Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 10
The speaker describes the 1963 confession as theologically “better” than 1921 but lacking “grit,” and he highlights its “winsome” headship/covering language (“does not nullify… rightful freedom… happily serve”) alongside rapid abandonment of coverings in the 1960s; what does that reveal about how modern Christians handle uncomfortable New Testament symbols, and how do you discern whether “gentle language” is pastoral wisdom or a way of softening obedience until it disappears?
Another way to ask: If a confession uses gentle, positive language about a hard practice (like headship/covering) but the practice still quickly disappears, what does that say about how modern Christians handle uncomfortable Bible symbols? How can you tell when gentle wording is wise care, and when it slowly weakens obedience until it’s gone?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript suggests modern Christians may use smoother, “winsome” language to make difficult symbols more acceptable, yet that gentleness can coincide with practices quickly being dropped anyway. Discerning wisdom versus softening requires watching the fruit: does the language help people obey, or does it make obedience feel optional and easy to abandon?
- He says the 1963 confession is “theologically… better than the ’21 Confession,” but: “I’m not always happy with it… the language is too J.C. Wanger… doesn’t have much grit.”
- He characterizes Wanger’s style as avoiding hardness: “J.C. really liked not to have anything that was too hard.”
- He reads the headship/covering article with its soft phrasing: “does not nullify… rightful freedom… most fruitfully and happily serve.”
- He calls the tone “winsomeness… that sometimes I just find terribly annoying,” implying it can feel like rhetorical smoothing.
- He notes the historical outcome: in the 1960s “non-conformity was… evaporating,” and “Ontario Mennonite Conference… rescinded its requirement that sisters wear coverings,” with coverings “fast falling by the wayside.”