A discussion on the proposed homosexual marriage bill
I generally try to shy away from controversial issues, so this post may come as a bit of a surprise. These topics generally polarize groups along political, religious or educational lines, and those classifications I find detrimental to our society. However, I recently posted a short response regarding the issue on a friends' blog, and the responses to my response warranted a response, and that response was too long for the Haloscan software to allow, so I decided to make a post about it.

The discussion began with the analysis of a quote by a Conservative MP, and the pursuant analysis of his opinions and his socio-political involvements. Here are some excerpts from what followed:

Will:
" Well being a small c conservative myself, I won't join in the witch-hunt :-) but I would like to add some Biblical family stuff. Nuclear families are the minority in the Bible. Jesus said little about maintaining family units, in fact much of what he said advocated the abandoning of family structures. That being said, it's incorrect and unfair to label those opposing legalizing same-sex marriage as homophobic and/or hate-mongers."

Others:
"I fail to see how you can call it anything BUT those things."
"I would like to hear more about how Jesus advocated the abandoning of traditional fam. structures. I'm very curious about this."
"Having deep-seated religious beliefs against equal rights doesn't make one any less a homophobe."

My lenghthy response:
I was referring to a few times when Jesus said that following him or pursuing the Kingdom of God (depending on the interpretation) is more meaningful than maintaining your place in your family, most obviously in Luke 14:26, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple." (NIV)

We (children of the post-modern age, University educated, fill-in-the-blank) question things and deconstruct old ideas, and combining that with the human desire to love and be loved, we extend toleration and acceptance to homosexuals. However, there will come a time when want to stop embracing new ideas, and cling to the old ideas we know and love. It's called aging. Certainly it is unfortunately easy to say, "because of my religious beliefs, I cannot extend tolerance to homosexuals." However, without the appropriate social conditioning, it is not only difficult for heterosexual individuals, but unnatural (not perverse, just unnatural) to condone homosexual behaviour. Our sexual urges are part of our understanding of humanity.

As a heterosexual man, for me to entertain the image of me being intimate with another man is repulsive. A homosexual man would say the same thing about entertaining heterosexual urges.

Yet, we have been conditioned to understand that just because something doesn't make sense to us, it can still be okay. Not everyone embraces that world-view. If you can't listen to Stephen Harper for 5 minutes without shouting obscenities, then you have trouble with that world-view.

Also, I do not think marriage, as we know it (before the proposed legislation passes), is a fundamental human right, nor is it a pillar of the church. The Bible says little about marriage. Jesus wasn't married (sorry Dan Brown), and Paul only hints at his married life. Churches perform their own wedding ceremonies despite the state's understanding of marriage. The church can live without the state's protection, and many argue that it is stronger without it. In my opinion, there are far too many people who are comfortable with, and dependant upon the marriage of church opinion and state enforcability.

   [ posted by William @ 12:48 PM ]

20 Tracks for 15 years
My youngest brother looks up to me in some aspects of life, but not in others. Until recently, music was one area that he did not look up to me. He followed my other brother's musical taste and listened to country. While I appreciate a lot of country music, my preferred tastes are Oldies. To my surprise, my brother recently asked me to compile a CD of some of my favourites so that he could learn to appreciate some of the classics. I have since set on a quest to fulfill his request. Over the years I have gathered a large collection of Oldies on my computer (all acquired legitimately, I assure of you that). The task was quite difficult, but after some deliberation, procrastination and Temptations, here is my list.

The Crew Cuts - Sh-Boom
Dion and The Belmonts - I Wonder Why
Frank Mills - Love Me Love Me Love
Herman's Hermits - Mrs. Brown You Have A Lovely Daughter
Tony Orlando - Knock Three Times
Association - Windy
Sam Cooke - Chain Gang
Elvis Presley - Kentucky Rain
Three Dog Night - Shambala
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour
Dave Clark Five - Bits and Pieces
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son
Tommy Janes & The Shondells - Mirage
The Guess Who - No Time
Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools
Edwin Starr - War
Friends of Distinction - Grazin in the Grass
Neil Diamond - Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show
Norman Greenbaum - Spirit in the Sky
Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction

My Canadian content is a little lacking, but I think I have a good mix of songs that I really like, and that will have a greater appeal. Some of these are quite popular and mainstream, while others get little to no playing time. Try to sample the ones you haven't heard, or let me know how you think this list would work as a soundtrack.

   [ posted by William @ 12:07 PM ]

Weekend update
I was home again this weekend. While there, I made the following observations:

- My brother's baby room is finally looking really good. After months of random visits home to help with renovations, it's finally ready for a baby to live in it. That room is now the warmest, least drafty room in the house. Not bad for spare time work and free family labour.

- My sermon went surprisingly well. I talked about images in Scripture and elsewhere, namely garden and desert imagery. It was received pretty well, despite some particularly worldly references, like Shakespeare. I got a huge laugh from the Mennonite joke that I wrote into the sermon, then when it came to the humourous personal story, nobody really laughed. I talked about how I was a pretty scrawny kid to start working in tobacco, and I thought I'd get some sympathy laughs or something, but since they all knew me, they were probably all just nodding their heads in agreement at how pathetic I once was.

- Generosity is received differently in different contexts. From an unmentioned and perhaps unacknowledged thanks to emotionally charged hugs, smiles and other visible expressions of appreciation. Perhaps I expect generosity in certain contexts, and so I voice my appreciation less. Am I more generous if I offer without being asked, make nothing of my sacrifice, but rarely ask when help is needed, or if I give immediately when asked, and seek out people in need, but take offense when such a task is expected? I think the answer is that more generosity is always better. Who knows?

Added later
- Another thing, is that it's funny how many Loewens there are back home. Sitting in the pew before my sermon, beside another Loewen (no relation), who played guitar in the worship band, and listening to a different Loewen (no relation, to me, or the other Loewen) lead singing. There was also another Loewen that I shook hands with after church, who isn't related to me or either of the other two Loewens. We're taking over the world I guess, one small town church at a time, or is it that all Loewens nearby are just sucked into this one little church?

   [ posted by William @ 4:47 PM ]

Putting Procrastination to good use
I should be studying for a midterm right now, but as has been the case this whole term (as well as last), I have been having trouble studying. I find the closer I am to being done school, the harder it is to take mid-terms seriously. It's not because I don't think school is important. Au contraire, I recognize it is a wonderful privilege that 92% of the world doesn't get to experience. I can see how far I have come from 6 years ago (I have finally learned all the ins and outs of APA format, and I can actually say I remember some of what I've learned (which is more than I could say about high school). I think I'm just getting to a point where I'm seeing past school...seeing that there is life beyond school, and whether or not I do well on a mid-term isn't going to impact my life in any way. I have also come to disagree with the general existence of tests, in that they encourage mindless cramming of the brain, mechanical memorization of concepts, only to be forgotten in a week or two (or in my case, in a couple days). Why is this method of study seen as valuable, when in real life we can always consult books and seek discussion from others? I only remember practical experience, anyways. Theories dissolve in my mind about as quickly as hot chocolate powder dissolves in hot milk (unless the milk isn't hot enough, and the powder stays lumpy and you swallow lumpy lumps of powdery lumpiness--I'm not claiming to be an English major)

Qualms about Human Nature Disputes
So while I'm here, I might a well put my procrastination to good use, and study while I complain (no, not complain...make "critical observations"). I'm taking a compulsory "Critical Encounter with Human Nature" course right now, which is the course I have a mid-term in. The whole class is about either/or, black & white, this or that, as regards human nature:
1. Are we inherently good or evil?
2. Are we conformist or self-determined?
3. Are we influenced by nature or nurture?
4. Are we changing or unchanging?
***Feel free to provide your input on any of these questions. I encourage discussion*** (I know that sounds ironic, given the title of this section, but I really do enjoy discussion)

My question to all of this is, can't we just be both? Doesn't history show that human nature is both good and evil, conforming and self-determined, etc.? Why does it have to be one or the other?
1. Humans are both good and evil. Humans are both responsible for the Holocaust, the Apartheid, Native Residential Schools and wars....as well as World Vision, MCC, and figures like Pierre Trudeau, Mother Theresa, Victor Frankl, etc. On the subject of Frankl, at the end of his book Man's Search for Meaning, he writes: "Man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips"
2. We are both conformist and self-determined. When we are in large groups we follow others, but there are always leaders, free-thinkers to lead the rest. In Milgrams shocking experiment (pun intended) on "Obedience" (where the "Teacher" had to shock the "Learner" everytime they got an answer wrong, going higher and higher on the voltage meter each time, to see how far people would obey out of fear), 50% went all the way to the highest voltage (what they thought was 450 V, but really it was all staged, of course), but 50% followed their conscience and refused to continue.
3. The Nature/Nurture debate, in my opinion, is cyclical and pointless . I definitely think we are influenced by them both, equally, but at different times in our lives (based on studies of identical twins and feral children). But to base understanding of human nature as being only Hereditary/Inherent vs. Environmental/Cultural influences is redundant. Is society and culture not created by human beings in the first place? So, any good or evil societal influences are still based on "inherent" human nature anyway, which leads us back to the "hereditary" argument.

I'll stop there. I'm getting carried away. Will is going to regret letting me loose on here. Time to stop procrasti-studying (maybe I should be an English major).

   [ posted by Anabee @ 12:56 PM ]

Greetings Bloggers!
This is the elusive "newest-but-the-only-other-member" reporting to you, having finally overcome my technical difficulties, and my stubborn urge to wait and see what schemes Will would come up with next to get me to write, only to prove that he didn't make me up. After comparing me to shy Santa Claus (who I don't think is shy, by the way; I think he wants to hog all the cookies and milk, and avoid sharing them with doe-eyed, toy-hungry children. C'mon! Just look how fat he is!) next he'll be tying a chocolate bar to a string for me to greedily follow to a room with my lap top in it, only to lock me in the room until I finally crack and write a blog. (Will, you can still give me a chocolate bar...)

This is my (and my 14 year-old Mac lap tops) first experience at blogging, so any typos, grammatical errors or absurd comments can be blamed on "technical difficulties". There, I'm sufficiently covered.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Ana "Bee" Fretz, former Grebel wanna-be (a.k.a associate, chapel choir member, Godspell cast member, commie supper server, Dorm room loiterer) for you Grebel bloggers. I am also a musician, cookie-fiend, Social Development Studies major (will only have taken me 6 years to finish!) and (to fit the theme of this website) a Swiss Mennonite. For any other Menno connections, I was a counsellor at Fraser Lake camp for 4 years, played at Menno Folk for a few years, did MCC placements in Saskatchewan and Uganda...as well as usual attendence and face-stuffing at the Relief Sales (both at Black Creek and New Hamburg). Okay, enough intro. I'm sure more about me will come out over time (yes, that does indicate a commitment, Will)

I look forward to sharing thoughts, concerns, questions and hearing your responses (as well as any embarrassing stories about Will...wink wink, nudge nudge)

Until next time, Happy Tree-Slicing (oh wait, that's "Logging")....Happy Cookie-Hoarding (no, that's "Hogging")......Happy Early-Morning-Running (Nuh uh, "Jogging").....hmmm, Oh! Happy Blogging!

   [ posted by Anabee @ 9:07 PM ]

I promised to stop making fun of her in public, but ...
This is now my third post about the newest member of my blog. I think she's maybe a little bit shy. Remember when you were a kid, and Santa came to your Christmas party? Remember how he didn't want to come out right away, so you had to yell "Merry Christmas" really loud before he actually arrived? I think it might be something like that. I've fixed the computer glitch, so now she just needs some affirmation from other people than me. Two things warranted this post, 1.) I'm a little worried that people will start thinking she doesn't exist if she doesn't write something soon, and 2.) I didn't have any other ideas.

   [ posted by William @ 4:07 PM ]

The Notebook
Last night, I attended a casual birthday party of two sisters (not twins), who both received a DVD of "The Notebook" as their gift. After a round of customary eating, and an unnecessarily tense game of Dutch Blitz, some of us stayed to watch the movie.

Both of the stars are Canadian, and Rachel McAdams is from St. Thomas, a city near my hometown of Aylmer. I don't know why all the girls go crazy about Ryan Gosling, but Rachel McAdams, with those perfectly placed dimples and ... I could go on. Why am I a sucker for St. Thomas girls?

So, about the movie ... I was expecting it to be terrible. I foresaw nothing more than a formulaic, predictable, girly cry-fest. In fact, it was all of those things, but it was more. Promoters of the movie hype up the war parts of it to appeal to a male audience, but the war part lasts like 2 minutes. Overall, watching the movie was an enjoyable experience, but other factors made it more enjoyable. Not only were most of the girls crying, but sometimes they would really cry, as well as making jokes about what was happening in the movie or about why they were so weak as to cry at every turn. An interesting experience nonetheless. I certainly wouldn't watch the movie on my own, but it's good for a group setting.

Also, be on the watch for the newest member of my blogging team. Okay, she's the only other member of my blogging team. My girlfriend, Ana Fretz, has expressed interest in writing in a blog-type environment, so I opened the doors to my blog-type environment. As soon as she gets her technical glitches fixed, she'll be sharing her thoughts with us here in this room. This isn't an entirely selfless act though, I've been looking for ways to increase traffic to my blog, and this could be my ticket.

   [ posted by William @ 3:50 PM ]

Going Back
This is a busy week for me. I had paper due in my class called "Evil" today, a quiz in my Mennonite Literature class, on Thursday I have a midterm in my Religion and Peacebuilding class, and I have a sermon to prepare for this coming Sunday. On top of that, I have my regular social schedule, a 7-hour shift at a feed mill tomorrow, two birthday parties, renovations at my brother's place, and the impending arrival of a niece/nephew. Assuming I manage my time well, it will work out, unless of course my attention is diverted by my video game addiction or my other literary side-projects.

The sermon is the most significant item on the agenda, as always, but this time for another reason. Over Christmas, I attended my home church, where I was asked by an elder if my schedule would allow me to preach there one Sunday as well. Due to some ugly inner-conflicts, the church is going through some pretty serious leadership issues, and they are cycling through the various lay-pastors in their midst. For me to preach a Sunday would alleviate some pressure from them. I gladly accepted the invitation, and the date we agreed upon was this upcoming Sunday, February 20th.

I'm not going back to show off how much I've learned, or to make them regret never having allowed me to speak (or even read scripture) when I attended there. I'm going to respond to a need. I know most of these people, and am looking forward to seeing them again on a Sunday morning, but I am slightly nervous to see them from behind the pulpit. I lived a pretty clean life as a kid, but they know me. Will they welcome me back as one of their own, or will they be suspicious of my secular education, my reputation of arrogance, and/or my switch into a more worldly conference?

I'll use the same sermon this Sunday at my local church as I will the Sunday after at my home church, except that there, the sermons are generally longer, so I'll have to add some extra stuff. I'm worried that I have forgotten how these people think, and so I won't be able to communicate as effectively to them.

However, the Sundays when I'm the most nervous are the times when my sermons hit home to the most people (based on post-service handshakes). Hopefully that carries through this time as well.

   [ posted by William @ 11:43 PM ]

Who Goes There?
This past weekend, I attended "Ignite the Light," a church conference sponsored by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the speakers, and it was fun running into some people that I didn't expect to see there. Among the speakers were Ravi Zacharias (world renowned apologeticist) and David Macfarlane (former pastor at Waterloo Mennonite Brethren, where I occasionally attended). In the finally session of the event, Macfarlane told a story that I will repeat to you:

A rabbi went out for a walk in his communist-era Russian village. Before he knew it, a heavy fog descended on the area, and he became quite disoriented. Soon, he walked into a de-militarized zone, and a soldier saw him. The soldier pointed his gun at the rabbi, and shouted, "Halt! Who are you? What are you doing here?" The rabbi thought for a moment and replied, "I would like to pay you twice what you are earning, to ask me that question every day for the rest of my life."

While I think self-reflection is always a good thing, I've felt more prone to do so lately, so here are some of my thoughts (note that often my "What am I doing here?" section should almost be called "What am I supposed to be doing?" or "What am I trying and/or failing to do?").
Who am I? - Will Loewen, adherent to the teachings of Jesus, with leanings toward Anabaptist understandings of the Scriptures.
What am I doing here? - Trying to advance the kingdom of God, preaching good news to all people, living good news, with a realization of the constraints this world places on us. (In theory at least)
Who am I? - Youth pastor in small-town Ontario, part-time university student, Canadian citizen, hockey fan, novelist, playwright.
What am I doing here? - Offering support and leadership to youth and youth programming, studying religions, literature and peace, cherishing the luxury of life in this great nation, enjoying life through sport when possible, attempting to write a publishable novel, writing two plays with the intention of them being performed publicly at some point.
Who am I? - Son, brother, uncle, friend, boyfriend.
What am I doing here? - Showing my love for my family by offering support whenever called upon, being a listening ear, a comfortable presence, a provider of laughs, generally basking in the glorious presence of Ana Fretz. (She was worried that I hadn't mentioned her specifically here yet, so those of you who are not privileged to the appropriate gossip circles now know. Any embarrassment on her part is deserved. )

   [ posted by William @ 9:51 PM ]