Kurtz wins bi-national peace speech contest

Like many EMU students, Junior Zachary Kurtz has a lot to say about the Christian peace position, but unlike most people's words, Kurtz's earned him $300.

The words were in a speech about war tax resistence entitled "A Taxing Dilemma," which Kurtz wrote for the 2003 C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest.

"What to do about war taxes, spiritually and economically, is one of the most relevant problems in Christianity today - a problem that even most peace churches have expertly ignored," Kurtz said in his speech. "The taxes Christians pay are essential to the military."

As the winner of the EMU competition held in March of this year, Kurtz's recorded speech was submitted to be judged against the winners representing the other Mennonite and Brethren in Christ colleges in the U.S. and Canada. He was then announced the overall winner at the beginning of this month. The speeches were judged on topic, content, delivery, creativity, and originality.

Kurtz addressed the hopelessness some Christians feel in trying to go against the "huge powerful system in which we live" by not paying war taxes. While Kurtz acknowledged the difficulty, he said, "for us to say, 'Oh, forget it,' is dangerous … How can we right the hypocrisy of preaching peace while paying for war?"

The annual oratorical contest is sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and designed to provide students with the opportunity to compose and deliver a speech that applies Christian principles of peacemaking to contemporary social issues. The contest was established in honor of C. Henry Smith, a Bluffton College faculty member from 1914-46 known for his books on Mennonite history and peace commitments.