“Give us more uplifting news,” said a reader. “Just tell the truth of God’s Word,” another wrote. “It is discouraging to read articles that don’t bring honor to God.”

Especially in times of change and conflict, editors expect and need critique. Some readers object to the news itself. Or the way we present it (“You shouldn’t have put that on page one!”). Or the opinions expressed.

We get positive feedback too: “Thank you for your courage.” “I was blessed and inspired.” “We need you.”

Readers’ input leaves no doubt that Mennonites are a group of Christ-followers with diverse views. We have strong opinions. We have different levels of tolerance for information and ideas that make us uncomfortable.

How should we handle the discomfort? What should we do with our diversity?

First, we shouldn’t run from it. Diverse views belong in a church publication. They reflect who we are. It would be dishonest to suppress them.

Second, we should learn from it. Talk about it. Grow beyond thinking of ourselves as the center of truth. Discover what part of God and the human experience our neighbor sees more clearly than we do.

The bad news belongs in print too. Without it, we would have no credibility to report the good. As for those who want only pleasant news: Who is to say what makes “us” feel good? One person might rejoice while another laments.

Some might wish all their religious reading was warm and reassuring. But that would ignore reality. Some would like to see only opinions they agree with. But stifling dissent merely defends the way things are. There can be no progress — or wise preservation of the status quo — without weighing whether change is good or bad.

The work of discernment has been especially hard over the last 20 years or so because our most heated disputes have involved sexuality. Nothing else stirs emotions so intensely. Nothing else cuts so close to the heart of who we are.

Recently there have been new developments in the church’s response to the sexual misconduct of the late theologian John Howard Yoder. Historian Rachel Waltner Goossen has completed an assignment from Mennonite Church USA to research and write an authoritative account of the case. Her work — published in condensed form on page 14 — meets a need to define the scope of Yoder’s abuse of women and to acknowledge institutional failures to respond adequately. Getting the story right, more than 20 years after it began to be revealed publicly, is essential to fully assessing Yoder’s legacy. His writings remain immensely valuable and may continue to shape Anabaptist theology for generations to come. Truth-telling and confession are essential for the church’s integrity and accountability, and to vindicate those who suffered.

Goossen’s article isn’t uplifting in the feel-good sense. But it lifts up the truth. This is more important than warm feelings. The truth can be disturbing, whether about sexual abuse in the church or torture done in our name by the U.S. government. But truth-telling is what the Christian faith is all about. If we can’t bear to see reality, how can we pray? If we want only good news, how can we right what is wrong?

A church paper’s content might be divided into four categories. Some is information. These are the facts you might want to know. Some is for inspiration. This confirms and comforts. Some is for challenge. This helps us learn and grow. Some is for discussion. This helps us seek the truth together. All of it, in different ways, lifts us up.