I was appalled by David Harris' November editorial.

I hadn't realized that the Presbyterian Church in Canada considered the sacrament of baptism as “the most important Christian sacrament” as mentioned in the Record's November editorial. To my reading of Living Faith and the Westminster Confession of Faith there is no such ranking between baptism and the Lord's Supper. It should be noted, though, that the W.C.F. (chp. 28, sec. 5) states “grace and salvation are not so inseparably connected with it (baptism) that a person cannot be regenerated or saved without it.” This underscores Living Faith's affirmation (3.6.1): “Salvation comes from God's grace alone received through faith in Christ.”

It was with deep sadness, regret and astonishment that I had occasion to read David Harris' editorial entitled “A Grave Sin” which criticized Rev. Nieuwhof's and his congregation's departure from the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The criticism leveled at Rev. Nieuwhof was excessive, amounting to nothing less than a severe and needless religious condemnation of a church minister who has attempted to apply the Gospel of Christ which has apparently met with resounding success in terms of large numbers of previously unchurched individuals coming to know Jesus Christ.

I was gratified to read in your December 2007 issue that Trinity Oro might be more than a remnant and there is a good possibility that it could become a viable congregation. However, I was very distressed to hear that Rev. Carey Nieuwhof found it necessary to take his 1,000 plus members and adherents out of the PCC. Our denomination cannot afford to lose one of our largest congregations in Canada.

As a former leader of Trinity — and now a leader at Connexus, I was saddened by the comments of David Harris concerning our decision to move forward spreading the Gospel.

I am troubled by the editor's nearly-libelous comments about Carey Nieuwhof's leadership. Since when is seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance on what it means to be the church a grave sin? Since when is following God's vision a grave sin? Since when is leading people biblically, authentically and passionately a grave sin?

A word of appreciation is in order for moderator Hans Kouwenberg's November column. How refreshing to find no indulgence in church back-patting but a solemn warning of the need to return to our roots serving our Lord and Saviour. Such an observation is itself recognition of the Presbyterian Church in Canada having drifted dangerously in practice from unquestioned centrability of Jesus Christ Himself to a primary concern for its own denominational identity and prestige. It is hoped that many readers of the Record, especially church leaders, will be awakened enough by this moderatorial challenge to become willing to receive God's gift of “repentance unto life” as were the Gentiles in the days of the Apostle Paul. Thank you Hans for “telling it as it is.”

The Record's October editorial was pushing dialogue with Muslims. The same day I got a report from The Mustard Seed, a faith mission in Taiwan. They have become self-supporting and are reaching out to others around them in Southeast Asia. Here there are Muslim and Hindu communities in rural areas with no school or medical centres. When asked by the leaders, “How could we help you?” The answer is always, “Please give us schools for our children”.

How could the PCC justify negotiating with a group of thugs and terrorists such as the Taliban who stand against everything not only Presbyterians, but Canadians as a nation believe: Freedom of religion, speech, education for all and equal opportunity for women.

I was disappointed in the Christmas message from the editor. It reminded me of warnings about political writing from George Orwell in his essay, Politics and the English Language: “Defenseless villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets: this is called pacification.” Similarly, Harris indicates that Canadian military intervention in Afghanistan creates “possibilities for peace” and that “peace is a messy business.”

It has been my experience that if you delve beneath the hard exterior of most atheists you will find a one-time believer. The person has suffered a deep spiritual wound and they have turned upon God. They see the deep hurt as God lashing out at them. They are fighting back against this insensitive God.

Re Secular Militants, November

I particularly enjoyed reading the articles in the January issue — something for everyone. Among the articles I found most interesting was the feature on Rick Warren, Chuck Congram's take on relationships, the informative Presby-Assyrians and the funny piece on a Canadian comic in New York. I even found it interesting to look up the meaning of “zeitgeist,” which made Andrew Faiz's treatise Jesus Good, dealing with acceptance/love of all people, understandable and interest-piquing. Now to find out about the on-line program Opening the Doors to Discipleship as advertised on the back cover.

I'm a bit startled by Andrew Faiz's January column, Jesus Good. I thought I should clarify some points.

The review of Jack Rogers' book on homosexuality (October 2007) unfortunately adds to the confusion on this matter in the church at large. Prof. Robert Gagnon of Pittsburgh (Presbyterian) Theological Seminary has refuted every major exegetical and theological claim made by Rogers in his monumental work The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics; and also in his detailed critique of Rogers at robgagnon.net/articles/RogersUseAnalogies.pdf

It is always a reason to rejoice when one finds a church willing to gladly put all its energy and resources to outreach. But is not the cost of setting up a campus in another area a great waste of money, time and energy when there are so many churches out there that would be glad of help in extending the work, especially among the youth? To set up a campus in another area where other churches are labouring is to infer that these churches are wrong and that only this new mission is right.

Re A Grave Sin, November

The 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge is indeed a fitting time to remember that along with patriotism and courage there was faith on the battlefield. It is ironic that the battle came a day after Easter; but the greater irony lies in the fact that Easter was celebrated on both sides of the Ridge. I cannot forget a visit to a large Lutheran church in Frankfurt where half the large west wall was covered with a plaque honouring those who died for Gott und Vaterland in 1914-18. The suffering was shared at Vimy with the greater loss of 20,000 casualties falling to the Germans. Sir Philip Gibbs, the British war reporter, noted almost in passing that “the enemy losses were frightful, and the scenes behind his lines must have been and still (are) hideous in slaughter and terror … It is a black day for the German armies and for the German women who do not yet know what it means to them.”

I would like to express my appreciation to Andrew Faiz on his informative yet optimistic article. We are so accustomed to seeing negative items on television or in newspapers on the situation in war-torn countries, that it is refreshing to realize that all is not in vain and that this is where God wants us as a country to be. It is also gratifying to have our church and individuals involved in such situations. Those families who have lost loved ones in such conflicts need to read more about the people and cultures our men and women are trying to help. We also need to hear more about the involvement of our church in following Christ's teachings in such scripture as Matthew 25: 35-36. Thank you for being there.

I was deeply angered at the quick concurrence by the Presbyterian Church in the predictable and myopic stance of the Canadian Council of Churches on our nation's role in Afghanistan. If there will be opportunities for involvement in “public conversations” by individual churches, one wishes that the moderator might have waited before signing the letter to the Prime Minister. Too many of our decent countrymen and women have died in just causes to so easily negotiate their memory with the latest evil to confront us. That said, after reading on subsequent pages the sober reflection and informed reportage by Andrew Faiz (Afghanistan's Dusty Hope, October) on Afghan realities, I finished reading an excellent issue with an emerging hope. In a time for war, there can also be a time for peace.