Comments on: Justice & Unity: Reflections on Mennonite World Conference http://young.anabaptistradicals.org/2009/10/10/justice-unity-reflections-on-mennonite-world-conference/ let's activate something Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:44:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: ST http://young.anabaptistradicals.org/2009/10/10/justice-unity-reflections-on-mennonite-world-conference/#comment-24744 ST Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:32:26 +0000 http://young.anabaptistradicals.org/?p=668#comment-24744 many mwc people worked really hard to hold the space as open as possible, so that all could feel a deep welcome. such a variety of things happen at a conference like this; a range of emotions is experienced throughout the week. people come with many different levels of expectation and knowledge. as some people in convention leadership say, if you found something that moved and inspired you spirituality, and something else that made you frustrated...then we have done our job of bringing real people together. in order to prevent myself from doing something rash and reactive to what i perceived was happening on the front stage, i walked out of the auditorium as the forgiveness ceremony began. luckily, i could busy myself with the many tasks there were to do. i breathed a prayer for it...and tried to release the many multilayered complex situations that i don't understand and that play themselves out in dramatic ways in our global communion. thanks for this post. there's a lot in there...and it is so good to keep processing after the event (for years to come). may god's grace accompany us as we continue to address this power dynamics in our daily lives. many mwc people worked really hard to hold the space as open as possible, so that all could feel a deep welcome. such a variety of things happen at a conference like this; a range of emotions is experienced throughout the week. people come with many different levels of expectation and knowledge. as some people in convention leadership say, if you found something that moved and inspired you spirituality, and something else that made you frustrated…then we have done our job of bringing real people together.

in order to prevent myself from doing something rash and reactive to what i perceived was happening on the front stage, i walked out of the auditorium as the forgiveness ceremony began.

luckily, i could busy myself with the many tasks there were to do. i breathed a prayer for it…and tried to release the many multilayered complex situations that i don’t understand and that play themselves out in dramatic ways in our global communion.

thanks for this post. there’s a lot in there…and it is so good to keep processing after the event (for years to come). may god’s grace accompany us as we continue to address this power dynamics in our daily lives.

]]> By: Jean http://young.anabaptistradicals.org/2009/10/10/justice-unity-reflections-on-mennonite-world-conference/#comment-24612 Jean Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:50:24 +0000 http://young.anabaptistradicals.org/?p=668#comment-24612 When I read the reports in the Mennonite press on the "forgiveness" service at MWC, I felt sick in my stomach. It seemed to me to be magnifying racist attitudes towards indigenous people and reviolating siblings in Christ. Thanks, Joanna, for this reflection - I look forward to the discussion it will raise. When I read the reports in the Mennonite press on the “forgiveness” service at MWC, I felt sick in my stomach. It seemed to me to be magnifying racist attitudes towards indigenous people and reviolating siblings in Christ. Thanks, Joanna, for this reflection - I look forward to the discussion it will raise.

]]> By: Ben Krauss http://young.anabaptistradicals.org/2009/10/10/justice-unity-reflections-on-mennonite-world-conference/#comment-24589 Ben Krauss Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:26:33 +0000 http://young.anabaptistradicals.org/?p=668#comment-24589 Hey Joanna, thanks for your post, I have similar feelings towards MWC A15. I had a lot of problems with this ceremony for various reasons: - why didn't Jonoine get an opportunity to speak? (they could have given him a translator, if he didn't speak Spanish well) - why did he hand over the spear - a symbol of violence and power in my eyes - instead of BREAKING it? or forging it into a "pruning hook" (Isaiah 2:4)? - why did only the indigenous need forgiveness, were not also the white Mennonites guilty of taking there land? - and really profane, but nevertheless important, why didn't they rehearse it more, so that Helmut Isaak wouldn't almost have given BACK the spear? but, I think the indigenous pastor Dietrich Pana put it right - "I (Pana) am a Mennonite" - this indirect, loving criticism may have changed more than direct attacks - like MWC starting with THREE women talking - which caused people to leave the Assembly... How do we criticize so that we're clear about our point, but don't drive people away, but to be confronted by our criticism? Hey Joanna, thanks for your post, I have similar feelings towards MWC A15.

I had a lot of problems with this ceremony for various reasons:
- why didn’t Jonoine get an opportunity to speak? (they could have given him a translator, if he didn’t speak Spanish well)
- why did he hand over the spear - a symbol of violence and power in my eyes - instead of BREAKING it? or forging it into a “pruning hook” (Isaiah 2:4)?
- why did only the indigenous need forgiveness, were not also the white Mennonites guilty of taking there land?
- and really profane, but nevertheless important, why didn’t they rehearse it more, so that Helmut Isaak wouldn’t almost have given BACK the spear?

but, I think the indigenous pastor Dietrich Pana put it right - “I (Pana) am a Mennonite” - this indirect, loving criticism may have changed more than direct attacks - like MWC starting with THREE women talking - which caused people to leave the Assembly…

How do we criticize so that we’re clear about our point, but don’t drive people away, but to be confronted by our criticism?

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