Memories

At this time -- when we as a congregation celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of our church -- I find myself traveling down memory lane and recalling many, many happy occasions. I was not there from the very beginning, but I was born right the following year and KMB has been a big part of my life ever since.

My earliest memories go back to when our congregation met on the third floor of a soter building on King Street. Certain evenings and on Sundays it was Our Church; and other evenings it was used for meetings by a group of spiritualists (very ecumenical!).

I REMEMBER we were very much in awe of the "patriarchs" of our church -- those old and gray gentlemen who seemed so very ancient to us young children. As they arrived at church they would greet each other with a brotherly kiss. The one, a Mr. Konrad, was quite deaf and had his "hearing aid" with him. A long tube, which he would pull out of his pocket, hold one end to his ear while the other person would shout through the other end. We always tried to be near at hand to watch and marvel.

I REMEMBER our Sunday School superintendent, Mr Abram Dick and our Sunday School teachers, who not only taught us Bible truths but we also felt that these grownups had a real interest in us. We girls always had lady teachers, and we were taught to call them "Tante". Each one, in turn, influenced my life and I recall with love "Tante Sara" Teichroeb, "Tante Mariechen" Braun, "Tante Manya" Fehderau and "Tante Sara" Isaac.

We sang out of our own Sunday School songbook called "Sing Voegelein" (Sing, Little Bird) and I still cherish my copy among my mementoes.

I REMEMBER the special programs we presented every year -- Mother's Day was always celebrated with a program. Each child was given a paper flower to wear -- a red one -- and we all had special little verses to recite. I especially recall one such program. Several months earlier a lady of the church had died and at the program her teenage daughter recited a poem which began "Wenn du noch eine Mutter hast, dank Gott und sei zufrieden" (If you still have a mother, thank God and be content). As she recited the poem with tears in her eyes I realized that it isn't just to be taken for granted that our mother will always be with us and I really felt thankful to the Lord that we still had her to love us and look after us.

I REMEMBER one special Christmas program when I was a "snowflake" and while the other children sang "Leise Rieselt der Schnee" (Gently falls the snow), I and several other "snowflakes" walked down the aisle wearing white cheesecloth dresses, cotton batting hats, and scattering snips of white paper to the left and right of us. This was almost as exciting as being chosen to be an angel, who got to wear a long cheesecloth dress and a gold tinfoil halo!

I REMEMBER the excitement at the end of every Christmas program, of receiving our bag of goodies -- a few cookies, some walnuts and peanuts in the shell, a few candies and a real orange!! Or, maybe an apple.

I REMEMBER the annual church picnics. When the day finally arrived, we would all meet at the church and excitedly await our means of transportation. My Uncle, Julius Riediger, was in partnership with Henry Rempel at that time in a trucking business, and they owned a big open "stake" truck. When that Rempel & Riediger truck would drive up we all climbed onto the back and away we went to the picnic grounds at Dick's farm on the outskirts of Waterloo for a day of fun, starting with Sunday School and church service in the great outdoors, followed by games. At noon the mothers spread long tablecloths on the grass and brought out the lunches. And we didn't have to eat what your own mothers brought, since everything was mixed. No salads and cold cuts in those days -- everyone brought sandwiches and cookies, and if we were lucky there might even be a few bananas or oranges. I always tried to sit where I spied either peanut butter or salmon sandwiches, my favorites. The drink was lemonade made with real lemons and ice-cold water from Dick's spring, and ladled out of huge soup kettles full of a seemingly never-ending supply.

All afternoon, we younger children kept out eyes peeled for the "Cookieman" and when he arrived on the scene we all gave chase. This was my cousin, Peter Rempel, with cookies sewn onto his clothes, and the thing to do was to catch him and pull off the cookies. What a treat!!

Later in the afternoon we children loved to watch the young adults playing "Last Couple Out", "Drop the Hankie", or "Blindman's Bluff", and wished we were old enough to join in. We would also enjoy making pests of ourselves if we found some hand-holding couple going off for a little stroll. We thought the young adults were really "cool" with their tams and sunglasses, and a number of them had guitars or mandolins along for a singsong later in the evening.

Speaking of guitars, I REMEMBER, the first singing in church with guitar accompaniment. And it was way way back in those King Street days. The B. B. Boldt family had just moved here and the two oldest children, John and Peg, sang a duet in the church, accompanied by Peg playing the guitar. I even remember the song -- "Love Lifted Me".

I REMEMBER Saturday mornings and German School at church. B. B. Boldt was our teacher. He was strict, but fun-loving and we loved him -- and were fascinated by his glass eye. We would each have to individually stand by our chair and read out loud our homework assignment of the week. And then wait hopefully for his evaluation: "Laut! Richtig! ( Loud! Right! ).

I REMEMBER the congregational singing at church over the years. For many years we sang out of the "Dreiband", consisting of three types of hymns -- Heimatklaenge, Evangeliums Lieder, and Frohe Botschaft ( My favorites were the Frohe Botschaft, which were the gospel songs, I guess). After that we graduated to various hymnals with music notes included, from Triumphant Service Songs to the present Worship Together and our Worship Teams and overhead music. We were always known for our good singing, a big part of our heritage.

I REMEMBER when the church on Church Street was purchased and the pride we felt in finally having our own church building. In the early days we had no official custodian -- we were pleased and honored for the privilege of caring for our church and gladly took turns to do the cleaning, a different church family each week.

With the building of a balcony, the young people would sit up there. And it wasn't unknown to have the pastor, H. H. Janzen, stop halfway through his sermon to reprimand us when he noticed whispering going on.

I REMEMBER the first Young Peoples group. Several of us teenagers approached Peter Rempel and asked if he would be our leader, and he agreed to be our mentor and friend. We had many wonderful experiences as he guided us in our spiritual growth as well as many enjoyable social activities.

I REMEMBER the choirs -- singing in the Youth Choir under the leadership of Vic Penner. And then later on to be invited by Mr. Nick Fehderau to sing in the Senior Choir! Most social activities in our late teens revolved around the choir in those days, and to be invited to join meant we had "arrived". Faithfulness and regular attendance at practice was a must; belonging was a privilege.

I REMEMBER changes that took place, and with God's grace we were able to accept them and remain strong as one body, working together. We met the challenges of language change, hired pastors, two services, music preferences. And as time goes by there will no doubt be other changes, but ...

Keep looking to God to be our Guide... Make every effort to keep the bond of love strong among us... Be willing to bend a little and accept changes...

Ella Funk

Detours: Hindrance or Opportunity

Those of us living in K-W have had more than our fill of detours this past summer. We frequently encounter detours on longer journeys as well; long or short, they usually cause some inconvenience, if not consternation.

As we think back over our lives, no doubt all of us can recall times when we encountered an unexpected detour in our plans, maybe due to illness, job loss, etc. Our aim at such times is to get back on course and continue our journey as quickly as possible, considering the detour a hindrance to accomplishing our plans.

But what if the detour doesn't bring us back to its starting point, but in fact becomes an integral part of the journey? This, of course, can only be realized with hindsight, and then only are we able to understand the reason for changing the course of our life's journey. This has been the experience of my wife and I at several junctures in our lives.

My first major detour was acquiring a leave-of-absence from teaching in order to attend university as a full-time student. My choice of a church school took me to Goshen College in Indiana. While studying there I found out about MCC's Teachers Abroad Program which recruited teachers for several countries in East Africa. My interest was immediately whetted. Later on when teaching back in Waterloo County. again, I met the young woman who later became my wife. She had also heard about the TAP program while she was attending Goshen, so we decided to take the first three years after our marriage to teach in E. Africa. (This was my second detour.) That experience gave us a new perception of the needs of the third world.

Returning to Kitchener, we again were hired by the local school board; however, in our third year we received a call from MCC. (I call it a Macedonian Come-over Call.) We were asked to go to Newfoundland to teach remedial English. (Third detour). Finding ourselves in a quaint little cottage with no fridge, washer, bathtub or even a kitchen sink we longed for the amenities of Africa! Fortunately the birth of our first child helped diffuse the isolation and monotony of seven months of winter each year on the wind-swept northern shore of "the Rock".

After two years in Nfld, we again returned to Ontario, promising school board officials to "settle down now" as I again signed a contract. But after five years, and an addition to our family, we received another "Macedonian call". This time it came from the Mennonite Board of Missions based in Pennsylvania. They desperately required a principal couple for Rosslyn Academy, a Christian international school in Nairobi, Kenya. This was a difficult decision requiring much prayer and soul-searching, with very little time to decide. But within two months, we found ourselves once again "drinking of African waters". (Fourth detour).

Our sojourn in Africa this time lasted four wonderful years after which we once again returned to Ontario, and resumed our life's journey. However, it had become a journey punctuated by so many "detours" that it was at times difficult to decipher which was more significant. The so-called detours had proven to be as challenging and as fulfilling as the main journey. For me, this has been one of life's major lessons.

My favourite lines of poetry sum up our experience very succinctly:

I am a part of all that I have met;
And all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untravelled world whose margin fades
Forever and forever as I move.

from "Ulysses" by Lord Tennyson

Murray Snider

Friends from Abroad

It was summer '85 when I joined the Operation Mobilization (OM) team which met at the evangelism conference in Belgium that year. It was a rather international team of young Christians -- from the USA, Canada, Scotland, Australia, The Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and the two of us from Germany. Altogether there were 14 of us who were assigned to Hounslow, a suburb of London. The objective was to sow the seed of the 'good news' amongst the substantial Asian population there. We worked with the local Brethren congregation to achieve these goals.

Highly anxious, and not knowing each other at all, not really sure what to expect, we left Belgium for the ferry to Dover. It was one trip I personally will never forget. We were in the middle of the sea when a storm came upon us. With waves as high as a house, the ferry was bouncing like a rubber duck in a white water sea. People were being sick all over the place and I really didn't think we would reach the other shore. It was almost as if Satan didn't want us there.

There were several OM teams on the ship and I believe most of us turned to God for help -- there is power in prayer. By the time we reached the white cliffs of Dover, everything was calm again.

On arrival, we all packed into two rather shaky looking vans, and drove the rest of the way to Hounslow. The girls were teamed up -- two by two -- and sleeping quarters assigned. These would be our refuges for the next three weeks. The guys had their sleeping bags in one of the Sunday School rooms.

The following day necessitated the beginnings of the new routine. This meant getting together to study God's word, pray, and study the geography of the area. This meant hours of pouring over maps, and the like, understanding where we were headed and the demographics of the population there.

I was paired up with Caroline, a nice Canadian girl with whom I was to go door-to-door. This routine included an hour in the morning, and another in the afternoon, on the typical day. I did not find this easy; my English was rather weak, and my confidence rather low. I would tend to pray while she did much of the talking. We met up with all kinds of people. Some were nice, and we made immediate connections. Others were rude, necessitating the metaphorical shaking of the dust from our shoes.

Every Saturday evening we would have a special 'Asian' event, with music, with food, and with the showing of the Jesus film. Each of us was able to share our faith with the crowd of people who were in attendance.

On one occasion, I remember being invited into the home of a woman who seemed open to the gospel. Not all things are as they might appear, since once inside her house she started yelling and accusing us of falsehood, and generally carrying on. Caroline didn't have a chance to say much, and I didn't understand much of what was being thrown our way, so as I was in the habit of doing, I just started to pray. As it turned out, this woman had been indoctrinated by the Watchtower Society and was being quite overbearing.

As I continued to pray, I sensed my anxiety leave, and was left with a profound sense of peace, in spite of the constant barrage of insults. I wasn't sure, but I was simultaneously hoping that Caroline was sensing this as well.

Suddenly that woman stopped mid-sentence, looked at me, uncertain, and promptly asked us to leave this instant. Later, Caroline disclosed that that when she looked at me that moment, that there seemed to be an unnatural glow on my face. I had no idea. Of course, nothing bothers that sect more than the radiant prayer of His saints.

In addition to the door to door, we also did street corner evangelism. This we did with a group of about seven. I can honestly say that this was the most difficult part of my summer campaign experience. I found it hard to focus on what I wanted to say, as I presented my testimony to an audience which consisted of people laughing, cursing, and running away. Three teenage boys even picked up rocks and threw them at me. But after I had finished, a more experienced man from the team went to talk to those boys and invited them to the next Saturday evening event. Paradoxically, they agreed to come.

They seemed lonely, empty and there wasn't anyone in their lives who really cared about them in this big city. We prayed for them and they did come to watch the Jesus film. In the end they accepted Christ into their hearts and lives, praise be to God!

In those weeks of team living, the local congregation provided for the sleeping arrangements and breakfast. Other items, the rest of the food, the gas for the van, etc, we had to provide ourselves. We did become quite creative in our meal preparations and some of us probably lost some extra pounds, but we were never really lacking. God always provided in His unique ways.

I will never forget my evangelism experiences with OM: how we put our faith on the line, and went out as Christ had commanded us to do. In those weeks, eight people openly confessed Christ for the first time in their lives, and many more seeds were sown. When the team pulled out after the third week, there was a long list of interested contacts for the church to follow up on, plus there was the discipleship of the new believers. In all of this we saw God working through a diverse group of followers, from diverse countries, cultures, languages, with differing personalities and expectations, who set all of their differences aside for the sake of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God. And how He is able to work among us when we are willing to put it all aside for His sake!

Gina Ritzmann

Narrow Road

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus is speaking to the crowd which gathered at the mount. Most were Jews, and without doubt some were Greeks who probably had been educated in the Law of Moses. Some of these were pious religious people, others of these were people who undoubtedly took the supernatural lightly, preferring the practical, the observable, and the tangible. To each and all of these Jesus speaks of the narrow road that leads to life. What is this narrow road?

Clearly, every life has some character of a journey. Vacationing by car or camper is perhaps a representation of such in modern experience. When undertaking such an excursion, one does due diligence, researches one's options, and makes plans.

The Ministry road map, the requisite brochures of various facilities which may be of interest, the anecdotes of our friends and acquaintances are all consulted before we decide the direction we are headed. It is vital that our sources of information are accurate, complete, and that the goals and objectives of those we consult, line up with our own.

Small errors in the information that we have available to us, can result in skewed decisions that can cost many times in terms of our travel duration and jeopardy to our own safety. Deciding to run those rapids instead of that arduous portage, can result in shipwreck. We need reliable information and clear judgment to make those sorts of decisions.

For the follower of Christ, that accurate source of information is that collection of books we refer to as the Bible. Sure, we may rely on the advice of others as well, and such good advice will be consistent with the ancient inspired texts themselves (Acts 17:11). While modern man might argue that our understanding of them is imperfect, Jesus counters that not even the smallest letter will be dismissed until all is fulfilled (Matt 5:18). Jesus apparently considers the Scriptures to be a reliable guide.

The hills and valleys of my own journey have been associated with various levels of confidence in such. As a teenage skeptic, and atheist, I rejected Christianity, altogether. To say that I rejected it because of the Christians, would be simplistic. Clearly, this classic Nietschen rationalization is accompanied firstly, by a world view that precludes the supernatural. There is a certain kind of pride associated with such, and eventually it gives way to nihilism; in the case of Nietche, it resulted in his insanity.

On my own case, an insatiable appetite for reading gave way to the reading of the Scriptures themselves. Having initially picked them up with the intent to refute what they said, I finished reading the four gospels and the book of Acts, with surprise. The surprise for me was that I did not find anything on which to base my refutation. Granted, I still had trouble accepting these things that they referred to as miracles, but this Jesus guy was completely brilliant in the answers he gave.

The conclusion that I had reached in that fork in the road, was that I had no argument with this man, and that my rejection of Christianity had nothing to do with its author. Having reached this point, however, presented a logical inconsistency with some of the other things I had assumed to be true. For example, if I accepted Jesus to be a good man, how could I deny his claims regarding his father, God? It wouldn't be reasonable to assert his goodness on one hand, yet call him a liar on the other. And, by not accepting the things he says, would imply, liar.

Even when I finally acknowledged that it was my own anti-supernatural presupposition that prevented my complete confidence in Christ, it took considerable reading and meditation before I finally was able to lay it aside. The falseness of that worldly doctrine became apparent as I became increasingly aware of the inadequacy of modern methods of acquiring knowledge. Plainly, as good as the scientific method was, it would only ever answer physical questions and was incapable of the metaphysical. Only when I had reached the point where I was able recognize this and lay down my a priori notions, was I able to appreciate the fullness of the message of Christ including his miracles.

The change in my outlook on life was not less than phenomenal. The glory of the rising sun inspired a confidence that there was a creative being behind all of what we observe around us, and in this a magnificence.

In retrospect, the walk along that path involved sacrifice and was fraught with as many errors as successes. In the painful times, it became apparent that there was a force at work which prevented my falling wholesale into the evil to which I seemed predisposed. This reaffirmation of the fact that there was something at work, something that I couldn't physically and directly see, yet was apparent in the outcomes of various situations in my life, continued to reaffirm that which I had come to accept: that there were supernatural forces at work in the world around us, and that good and creative forces were the very same as those referred to in the Scriptures as God and His angels.

The acceptance of these phenomena were reinforced by distinct and specific answers to the petitions I had made to these invisible forces. I remember once, after a long succession of being 'skunked' in euchre, that I made such a request. We should at least once win, I asked, keeping in mind that Jesus states that we should ask, and expect to receive. It should be noted, that even following such a seemingly immature prayer, that we completely and dramatically won the next round of the game, quite to my amazement. Other, more substantial answers to prayer, some of which would be too shocking to write about here, affirmed that there was a reality behind what was written in this book.

That others would be reached with the same reality explosion that I had received, was what was on my heart. That God needs to prepare the heart, and that I could be instrumental in sowing the seed that Jesus spoke of, was an awesome realization. Some sow, others reap, Paul expresses it.

Even though I had come to accept the life and claims of Jesus as fact, and beyond refutation, early on I had a real struggle with this Paul guy. He writes in his letters things that seem to echo Christ, at times, and then at other times he says things that seemed hard to accept.

Then one day I was struck with the realization that I was again being inconsistent in how I was allowing the Scriptures to influence my life. I was fine in accepting the message of the hope of the gospel, I was even fine with what it had to say about the supernatural world around us which remains unseen, yet I was rejecting much about the other things of which the Scripture speaks. Again, my presuppositions influenced my ability to comprehend.

Having understanding and insight into the prophetic word was my objective, and indeed a noble goal. But such would only begin to come once I relinquished other notions that I cherished, notions which were preventing my further understanding of the Scriptures. My twisting of Scripture needed to stop, I needed to be more evenhanded in the way I dealt with it. I needed to take care not to pervert the meaning of Scripture to conform to the value systems that are prevalent in the world around us (2 Peter 3:14-18). I was being taught an object lesson in what it meant to "trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).

I came to realize that the submission that Paul commands for my wife, is the same submission that he demands from the church under God. And the love that Christ expects from me for her, is nothing less that the love that He had for me when he went to the cross. I no longer confuse role distinction, with equity of intrinsic value. Physical distinctives, beg social distinctiveness. In my egalitarian confusion, I had misconstrued this to be a statement of worth. Paul never confuses social distinctives with intrinsic worth.

Learning about the authority of His Word, is a single aspect of the road that is spoken of by Christ. The reality of the narrow road is that it is narrow and hard. It is narrow, because, in this world of ever so subtle lies, truth is difficult to lay hold of. It is hard, because, we alone do not have the strength to resist the powerful forces at work in the world.

We need to keep our eyes on the finish line in this cross-country run. We must never become distracted by the manifold fanciful distractions around us, nor be so disillusioned so as to quit the race. Though, the temptation is at times strong to do so, to take a less tortuous route, we soberly accept Jesus' words: "few find it".

Erich Ritzmann

Angel of Smyrna

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." Revelation 2:8-11

Polycarp was discipled by John, who also appointed him overseer of the church in Smyrna. It is said that three days prior to his death, he had a vision in which the pillow on which he laid his head caught fire.

Having had this prior indication regarding his fate, when they came to get him he persuaded his captors to sit down to eat, before they lead him away. This apparently was to buy himself some additional time for prayer. He was lead away on the "Sabbath of the great feast."

Realizing that the Roman emperors demanded to be worshiped as gods, his trial was to call the emperor, Lord, and to offer him incense.

Polycarp was unmovable. His reply: "I have served my Lord Christ Jesus eighty-six years, and He has never done me any harm. How can I deny my King, who has hitherto preserved me from all evil, and so faithfully redeemed me?" And, you "threaten me with a fire which will perhaps burn for an hour, and then soon go out; but you know not the fire of the future judgment of God, which is prepared and reserved for the everlasting punishment and torment of the ungodly."

He goes on to say, "bring on the beasts, or the fire, or whatever you may choose: you shall not by either of them, move me to deny Christ, my Lord and Saviour."

As he was placed onto the pyre, his prayer was said to have been: "O Father of Thy beloved and blessed Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the saving knowledge of Thy holy name; God of angels and powers and of all creatures, but especially of all the righteous who live in Thy sight, I thank Thee that Thou didst call me to this day and hour, and hast counted me worthy, that I may have my part and place among the number of the holy martyrs, and in the cup of the suffering of Christ, so I suffer with Him and thus partake of His pains. I pray Thee, O Lord, that Thou wouldst this day receive me, as a fat offering among the number of Thy holy martyrs, even as Thou alone, O God of truth, who can not lie, didst prepare me thereto, and did make it known unto me, and hast now ultimately fulfilled it. Therefore I thank and praise Thee, above other men, and honour Thy holy name, through Jesus Christ, Thy well-beloved Son, the eternal High Priest, unto whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be the glory, now and forever. Amen."

It is said of that event, that when the executioners observed that the fire was not consuming his body, that they had him struck through with the sword, and that the subsequent flow of bodily fluids and blood nearly extinguished the flames. Many in Smyrna met such a fate.

Source: "Martyrs Mirror", 13th edition, 1982; pp112-114

On the Wings of Penitence

Lord, You could see how truly my former words were lame;
and I, misclued about just that which You would have me tame,
found my recourse in a likely tool that was wielding fear.
Yet the man that I struck, whomever he was, got back his ear!

In Your Temple I hear You ask, "What would you offer
were all your senses dulled to the jesting of the scoffer?"
Lord, in such a realm as this, I think I could not help but dig deep,
for despite unsettled feelings I'd find nothing left to sweep --
under the carpet.

If, on another day, You'd find me apt to turn away,
I ask that You move my mind to know I'm holding a tray;
wherein You resume to load me heavenward with all Your good.
When I have You inquire, Would you now wait? I'd say I could.

In Your Temple I hear You ask, "What would you offer
were all your senses dulled to the jesting of the scoffer?"
Lord, in such a realm as this, I think I could not help but dig deep,
for despite unsettled feelings I'd find nothing left to sweep --
under the carpet.

Phil Klassen

Who is Your Authority

The Old Self

I grew up in the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. In all matters of faith and life, the Church's teaching was to be taken as the true interpretation of Scripture. No one publicly questioned the authority of the Church, even though many did in private conversation and in terms of actually following official church doctrine. My understanding at that time was not dissimilar to what most Roman Catholics believe today, specifically that the Bible was and is not clear and must be expounded under the authority of the church. Even today I have friends and relatives tell me that the Bible is too difficult for the layperson to understand and even "religious experts" cannot agree on its teachings. In the Roman Catholic method of theological expression and teaching, the church needs tradition to understand the Scripture. Furthermore it is Catholic doctrine that official church and official Papal teaching is infallible, hence the Roman Catholic Church is bound to and by the authority of the Bible as interpreted by the church and its doctrinal history.

At one decisive point of time in my faith journey I made the decision to yield my beliefs and thoughts to the authority of the Scripture. Although as a Roman Catholic I was never discouraged from reading the Bible, I was never encouraged either. And so when I made the decision to allow Scripture to assist me in "becoming a better Roman Catholic," I allowed God the Holy Spirit to teach me truth and wisdom by allowing the Bible to speak directly to me. Through this approach to Scripture God eventually revealed to me His plan as creator and redeemer; this without the assistance of any church or teaching other than what was found in the pages of Scripture. The true evangelical or authentically Christian method of theology is to submit one's own judgment, one's church teachings, one's denominational position, in fact one's entire life to the urging of the Holy Spirit and the infallible, clear, sufficient, and ultimate authority of Scripture. The Holy Spirit cannot reveal truth apart from Scripture and He is capable of nudging people to see truth in Scripture that they hadn't seen before. It must be emphasized that Scripture is authoritative in all aspects of one's life, not just in terms of salvation, i.e. the incarnation, death and shed blood, resurrection of Christ and salvation through faith in Him. I have often heard it said that the only thing that Scripture does not instruct the believer on is how to eat with a fork and spoon. In regard to personal belief, where clarity and sufficiency seem to be in question, it is insufficiency and ambiguity in and of the recipient that is at fault, not that of Scripture.

Special Revelation and Scriptural Authority Revelation is God making himself known to human-kind. The heilsgeschichte, literally "holy writings", known as the Scripture or Holy Bible, "die Heilige Schrift", is the written record of the special revelation given through the prophets and apostles and supremely in and through Jesus Christ. The doctrine of revelation includes the doctrine of inspiration that emphasizes both the God-givenness of Scripture and the fact that Scripture is both divine and human, meaning that God used the human witness and message to communicate His words. Since the Scripture is the written tradition of the words of God to human-kind, it can be concluded that what Scripture is saying to us, God is saying to us. And as the creator and sustainer of human-kind, God is the ultimate authority in the universe and therefore God and His words to us, i.e. the Bible, carry ultimate authority, which by definition is the power or right to enforce obedience.

Authority is a functional relationship in which the right to control and exercise power and enforce obedience is claimed, by God, and acknowledged by human-kind. Hence the ungodly do not recognize God's authority and are known as the disobedient. There are, in fact, many different authorities in Christianity. For example God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Holy Scripture, and the church, are all sources of authority and the believer is under the authority of all of these. Differences arise and theological acumen is tested when relating these sources to each other, but none of them may be left out. Also, they are not always separated. For example the authority of the Scripture and the authority of the Holy Spirit cannot be spoken of independently since it is the Holy Spirit who interprets Scripture.

Modes and Spheres

In order to be authoritative, Scripture must cover all possible modes or dimensions of authority. These authoritative dimensions include but are not limited to personal, official, documentary, truth in scholarship and of right or the moral law. Scripture is a personal authority in that God talks to us individually and we must personally respond. The Scripture is the official written, i.e. documentary, authority of the church that did not create it but recognized it as authoritative. God speaking through Scripture exemplifies these different kinds of authority, most perfectly in the person of Jesus Christ. All Scripture is the embodiment of truth, and only truth can have authority. Hence Jesus, who is the incarnate Word of God, is the ultimate authority in the believer's life, as He is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus and all of Scripture also possesses the authority of right or moral law, since Scripture must be the embodiment of noble moral truth and excellence, otherwise we could not accept it. Undoubtedly we accept that Jesus was the embodiment of all that is true and excellent.

In these modes of Scriptural authority, it is easy to differentiate between the different spheres of authority. The first sphere is that of doctrinal beliefs. These are tenets or foundational expressions of essential Christian truth. As believers, these tenets must be part of one's theology, that is, the way one reasons and lives. For example, our worship of Jesus would be blasphemous if He were merely a great teacher. We worship Him as the incarnate Word of the triune Godhead. The second sphere is that of church order and life, or discipline and discipling authority. These are the ways the church seeks to apply Scriptural principles to its own situation. An example of this would be the Anabaptist position on pacifism and war that stands in contrast to other evangelical churches' positions. The third sphere of Scriptural authority is devotional, and reflects the obligation of personal obedience to God. This is a work of the Holy Spirit as we read the Scripture, pray over and meditate on it, and ultimately incorporate these truths into our lives. Again, differences arise and theological understanding and reasoning is tested. At ideal times the circles will be concentric, but at other times we may find ourselves being nudged back to orthodoxy by the working of the Holy Spirit as He interprets the Scripture in our reading and reflection.

Supremely Authoritative

As the written Word of God, Scripture holds supreme authority for all Christians for all times, and all who seek to walk in devotion to the Lord in faith are of necessity living under its authority. This Scripture is the canon, that is the rule or standard, under which we are to walk according to the truth. However, one's view of Biblical authority, that is how the Bible functions as canon, which the church claims it does, depends on one's understanding of a number of foundation concepts. These concepts include: a) the nature of God's revelation in history and in Christ; b) the sense in which Scripture is inspired; c) the clarity and sufficiency of Scripture, or perceived lack of these qualities; d) the Holy Spirit's ministry as teacher of the church; e) the proper procedure in Biblical interpretation; and, f) how far man can know God and judge truly concerning Him apart from the Bible, especially considering how far the human mind is incapacitated through human limitation and sin. While the latter two points are areas of disagreement and uncertainty, an orthodox understanding of these foundational doctrines has been accepted by evangelical Christianity since the time of the Reformation.

The "New" Theology

What has happened in the past 100 to 150 years, however, is that these principles have largely been challenged by liberalism and the church has lost this foundational understanding. It has therefore lost its position in our society as an authoritative source of the truth of Jesus Christ. The church has also lost its ability to distinguish between the divine and human levels of authority. The divine nature of authority is the emphasis that the Word of God is the dynamic "God saying here and now what He said when the message was first given, requiring here and now assent and obedience to, and recognition and praise for, what he has proposed or commanded or instituted." Human authority, taking the form of wisdom, tradition and/or experience has largely usurped the divine even in many evangelical Protestant churches, even though this authority is in reality merely human traditions of teaching and practice which are perhaps 100 years old. Human authority is clearly subordinate to divine authority.

There are two reasons why this has happened. The first is internal to the Church and is the problem of methodology and the correct approach to reading and interpreting Scripture. A proper understanding of correct methodology exists, but we must choose to seek and follow it. The second is more problematic and has its root in secular culture to which the church has largely conformed, and this is the problem of rampant individualism. In fact there is the sinful desire in today's church to defy any authority except one's personally held beliefs. Hence everyone has become his or her own authority. I am sure that we all have experienced those who would usurp the rightful authority of the Church and Scripture for the purpose of promoting their individual position. Sections of Scripture that support one's position are heralded as truly authoritative. Other seemingly contradicting passages are construed as being unclear, difficult to correctly interpret, culturally irrelevant, or (my personal favourite) a passage written by the human author which "wasn't really inspired by the Holy Spirit" and reflects the author's misunderstanding or cultural bias and conditioning. This "pick and choose" method of theology is rampant in mainline Protestantism and is quickly gaining ground in the evangelical church, at least in the west. It is this liberal or subjectivist method in which one appeals to the Holy Spirit in one's own mind and prompts the Holy Spirit and the Scripture for truth that, I believe, is the greatest threat to the evangelical church today. In the final analysis, this method undermines the truth and authority of Scripture and replaces it by the authority of the personal experience of the "religious expert." The facts of Scripture are authoritative only in the sense that they confirm or give credence to the subjective.

Conclusion

Volumes have been written on the subject of Scriptural authority and the material on the subject is extensive. However a correct understanding of the true evangelical position appears to have been lost as liberalism advances. A correct understanding is both crucial for ensuring orthodoxy, defending truth and maintaining the relevancy of the church in society. The need to shore up what remains appears to be one of the most urgent needs of the church today. We need to ask ourselves, "Who is my authority?"

Stephan Bauer

Historical Vignettes

In 1456 Gutenberg invents the printing press with the intent of creating the first mechanically reproduced copies of the Bible. The translation was Jerome's Vulgate Latin translation. That which had cost a kings ransom -- a hand written Bible -- was now available to many serious students. Of those that Gutenberg printed, 47 remain intact today. Background on this remarkable period of history:

"Johannes Gutenberg was born into a noble family of the city of Mainz, Germany. His early training was in goldsmithing. In 1428, he moved to Strasbourg for political reasons, where he remained for over 20 years. It was in Strasbourg that he probably made his first experiments with movable type."

"Gutenberg had the idea of utilizing techniques of metalworking, such as casting, punch-cutting, and stamping, for the mass production of books. European books at this time were hand written by scribes in a gothic script with many flourishes and ligatures (interconnected letter pairs). To reproduce this "look" Gutenberg fashioned a font of over 300 characters, far larger than the fonts of today. To make this possible, he invented the variable-width mold, and perfected the blend of lead, antimony, and tin used by type foundries up to the present century."

Quoted from the web site of Graphion Typesetting Systems¹, May 21, 2001 http://www.graphion.com/

The printing press enabled within sixty years another remarkable event; an event which is generally credited with having given birth to the era known historically as the Reformation.

"Another major change during this time was that, in 1521, Luther translated the New Testament into German for the first time. Although less than 10% of people could read, this made it possible for people to hear Bible stories and passages in their own language. News, pamphlets, and sketches, as well as religious and political cartoons circulated through the countryside. New ideas were being discussed in the houses, taverns, and roads of Europe, sometimes as a result of people's own reading and interpretation of the Bible. Religion was a very hot topic."

Quoted from the web site of the Mennonite Historical Society, May 21, 2001 http://www.mhsc.ca/mennos/hreformat.html

¹ Copyright by their respective owners.

Semantics

Passionate Love for God

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary:

"Passionate, adj. 1. Of a person: affected with or easily moved to passion or strong emotion, spec. intense sexual love or desire."¹

Commentary on the Bible:

Some will still undoubtedly confuse true passion with teenage infatuation. This must be resisted, though it is conceded that our passions are among the strongest of human motivators. In a human context, they represent the ropes which bind our marriages. Directed correctly, they will result in solid relationships. Unchecked, and undisciplined, they will lead to the most devastated, troubled family situations this side of eternity.

Passionate love characterizes the church's love of Christ, even as the husband's love for his wife. "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word" (Eph 5:25). No wonder the church is called the bride of Christ (Rev 19:7-8).

When God desires us to have a deep, satisfying relationship with Him, He chooses to show us what He means by relating it to intense, well-known, passionate love that is experienced between a husband and wife. The Song of Songs speaks of this relationship that God is calling us into, when it speaks in terms of the lover and the beloved. That is His desire.

This metaphor comes up again, in considering the inconstant state of Israel's relationship with God in a plethora of Old Testament references: "... Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there" (Jer 3:6). Adultery, that state of infidelity in a marriage relationship, speaks of the unpassionate relationship that God's people have for Him. This again becomes the theme of the book of Hosea, who was married to the faithless prostitute, Gomer. Again, typifying the relationship of God's people who had lost their passion for their God.

When we do not love God passionately, when we are devoted to something other than God himself, then we are guilty of the very same adultery that the Bible speaks against Israel. God refers to Himself as a jealous God -- He has all the passion of a jealous husband. God's desire for us to love Him with all of our heart, is in Matthew 22:37 and in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. How passionate are we for Him? Try this little mental exercise.

Think about all of the things that you are passionate about in life. Think about your relationship with God. When your answer to both these is one and the same, then you will have gotten close to understanding what God wants for your life. God wants to be the passion of your life.

Authority

The Gnome MIT Dictionary:

Authority Au*thor"i*ty, n.; pl. Authorities. OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit'e, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.

1. Legal or rightful power; a right to command or to act; power exercised buy a person in virtue of his office or trust; dominion; jurisdiction; authorization; as, the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children; the authority of a court.
   • Thus can the demigod, Authority, Make us pay down for our offense. --Shak.
     

   • By what authority doest thou these things ? --Matt. xxi. 23.

2. Government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as, the local authorities of the States; the military authorities. Chiefly in the plural.

3. The power derived from opinion, respect, or esteem; influence of character, office, or station, or mental or moral superiority, and the like; claim to be believed or obeyed; as, an historian of no authority; a magistrate of great authority.

4. That which, or one who, is claimed or appealed to in support of opinions, actions, measures, etc. Hence:
   • Testimony; witness.
     • ``And on that high authority had believed.'' --Milton.
   • A precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent.
   • A book containing such a statement or opinion, or the author of the book.
   • Justification; warrant.
     • Wilt thou be glass wherein it shall discern Authority for sin, warrant for blame. --Shak.

Devotion

The Gnome MIT Dictionary:

Devotion De*vo"tion, n. F. d'evotion, L. devotio.

1. The act of devoting; consecration.

2. The state of being devoted; addiction; eager inclination; strong attachment love or affection; zeal; especially, feelings toward God appropriately expressed by acts of worship; devoutness.
   • Genius animated by a fervent spirit of devotion. --Macaulay.

3. Act of devotedness or devoutness; manifestation of strong attachment; act of worship; prayer.
   • ``The love of public devotion.'' --Hooker.

4. Disposal; power of disposal. Obs.
   • They are entirely at our devotion, and may be turned backward and forward, as we please. --Godwin.
5. A thing consecrated; an object of devotion. R.
   • Churches and altars, priests and all devotions, Tumbled together into rude chaos. --Beau. & Fl.

On Spiritualism and Spiritism

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary:

"Spiritualism: n. 1. The doctrine that the spirit exists as distinct from matter, or that spirit is the only reality; a philosophical or religious doctrine stressing the importance of spiritual as opp. to material things. 2. The belief that the spirits of the dead can communicate with the living, esp. through a medium; the practice of this belief. Cf. SPIRITISM. Spiritism = Spiritualism."¹

The Bible:

We find references to spiritism in the Old Testament. Saul consults with a spiritist in 1 Samuel 28:9, after having tried to exterminate them earlier in his reign.

In Isaiah's time, spiritism seems widespread, and spiritists were being consulted routinely (Isaiah 8:19). God says: "The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will bring their plans to nothing; they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists." Isaiah 19:3

Also: Jer 27:9, 2 Kin 23:24

¹ Copyright by their respective owners.

The Clock on the Wall

The kitchen is the cental point of our home. The designers of this house saw it fit to organize it such that no matter which door one comes in on, one must go through the kitchen to get anywhere else. On the one hand, the top of stairs greet the kitchen, on the other the hallway to the bedrooms. If one comes from the living room or dining room one must needs go through the kitchen, or leave through the front door.

In the kitchen one finds all of the ordinary things of life, like the things that provide us nourishment, but one also find the calendar and schedules which determine our future for the next little while. One also finds newspapers and magazines and the children's homework. Their school bags are routinely found spread across the floor, though nominally arranged neatly by the broom closet. The folks who named the parlor, living room, were mistaken -- living at our house, happens in the kitchen.

The first telephone in this house, was located in this kitchen. The very same phone hung on that wall for more than thirtysome years. It was replaced with something newer since it broke down that fateful day, but this newer model with its buttons and LCD display will never truely replace the central hub of this family's communications with its practical, nearly indestructable rotary dial. We have since placed an extension next to the computer downstairs, but it rarely gets used.

Near to that central hub of traditional communications, is the timepiece of eternity. A large clock hangs on that wall under the recently installed motion sensor. The clock watches over the calendars and schedules nearby. Its hands instrumental in organizing the lives which congregate within this living space.

Never do we consciously think of its tremendous significance as when we adjust its notion of time in the Spring. It is this, not some arbitrary marking on some calendar, it is daylight savings time that really ushers in the season. The days might have seemed to become longer gradually, slowly, until that fateful day when suddenly an extra hour is sprung onto each day. No fooling, Spring is here.

After having painfully spent the previous week, morning by morning, tearing the family out of bed in preparation for each day, making sure each got out of the house on time for each to meet their scheduled commitments, we finally greet Spring. Now, instead of barely getting up at seven or six o'clock, we have the honour to greet the morning at seemingly, five! Bleary-eyed kids speak another truth.

We become conscious for brief moments, of the tremendous hold that time has on us, in these initial weeks of Spring. Barely on time the previous weeks, we are now definitely running late. Inevitably, the lost hour of that first morning, is that of Sunday School. Who's bright idea was it anyhow, to have it start at 8:15 in the morning?! That must have been a decision made in Autumn, no doubt, when 9:15 was looking more like 10:15.

Eventually, once we get back from church, we begin the ritual. Why is it, with all of the fancy electronic wizardry that surrounds us, why is it that clocks are incapable of being programmed to observe daylight savings time for us? So I have decided that since my computer running Linux is the only sensible clock, yes it gets savings time right every single time, is the only other clock which I am going need. But no, the folks who did the coffee maker, and the VCR and the list goes on to include nearly every other gadget that we bought over the last dozen years, all put it their own pathetic notions of what clocks are, and no, they were not thinking of daylight savings time when they did, nor were they thinking of power failures either. But that is grist for another mill.

The many other clocks with we find ourselves surrounded by, are mostly unused in this household. Only one clock really counts the time for us, that is the clock on the kitchen wall.

So we set about adjusting its time. Inevitably, through our own fallibility perhaps, we roll the large hand forward by at least one hour. Logically, we think that the extra minute or two we have cheated ourselves of, as we move back more than the requisite hour, will be time which helps us to be on time next time our schedule beckons.

We struggle along in that first week and before too long we are back into the spring of things. But it has been a learning process, has it not? When we receive our initial shock at the time, we incrementally adjust our lives on subsequent days, proportionately to the level of panic it continues to induce, until at last our habits are once again in equilibrium with the dictates of the clock on the wall.

What of those two minutes that you exaggerated when you set the clock? We have built them into our plans in the end, and in our short term memories, we now understand that now the conventional time to leave is some two minutes after what might have been the norm before the sleep privation. In the end we become acclimatized, accustomed to this slight untruth, and life goes on more or less in the same vein as it did before.

Even the clock on the kitchen wall occasionally comes under scrutiny, and that clock gets recalibrated by its grandfather at CHU. Eventually, the deceptive reality of the clock needs to come under the scrutiny of the higher authority. In Canada, the atomic clock is that authority.

So with the new more accurate clock on the kitchen wall, we are finding that our friends are not really that late afterall. Habits that adjusted to the counterfeit two minutes, with time accomodate to the truth with little pain. Moreover, the time piece on the wall continues to plot the progression of time with the same relentlessness as before.

It continues to chide us silently for our tardiness. It softly ticks off the seconds as we career towards eternity.

Erich Ritzmann

Could you not Tarry this One Hour

Several years before I met Stephan, I was a youth sponsor at Blue Mountain Baptist Church in Coquitlam, B.C. There were several others committed to this ministry. We were under the leadership of a pastor who caught on to the realization that if any thing significant was going to happen with our group, it had to be "bathed " in prayer, as he would put it. Activities we planned, weekly Bible studies, Sunday school, relationships among youth and leaders-we were encouraged to pray. When I started getting involved with this particular group, the pastor called me up one day and asked if I would commit to praying 20 minutes a day for our youth for the next week. I readily agreed. I was studying at university and my time was fairly flexible. I knew I could find the time. In fact, I began to spend 10 minutes more each day, continuing beyond the first week.

I had always struggled to make a point of regular devotional time with God in the past. I had been a Christian from childhood. I had meaningful times reading my Bible and praying, but it wasn't a consistent daily time. In fact, regular discipline of anything was not particularly characteristic of my life. I could always start projects but rarely finished them. I had recently read a story about a person who wanted to be more disciplined in their life. The advice given to them was to start spending a few minutes each day in prayer and reading the Bible. I knew I also needed the benefit of discipline. What began to happen in the discipline of spending time everyday in prayer is I found I had to do it. I mean that my day went terribly if I didn't. I physically felt exhausted, breathless and grouchy if I missed my quiet time. It was as if I was a car with the emergency brake left on while trying to drive. .I literally dragged and was unable to accomplish anything. Only as I would sit quietly reading my Bible in prayer would I get the refreshing start I needed to go on with my day. It was more effort to go without a quiet time with Jesus than to just sit down and do it. So I was not left on my own strength to keep up but it became something I had to do, even found worthwhile doing, before I did anything else.

After two years, I began working full-time in the library at Regent College. I came across a book where the author told about his miraculous encounter with God and emphasized the importance of spending an hour in prayer each day to experience God's power in our lives. He used Jesus' comment to his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemene as a standard for us to follow. Could you not tarry one hour? I believed God was pressing me to respond to this. Although I mentally gulped at the thought of one whole hour a day, I knew this was the next step for me to take.

Now I was spending 1/2 hour in the morning before work and 1/2 hour at night. Wouldn't you know it, if I missed my evening quiet time, I would be restless and anxious and sleepless until I spent my time with God. So what would I spend my time doing? Well, I would usually open my Bible to Psalms and read through a passage there, searching for meaning for my own life and circumstances. I would talk to God about how wonderful he is, and what was on my heart. There were many days and nights where I would fall half asleep on my knees and drowse my way through but what began to take place was a living, breathing, loving relationship with my heavenly Father. This time became a joyful refreshing time with Jesus. I would start the day feeling like something of real worth had taken place instead of feeling hindered from doing something worthwhile.

I began to see my regular devotional time as a real love relationship with God. I was able to compare it to relationships with people we love, as we spend quality time with them, the relationship will grow. Quality time means to set aside time that is focussed-not time on a bus or in the middle of getting ready for the day where we are busy or distracted by other things. It is time when we can concentrate on heart matters.

At this time, I was single, living with my parents, working full time and involved in youth ministry. I also had a particular interest in someone at church. Although we were good friends it never grew into a closer relationship that for a time I had hoped it would. Although it is no more than an embarrassing memory now, what resulted was a profound spiritual lesson that helped my quiet time to take on new meaning. As I was disappointed that a deeper relationship was not developing, I came to understand the similarity of God's relationship with me. How much more passionately he wants to be in a close relationship with me. How easily God would be disappointed when I didn't spend the time to do this. This understanding did wonders to motivate me to spend meaningful time with Jesus.

It was not long before I heard about pastors in Korea who explained that if they were to have any significant impact in their churches, they knew they should spend 2-3 hours a day in prayer. I was beginning to understand this. My goal was now 2 hours a day, although I was never able to do this. I got as far as spending one hour in the morning and 1/2 hour at night, regularly. I have to explain before I go further that I am not spending anywhere near that amount of time now. I do pray and read my Bible oh so briefly but I do it every day.

I was really encouraged when I heard that we as a church committed to pray for 7 minutes a day for the month of April. I truly hope this becomes part of our own lives to regularly commit to daily time with Jesus, if we are not doing so already. I believe we will experience the Holy Spirit at work in our lives as individuals and as a church body in a new and powerful way.

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 8:3

Stephanie Bauer

About Etchings

Etchings of Grace is published semi-annually, in June and January, in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The value of this publication is infinite, though its costs are borne by benevolent individuals in His Kingdom.

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Many thanks are due to the contributers and reviewers, for your constructive feedback, and your selfless sacrifice of your time. Thanks also to past editors Lynn and David Graham to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude for having carried this over the years. This edition of Etchings was edited by E. J. Ritzmann.

Copyright © 2001, Etchings of Grace.