Popular Mennonite author turns out to be a predatory homosexual... What about his books?

[ragpicker]

Take the headline, times two. One is deceased. The other is currently producing a too-explicit-for-Facebook novel about a homosexual relationship.

What is an appropriate response to this, as far as the books they produced for the Anabaptist community? Do we keep the books as if nothing happened? Do we keep them and put an asterisk by them? Do we toss them out? Do we keep selling them?

PS. For both, the only cases that are verifiable involved vulnerable young men of legal age.

[Szdfan]

Take the headline, times two. One is deceased. The other is currently producing a too-explicit-for-Facebook novel about a homosexual relationship.

What is an appropriate response to this, as far as the books they produced for the Anabaptist community? Do we keep the books as if nothing happened? Do we keep them and put an asterisk by them? Do we toss them out? Do we keep selling them?

PS. For both, the only cases that are verifiable involved vulnerable young men of legal age.

I know you probably don’t want to name names, but it’s hard to make a call without knowing who you’re talking about and what the context is.

This has been an issue regarding John Howard Yoder and there’s a lot of disagreement on how to handle his books.

[ragpicker]

Take the headline, times two. One is deceased. The other is currently producing a too-explicit-for-Facebook novel about a homosexual relationship.

What is an appropriate response to this, as far as the books they produced for the Anabaptist community? Do we keep the books as if nothing happened? Do we keep them and put an asterisk by them? Do we toss them out? Do we keep selling them?

PS. For both, the only cases that are verifiable involved vulnerable young men of legal age.

I know you probably don’t want to name names, but it’s hard to make a call without knowing who you’re talking about and what the context is.

This has been an issue regarding John Howard Yoder and there’s a lot of disagreement on how to handle his books.

I thought of JHY. Do you have any wisdom from that situation?

[Neto]

We have the songs in our hymnals written by people who fell away from the faith. I know a Bible translator who, after having translated the book of Mark, and after many years working in a village, rejected his faith, and is now a well-known atheist. For that matter, do we know for sure that King Solomon returned to faith after his apostasy? (I think so myself, but cannot prove it.)

[mike]

One of these men ragpicker mentions was one of my grade school teachers. I fell into disagreement and out of contact with him prior to his public coming out as a homosexual, which was decades after he was my teacher in a conservative Mennonite school. And so I was disinclined to appreciate his books some time before his "coming out," which was a surprise to me. I have noticed for awhile already that his books that conservative Anabaptist publishers still have in inventory are basically at fire-sale prices. The idea of his being or having been predatory is new to me. If it were substantiated that he was a predatory homosexual back when he was a writer for Anabaptist publishers I would personally discontinue selling his books on principle. Just my opinion. I can't imagine that anyone who has known his trajectory in the last ten years would be that interested in buying them anyway. That said, a person can have been sincere, talented, and have a good message and then fall away. It doesn't mean everything he wrote is worthless. But the affect for me personally is to want to reject his work. Even if someone never has allegations of impropriety substantiated, just the fact that there are questions and allegations is enough to cast a shadow over the person's speeches, books, etc. It is probably not entirely fair but it is what it is.

[RZehr]

If it were substantiated that he was a predatory homosexual back when he was a writer for Anabaptist publishers I would personally discontinue selling his books on principle. Just my opinion. I can't imagine that anyone who has known his trajectory in the last ten years would be that interested in buying them anyway. That said, a person can have been sincere, talented, and have a good message and then fall away. It doesn't mean everything he wrote is worthless. But the affect for me personally is to want to reject his work. Even if someone never has allegations of impropriety substantiated, just the fact that there are questions and allegations is enough to cast a shadow over the person's speeches, books, etc. It is probably not entirely fair but it is what it is.

X2.

[Josh]

Perhaps the question is what value the books have and what the influences in these books might be.

In the case of JHY, I think it's appropriate for scholars to use his translations, which appear to be unbiased and of excellent scholarship. I would not be interested at all in reading a book by JHY if he published one on sexual ethics.

In the case of novels and stories, I would be very wary of reading ones written by someone who has succumbed to a lascivious lifestyle.

[Sudsy]

My question would be does God use (speak through) sinful man in building His Church ? I would say, yes, He has and will continue as we all, in various ways, are still caught up in various ways that fall short of the glory of God. I think there are certain areas of sinning that are very repulsive to us and other areas we may be caught up in that is not as repulsive to us but should be.

I think we must be careful not to idolize any human as we all can and do fail. Some take great pride in their 'church tribe' and/or 'tribes leading authors' and do not like their image being defamed. We are warned to not ever think we are above sinful actions lest we too fall.

Personally, I will continue to read the books of various Christian authors regardless of them being Anabaptist or not. I do think as books like 'The Politics of Jesus', for example, should not be just dismissed because of the author's attempt to hide an area of sinning. But we should remind one another not to idolized any man as we all will struggle with sin while in this mortal body.

I believe a Christian cannot be possessed by satan and also have the Holy Spirit within. But they can be oppressed by an evil spirit and/or their old fleshly appetites that we can give way to and do some pretty ugly, observable sinning. We are not to give satan a 'foothold' but are to guard our minds. These authors have their own struggles and sooner or later your sins will find you out.

[mike]

Perhaps the question is what value the books have and what the influences in these books might be.

In the case of JHY, I think it's appropriate for scholars to use his translations, which appear to be unbiased and of excellent scholarship. I would not be interested at all in reading a book by JHY if he published one on sexual ethics.

In the case of novels and stories, I would be very wary of reading ones written by someone who has succumbed to a lascivious lifestyle.

A good assessment.

[ragpicker]

Just FYI, this conversation is going exactly as I had hoped. I appreciate it, and please carry on.