p><p>But my life is easy, partly because of the color of my skin, the language I speak and the country in which I was born. I don't deserve my privilege any more than those who are drowning deserved to have been born in countries under oppressive regimes. I've never been stopped and asked for my papers. I'm hardly ever asked to show my ticket on the train. I can go into and out of the train station without suspicion. I can meet and talk with people on the street without fear of discrimination. In fact, I'm almost a celebrity since I'm an American in Calais.<br></p><p>Maybe readers can think about whether they were born with certain privileges. Maybe readers with certain assets — educational and financial, among others — will be encouraged to consider how they can use them to advocate for those without the same level of privilege. I'm not encouraging guilt — just awareness. Watch for ways to help and support those without the same privileges as you.<br></p><p>Take a moment and reflect on your life. Have you experienced privilege based on where you were born? If you have, how might you use this privilege to follow the command of Jesus to "love your neighbor as yourself?"<br></p><p>Blessings, my friends. Pray for those who have lost their loved ones.<br></p> | | |
| Mennonite mission worker continues to nurture friendships with Shia Muslims in Iran | | https://www.mennonitemission.net/blog/5064/Mennonite-mission-works-continues-to-nurture-friendships-with-Shia-Muslims-in-Iran- | Mennonite mission worker continues to nurture friendships with Shia Muslims in Iran | By Peter Sensenig | <div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>Peter Sensenig, who serves in Chad, through Eastern Mennonite Missions and Mennonite Mission Network, reports on a visit to Iran that included conferences and times of informal sharing.</em></span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">When I arrived in Qom, Iran, for the Positive Global Ethics conference at the </span><a href="https://isca.ac.ir/Portal/Home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US">Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy</span></a><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"> (ISCA), March 3-7, Muhammad, a Shia Muslim man, asked me why I had come. I told him that I thought the Holy Spirit had led me. Muhammad told me that he had been deeply depressed and asked God for hope.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">“Then, I got the phone call that you were coming here for a conference,” Muhammad said. “I found one of your sermons online, and I thought, ‘This is an answer to my prayers.’ You are here because God sent you.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><strong>Positive Global Ethics conference</strong></span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Most of the Positive Global Ethics conference meetings took place in Qom, a center of Shia theology and religion. About 30 people attended — mostly Shia clerics — and about 50 more joined virtually.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">I presented a paper on the biblical calling for us to be peacemakers, with special attention to the Sermon on the Mount. Since I was speaking about Jesus directly from the Bible, my paper was the only one for which a formal response had been prepared in advance. <span data-ccp-charstyle="cf01" data-ccp-charstyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"04e01b3e-60f0-420c-b280-96bde57a0b34|66","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[469775450,"cf01",201340122,"1",134233614,"true",469778129,"cf01",335572020,"1",469777841,"Segoe UI",469777842,"Segoe UI",469777844,"Segoe UI",469769226,"Segoe UI",268442635,"18",469778324,"Default Paragraph Font"]}">Fasihi</span><span data-ccp-charstyle="cf01"> Mehdi</span><span data-ccp-charstyle="cf01">, a</span> professor from the ISCA, responded affirmatively to several points:</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p></p><ul><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Jesus’ response to peacemaking is creative.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">In the Bible, reconciliation is the goal.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Jesus Christ offers a way out of the revenge cycle.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Jesus calls us to service, instead of to power.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li></ul><p></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Fasihi Mehdi also highlighted some points of ambiguity for a Muslim audience:</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p></p><ul><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">God decides on war in the Hebrew Bible, but how does this play out in our world?</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">How do we deal with the contradictory ideas about killing found in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament?</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Jesus did not address war. Could it be that peace for him is mostly personal?</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li></ul><p></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">The question of a nonviolent response to the crisis in Gaza came up repeatedly through the conference, showing the depth of identification with the suffering of the people of Palestine.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">In a session for university students, I spoke about my calling to Chad, obeying the voice of </span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><em>Isa al-Masih</em></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"> (Jesus Christ, as he is referred to in the Qur’an), to work for peace between Christians and Muslims. I shared about the recent multi-faith meetings in central Chad and the passages of the Qur’an and the Bible that participants cited as a motivation for building peace. I suggested that the more we create the kinds of spaces in which we share what is beautiful about our own faith and build trust, the more the Holy Spirit can guide us into peace.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Ayatollah, the title of a high-ranking Muslim cleric, Alavi Boroujerdi shared Islamic stories of peacemaking:</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p></p><ul><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Imam Ali is considered by Shia Muslims to be the example of virtue, the most important companion of Muhammad and the rightful heir of his authority. Imam Ali did everything he could to avert war and guard the rights of his enemies.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">In the Qur’an, God asked the Prophet Musa (Moses) why he didn’t save Pharaoh from drowning in the Red Sea when he had the chance. God tells Musa that he created and loves even Pharaoh.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Islam gives priority to compassion over rules. If necessary, one must give away the last drops of water to a thirsty dog or plant, rather than do ablutions (ritual washing) before prayer.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li></ul><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div></div><div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">In response, I told the Ayatollah the story of </span><a href="https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Dirk_Willemsz_%28d._1569%29" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">Dirk </span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">Willems</span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">z</span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"></span></span></a><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"> rescuing his pursuer at great personal cost. Ayatollah Alavi listened intently and blessed us with a warm kiss on the cheek, as we departed.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><strong>The most important interfaith dialogue is with our children</strong></span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">I proposed that the first and most important interfaith dialogue we have is with our own children, whose experiences of the world are different from our own, and with whom we must sensitively try to share what is important to us about our faith. In this task, I suggested, we are facing the same challenge, as Muslims and Christians. There was wide agreement. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">For certain people in the room, however, the answer was straightforward: We simply have to enforce the ethical standards we believe in, and the younger generation’s faith will follow. Others shared with me later, in private, that this sort of denial of the generational change that is already happening is widespread among the older religious leaders.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><strong>Global politics make diplomacy difficult</strong></span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">The lack of diplomacy between Iran and other countries makes exchanges difficult but not impossible. Our visas were issued at the last minute and with great effort. The Iranians that I encountered are distressed by the idea that their country is perceived as hostile when many have positive attitudes toward the West and toward U.S. citizens. They grieve the fact that politics have cut them off from the outside world. But they do not want another revolution. Revolutions are radical, by definition, with unforeseen consequences. The warm reception I received was in the context of signs around town reading “Down with USA/Down with Israel! We will never back down!”</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Iran is struggling economically with inflation, in part because of U.S.-led sanctions since the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“the Iran nuclear deal”) in 2018. Ordinary Iranians pay the price for the conflict and are not hopeful about the economic future of their country unless such sanctions are lifted.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><strong>Friendship is a form of radical resistance</strong></span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Perhaps because of the seemingly intractable political challenges, attention has turned to another radical form of resistance: friendship. The power and potential of friendship came up throughout the meetings. Some examples are: </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p></p><ul><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">“Friendship is the highest form of salvation. A Muslim sage declared, ‘If in the end I could receive all the blessings of God, but lose friendship, I would choose friendship.’”</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">“It is both an act of love to ask another to change religions for the better, and it is an act of love to help them live their faith better, if they choose not to convert.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">“Justice is not good enough for unity. Justice isolates, but ‘justice plus’ is friendship, the true fruit of religiosity.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">An Ayatollah said, “When I go abroad, I am the guest of Christians, from the beginning to the end of my journey.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li><li><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">“Love your enemies, because they are so </span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">useful</span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"> — to test your love.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li></ul><p></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Iranian scholars are producing books and articles on friendship. This is perhaps the most important handle that Christians and Muslims have for subverting and overcoming the political problems. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><div class="ms-rtestate-read ms-rte-embedcode ms-rte-embedil ms-rtestate-notify"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dBgVCJEr1jk?si=N9ESh5_SEBaPvdOk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div><p><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;">P</span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;">eter </span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;"></span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;"></span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;"></span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;">Se</span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;">nsenig</span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;"></span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;"></span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;"></span><span style="background-color:transparent;font-style:inherit;color:#7695a3;font-family:cartogothic_std, sans-serif;font-size:0.95rem;font-weight:bold;"> gives further reflections on Jesus’ call to friendship in this video taken at the
ISCA conference in Iran. Video provided.</span><br></p></div><div><span data-ccp-props="{}"><br></span></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><strong>Jesus lives in Iran</strong></span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Jesus Christ is held in high esteem, with references to him and his mother in the mosques, shrines and popular piety. We entered the home of one of our hosts, sharing a meal under a wall hanging that read, “O Jesus of humanity, be in laughter, and revive humanity again.”</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">The celebrated 14</span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><span data-fontsize="12">th</span></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">-century Iranian poet, Hafez, is quoted as saying: “Jesus Christ is like glorious news of one coming, whose breath gives life to society.” I spoke very little, in Iran, about Christian doctrine, but rather, I focused on the day-to-day questions, challenges and joys of Christian discipleship. My hope is for Iranians to encounter Jesus Christ — who already lives in Iran — in a way that is so intriguing and personal that they want to go deeper. It is through ordinary acts of discipleship that the glorious news of Jesus comes to any society and breathes life into it.</span></p></div></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><strong>Mennonite-Shia friendship</strong></span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">Why would Shia Muslims and Mennonite Christians strike up a friendship? Part of the answer might lie in the affinity of being minorities within their respective global faith traditions. But another possibility is the explicit connection that both communities draw between suffering and true faith. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"><strong>Waiting for the Messiah</strong></span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">One dialogue session focused on the Shia and Christian notions of waiting for the Messiah. The vice president of the </span><a href="https://int.bou.ac.ir/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">Baqir al-</span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">Olum</span><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink"> University </span></span></a><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">in Qom compared the two, concluding the Christians have a more </span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">individual</span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"> understanding of waiting for the return of Jesus Christ, while Muslims have a </span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">collective</span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US"> understanding of preparing the world for the return of both the </span><a href="https://www.learnreligions.com/who-is-the-12th-imam-3555177" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US">twelfth Imam</span></a><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">, Mahdi, and <em>Isa al-Masih</em> (Jesus Christ).</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">The ensuing discussion centered on whether humans have a responsibility to bring about a society that is prepared to receive a savior. Will the world become so bad that only the Messiah can heal it? Or will the world become so good that it is ready for his return? </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">In my response to this paper, I described Jesus’ teaching on the wheat and the weeds in Matthew 13. We are not the master gardeners and must, therefore, wait for the Messiah to tear out the bad plants, as we might accidentally tear out something that God has planted.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div><div><p><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US">It is difficult to predict the future of Iran, the faith of its people and the path toward peace at a political level. At the level of personal and institutional friendship, however, the way is open, with lots of potential for fruitful engagements. I hope that Mennonites and Shia Muslims can continue walking together in Iran.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p></div> | | |
| Easter calls us to open the doors of our homes and our hearts | | https://www.mennonitemission.net/blog/5061/Easter-calls-us-to-open-the-doors-of-our-homes-and-our-hearts | Easter calls us to open the doors of our homes and our hearts | By Joseph Givens | <p><a href="/workers/Europe/France/Joseph%20and%20Rachel%20Givens"><em>Joseph and Rachel Givens</em></a><em> accompany volunteers at the </em><a href="https://www.refugeehousecalais.org/"><em>Maria Skobtsova House in Calais, France</em></a><em>, where they offer hospitality and temporary accommodation to people fleeing dangerous situations, as they seek refuge on their way to the United Kingdom. </em><a href="https://www.givenscalais.org/blog"><em>Read more of the Givens' blogs</em></a><em>.</em></p><p><em></em>I write this on the Saturday between Good Friday, when we remember our Lord's death, and Easter, when we celebrate his resurrection. It's an in-between time, during which Jesus lies dead in the tomb, hope is seemingly lost and promises remain unfulfilled. As I reflect on this, I can't help but connect it to the people we serve in Calais, France. They, like Jesus, are stuck in the in-between. They've completed some of the most difficult parts of their journeys already, having fled dangerous situations and endured unimaginable ordeals. They've made their way across Africa and the Middle East, over the Mediterranean, and across Europe, to Calais, France.</p><p>And now, they're stuck. </p><p>They're stuck waiting for the end of their journey, the promise of a better life in the United Kingdom. But rather than being welcomed or offered safe passage out of their terrible circumstances, they are dehumanized, beaten and tear-gassed while they are in France. But all they can do is wait. Wait for a better day, a time when they can achieve their dreams.</p><p>Because they hope their time will come, they endure the pain, the dehumanization and the strife, for a chance at a better, safer future for themselves and their children. </p><p>And like them, we know the in-between seems dark, but the sun rises on Easter morning, and with it, our hope is resurrected. The pain and the suffering that Jesus and the disciples experienced diminished in the joy of the resurrection.</p><p>This is the hope we preach. Because we know, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn't extinguish the light" (John 1:5, Common English Bible). Even though the darkness seems impenetrable, the light is still shining. We rest in the hope of Easter, the hope of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.</p><p>And we hold the hope of a future promised to us by our Lord, a future when there will be no more sorrow or sickness or death, a future made possible by the suffering and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord.</p><p><span style="font-size:1.4rem;background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-style:inherit;">Joy comes in the morning, with Easter.</span></p><p>So while we are in this in-between time, let us love our neighbor, who is also in a place of waiting, seeking a better future for themselves and their children. Rather than shutting them out, let us open the door and let them in, into our homes and into our hearts. Let us bring a taste of the future promised by Jesus to our world today. <br></p> | | |