Ann Graber Hershberger and J Ron Byler (“That’s who we are,” Dec. 25) remind us that Mennonite Central Committee workers in England in the 1940s suggested a label on donated clothing with a “little slogan promoting the cause of Christ” – the origin of the MCC tagline “In the name of Christ,” to convey our identity as followers of Jesus.
I worked with MCC in Bangladesh in the 1980s. From lifelong relationships that started there, Muslim friends have reminded me that the wording “In the name of Christ” is reminiscent of rallying cries used by Christian soldiers during the Crusades. This tagline with Western/European origins may no longer carry the message MCC intends to share.
During MCC’s 75th anniversary, seminary professor Ted Koontz suggested another possible tagline for MCC: “A Christian resource for sharing God’s blessing.”
Now entering a second century, I would encourage MCC to listen to its now worldwide network of workers, partners and hosting communities for wording to appropriately convey today our identity as followers of Jesus.
Clifferd Dick, North Newton, Kan.
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