Praise the Lord for our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia who stand firm on the ground of biblical teachings, giving a testimony to the whole Mennonite world (“Ethiopians Cancel Hosting 2028 MWC,” page 24).
Hermann Woelke, Facebook comment
Perhaps the political realities in Ethiopia warranted this decision, but it is incredibly painful to see commenters celebrating the exclusion of our LGBTQ+ siblings and using language such as unholy, evil, devilish and antichrist to describe them. This is a painful division in the body of Christ. We may not all agree, but we must not rejoice in this separation and the cancellation of our Mennonite family gathering.
Diedre R. Sportack, Facebook comment
This isn’t about hate, exclusion or superiority. It’s about holiness, truth and integrity before God — values many of our global Anabaptist brothers and sisters continue to hold firmly. I stand with the Ethiopian leaders who are choosing conviction over compromise.
Moises Angustia, Facebook comment
Policies in Mennonite Church USA don’t aim to make anybody adopt the belief that including LGBTQ people is OK. They attempt to allow people with different beliefs to fellowship together. Meanwhile, thousands of LGBTQ people around the world — including in Ethiopia, many of them Christians — are killed or driven to take their own lives because they are told they’re not worthy. I don’t hear any outrage about that.
Matthew Hunsberger, Facebook comment
AW covers all kinds of interesting and important topics. The fact that this article has garnered 10 times the amount of attention of any of its other articles is discouraging.
Christy Anne, Facebook comment
As we navigate differing theological ideas, I pray that we can preserve each person’s right to discern for themselves how best to embody the gospel and prioritize our unity as siblings in Christ over allegiance to one theological or ideological ideal. The more we seek to serve Jesus alongside those who agree and disagree with us, the less weight a polarizing topic will have.
Bryce Van Vleet, Facebook comment
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