It’s difficult to attend all the different events and seminars during convention so when something unique happens being at the right place at the right time, it’s magical. I’m blessed to have been able to be present and serve my Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters in interpretation at the Friday morning delegate meeting. This was my first and only delegate session I had planned to attend.
I saw the Pink Mennos standing among the delegates table waiting for an opportunity to speak and communicate their statement, and I was amazed at the graciousness and care that was given to them giving them a space within the agenda that was remarkably brought to a halt for them.
We all sat and listened to their plead and urgent call for the church to consider the inclusion of all peoples into the Mennonite community.
The difference between all others and myself is that I was responsible in interpreting their words to a Latino community that has generally been in tension with GBLTQ. How heavy I felt as I did my best to not only speak their words in a way that they’d understand it, but also, the heaviness of the emotions expressed.
My hope is that I in a small way contributed to the healing in what is needed among us. Know that the conversation between people of color and the GBLTQ community seems to be a confusing one to navigate for myself and one that I can imagine much more difficult to interpret for my European Mennonites. As I was used to interpret the language disparity between peoples, may God raise up additional interpreters between our communities that can be servants of communication of peace and understanding.
Janet Treviño-Elizarraraz
Mennocon Commentator
alpasofirme@gmail.com
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Thank you for doing this translation work, Janet!
Thank you. My prayers are with you, Janet, and all in attendance…either in person or via media such as this.
Mutual understanding and clear communication is certainly of very great importance. However, Jesus never made inclusion of all lifestyles, worldviews or teachings in HIS Kingdom one of his emphases. While extending his gracious invitation of repentance and rebirth to all humans without exception, He was, in fact, scandalously exclusive regarding whom he accepted as his disciples: only those who were ready to die to all else to belong exclusively to him and allow his Spirit free rein in reshaping their lives according to his Father’s eternal design and ideal.
The early Anabaptists seemed to have been inspired by that same willingness to sacrifice everything for the glory of their Redeemer King and for the perfecting of his eternal Bride, the Church, composed here on earth exclusively by those willing to totally submit to his reign and kingdom. Insistence on including today within the ranks of Jesus’ disciples, as part of his Body of “called out ones”, persons unwilling to submit every part of their lifestyles, relationships, habits, natural inclinations, or anything else to him, will only bring grief to our Lord, corrosion to his Church (who over all the centuries and diverse world cultures has never understood GBLTQ sexual practices to be expressions of faithful obedience to Jesus), and discredit to the original Anabaptist vision to which we purport to subscribe.
As a newcomer to MC-USA my prayer is that the Lord renew and sanctify his Church, and by his Spirit make us a faithful Bride free to give ourselves fully to no one, no program, no love besides HIM!
As a person of color and someone who stands within the LGBTQ community, I hear what you are saying Janet. There is still a gap between groups who are on the margins. I sometimes feel as if we are in competition to have our voice heard and to be included in the fold. The message that I would like to send my family of color is that our voice is necessary within the Mennonite context and we should never feel like it is not no matter what other movement by be going on in the midst of us struggling to be heard. My prayer in light of the Anabaptist spirit that we as people of color and we as LGBTQ people celebrate ourselves on the margins. (I am of the strong belief that the gospel is its strongest on the margins)
Thank you for guidance about connecting communities through translation. I am now looking for translation of the Pink Menno statement as well as translation of overturningtables.org resources. It’s a gift that you would be up front with feedback about the challenge of translating this moment.
We didn’t talk about the “Pink Menno” presence during our table group time, but I doubt this matter will stay on the sideline next year. I thought the silent, visible presence and empty chair demonstration by the pink menno group was graciously presented and graciously received. Still while recognizing and confessing the reality of contempt and disdain long heaped upon homosexual people, I wonder whether the comparison with the empty Hispanic chair is quite fair, as I don’t see gay people dying of thirst in the Arizona desert or being deported with families left behind. In this sense it does appear a bit insensitive.
My fear of the same sex marriage proposal is that we could end up with the mere redistribution of injustice. In a generation obsessed with personal rights, it is not hard to imagine the resulting chaos and confusion for children when lawyers begin applying parental rights to the new reality of same sex marriage. Do we really think that legislation regarding parental rights, complicated by all the new, complex technological possibilities for having children, will do anything but make life more confusing and cantankerous for the next generation? I fear that genderless marriage will certainly be caught up in this maelstrom with no benefit except for the financial interests of the legal profession.
The sexual revolution of my generation is celebrated for elevating the status of women, particularly in the economic sphere, but not all women were included. We now have a significant underclass of poor single mothers and free ranging predatory males that did not exist in the past as it does now. A young woman I know who works at a pregnancy counseling service describes a similar attitude among the middle class university students, and the sexual exploitation of women accelerates, this woman having been one of the victims in the past.
Paul wrote, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3). The cross is not only the foundation of our personal salvation, but of real social justice as well. I’m convinced that most of what we call justice based on the secular human rights model will in the end be nothing more than the redistribution of injustice on the backs of coming generations. People of the age to be my grandchildren are already feeling the consequences of their grandparents’ sins.
Marriage is about the future of the social order, not about personal happiness or personal rights. If one reads Genesis 1 as a mandate for creation care, then one must also read Genesis 2 as a mandate for marriage as Jesus affirmed in Matthew 19 and Mark 10.
You can see my exegesis of the relevant scriptures based consciously upon specifically Anabaptist hermeneutics at galileanfellows.org. There are three articles titled “The Foundation, Meaning, and Purpose of Marriage” (August 28,2012), “In Bed with Tom: My Experience with Gay” (August 8, 2012), and “On Politics and Marriage” (May 5, 2013). Please do let me know your thoughts and feelings. We have two years for conversation before Kansas City.
In Christ,
Philip Friesen
Dear Janet,
Like Esther of the Bible, you were in the right place at the right time! Thank you for the good work you did and for your reflections about the experience.
May the peace of Christ be with you!