As a Mennonite attorney who has par­ticipated in many lawsuits against the government, I offer a different perspective on the lawsuit Mennonite Church USA has brought to preserve the religious freedom of our churches to worship with or serve immigrants (Letters, April and May).

Romans 13 tells us to be subject to gov­erning authorities. In the United States, the authority is our Constitution, particularly the amendments that protect individual liberties, including freedom of religion. We are also governed by laws adopted by Congress, which the executive is bound to faithfully implement. In recent years the Supreme Court has taken religious liberty very seriously, repeatedly rejecting government actions that impinge on religious rights. 

When we sue an administration that is violating the Constitution, we are showing our allegiance to the principle that the United States is governed by laws, not by men. We follow in the path of Paul, who insisted on his rights as a Roman citizen when arrested by the authorities.

Historically, Mennonites have discouraged lawsuits as a form of violence, arguing that judicial judgments must ultimately be enforced through law enforcement officers. When we sue the government, however, this is not the case. The courts do not use violence when they enforce laws against the executive. I applaud the actions of MC USA in calling on the courts to protect the freedom of churches to worship with and serve immigrants.

Timothy Stoltzfus Jost, Harrisonburg, Va.