The Naked Anabaptist

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything.  Recently I finished reading The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of the Radical Faith.  If you're thinking "Amish gone wild" or "I knew there was something screwy about those Brethren," sorry to disappoint.

Stuart Murray is an Anabaptist writing from England.  His book is a look at the basic principles of the Anabaptist tradition.  He wanted to look at the Anabaptist faith when it's not clothed in Amish or Mennonite clothing and traditions (hence, "Naked Anabaptist").  At the start he deals with some common misconceptions or ideas of Anabaptism.  They are questions Murray hears often being a part of the Anabaptist Network in England where Anabaptism has not traditionally been a part of the religious make-up.

The rest of the book is mostly spent looking at seven core convictions of Anabaptists.

1. Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer, and Lord.  He is the source of our life, the central reference point for our faith and lifestyle, for our understanding of church, and our engagement with society.  We are committed to following Jesus as well as worshipping him.  
2. Jesus is the focal point of God’s revelation.  We are committed to a Jesus-centered approach to the Bible, and to the community of faith as the primary context in which we read the Bible and discern and apply its implications for discipleship.
3. Western culture is slowly emerging from the Christendom era, when church and state jointly presided over a society in which almost all were assumed to be Christian.  Whatever its positive contributions on values and institutions, Christendom seriously distorted the gospel, marginalized Jesus, and has left the churches ill equipped for mission in a post-Christendom culture.  As we reflect on this, we are committed to learning from the experience and perspectives of movements such as Anabaptism that rejected standard Christendom assumptions and pursued alternative ways of thinking and behaving.
4. The frequent association of the church with status, wealth, and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness.  We are committed to exploring ways of being good news to the poor, powerless, and persecuted, aware that such discipleship may attract opposition, resulting in suffering and sometimes ultimately martyrdom.  
5. Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountability, and multivoiced worship.  As we eat together, sharing bread and wine, we sustain hope as we seek God’s kingdom together.  We are committed to nurturing and developing such churches, in which young and old are valued, leadership is consultative, roles are related to gifts rather than gender, and baptism is for believers.  
6. Spirituality and economics are interconnected.  In an individualist and consumerist culture and in a world where economic injustice is rife, we are committed to finding ways of living simply, sharing generously, caring for creation, and working for justice.  
7. Peace is at the heart of the gospel.  As followers of Jesus in a divided and violent world, we are committed to finding nonviolent alternatives and to learning how to make peace between individuals, within and among churches, in society, and between nations.

The book concludes by looking at where the Anabaptists have come from and looks at Anabaptism today.  Murray's conclusion is that there is a lot to be taken from the Anabaptist tradition in, what he labels, post-Christendom.

This is not an overly scholarly book.  Murray and his network are trying to provide resources for the emerging Anabaptists in England and Ireland.  I appreciated his critique of Christendom (the time from the 4th Century conversion of Constantine through the late 20th Century) when the church and state together controlled society.  He admits that there was good that came out of that period, but that in general it was not an idea that was faithful to Christ's sacrificial love.  Part of the reason for his admiration of Anabaptism is its noncompliance with Christendom ideology.  He sees Anabaptism as a movement focused on Jesus-centered discipleship whose moment in church history has finally come.  Murray confesses weaknesses of Anabaptism but evaluates it positively.  

For anyone who wants to be introduced to Anabaptism, for Anabaptists who don't know where they come from, for those longing to be part of a community which worships and follows Jesus, I would highly recommend giving it a read.  It's challenging whether you are an Anabaptist or not. 

Growing Disciples

First of all let me start by saying I am in no way a great gardener. I remember working in our family garden when I was a little kid. I've had a garden the last couple of Summers with varied success at growing different things. We've had our garden as a part of the farmer's field at the house we were renting. It was great ground. We never had to till anything. Last Summer we moved into our own home. So this year I'm trying something different. I'll be building some raised beds for my garden. I'm also trying some different things.

So what's this all about and why I am writing blogs about it? My hope this Summer is to learn more about gardening, but in the process learn more about God. Gardening seems like one of the most natural ways to learn about the Kingdom. After all, it begins with a Garden, Jesus talks about the kingdom being like a seed, harvesting and all kinds of agricultural examples of the Kingdom and faith. This is an exercise in faith hopefully as much as it is an education in gardening.

From my garden I'm hoping to provide my family with good, nutritional food and lower my grocery bill. Hopefully my trash can potatoes will turn out ok. I'd be delighted if I manage to get a few peanuts. And I'm looking forward to making my own salsa from my tomatoes, onions and Jalapeno peppers.

I'm also hoping that my garden can help teach me about patience, cultivating faith, how the Kingdom spreads and more. Over the Summer I'm hoping to post progress on my garden with pictures and some insights and Scripture that I'm coming across that pertain to the garden.

I would encourage your comments and insights along the way.

Isaiah's Prophecy

Yesterday Pastor Jim had a great sermon on Isaiah 7:1-17. In this section of Scripture is the often quoted prophecy of the virgin birth of the Messiah. Pastor Jim talked about the immediate context of the text from Isaiah. Israel and Syria were coming against Judah to coerce Judah into joining their side against the Assyrians. Isaiah gives the sign from God, "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Pastor Jim pointed out that there are two meanings in this prophecy. There is the immediate context of Judah receiving a sign as well as the larger context of the Messiah being born of a virgin. What we didn't get into was the fulfillment aspect of the two prophecies. Because of the Advent season our focus of course was on the Immanuel and the meaning of "God is with us." God is with us no matter where we are or what situation we find ourselves in whether relying on God when nations come against us as in the case of Ahaz, king of Jersusalem, or dealing with some every day situation today.

But I want to dig deeper and come back to the two prophecies for a minute. Prophets were true prophets because what they predicted always came true. Prophets whose messages didn't come true were known as false prophets. So I must assume that Isaiah's prophecies came true. My question is, "Are there two fulfillments of this prophecy?" Is there an immediate or close at hand fulfillment of Isaiah's words which was recognized by his first hearers and also the larger prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus? Or is there only one fulfillment of the prophecy and in that case how was that a comfort and sign to Ahaz 700 years earlier?

Either answer draws me to a few deeper issues. If there is an immediate fulfillment what does that mean for the "virgin birth." It has been suggested by some commentators that "virgin" can also be translated, "young maiden." Perhaps Isaiah meant this in his immediate context. The Gospels point out that Mary and Joseph did not consummate their relationship until after the birth of Jesus (Matt. 1:25). Is there historical evidence of an immediate fulfillment? Some suggest that Hezekiah (son of Ahaz) or Sheab-Jashub (son of Isaiah) as the immediate fulfillment. Both pose some problems.

Any thoughts?

This is what fascinates me about the Bible. So much going on. I also ran across a note that asked, "Why Ahaz?" Why does this message of the Messiah come to Ahaz who is not the best example of a king? God's message of love, hope, and redemption comes to use no matter who we are or how imperfect we are. So when we read the Bible, even familiar texts, read with open and new eyes to see what the Word is telling us.

Theology of the Hug

What would Jesus have been like as an older man?  Have you ever stopped to think what it would have been like if Jesus would have waited to ascend to the Father?  

I imagine he would be a lot like my friend Bob.  Brother Bob seemed a lot like Jesus.  There have been few Sundays that those that have come to Mt. Zion Road Church of the Brethren haven't been greeted upon entering the Sanctuary by Brother Bob.  Handshakes weren't enough for Bob.  Handshakes are for those you just meet or barely know.  When I came into the sanctuary I was greeted with a big hug.  As Brother Bob hugged you he would whisper, "Oh, I needed that."

Now I enjoy good discussion/debate on theology and the finer points of the Bible.  Bob and I never had one of those conversations.  Instead what I learned from Bob was the power of the hug.  When I went away to college I received few hugs (just not cool for guys in a guys dorm to hug each other, I get it).  But when I would come home I always looked forward to one of Brother Bob's hugs.  Now that I am at Mechanic Grove those hugs from Brother Bob became a precious experience that became too rare.  Too often we debate with each other.  Theological discussions are good, and they have their place.  But the embrace from a brother has power in it that sometimes theology lacks.  

I can see Jesus being like Brother Bob.  Your soteriology, ecclesiology, escatology, (google them) are all fine and well but without love they are just a lot of noise and hot air (1 Cor. 13:1).  Brother Bob's hugs spoke of love in ways theology can't.  We called each other Brother because we are family.  He may have been the one to say, "Oh, I needed that," but every time my heart said the same.  I imagine Jesus often thinks we're silly for trying to figure it all out.  I imagine he gets frustrated when our theology gets in the way of showing love to each other.  I imagine Jesus would be the kind of person to greet everyone with a giant hug.

Brother Bob passed away this past Wednesday.  I will miss his hugs.  I look forward to the day I will be able to squeeze him again and whisper "Oh, I needed that Brother."  Perhaps we all need to learn the theology of the hug.

Tough Questions

This past weekend I led three sessions at our Senior High Ski Retreat.  Our focus was on John 11:17-44 where Jesus comes and raises Lazarus from the dead.

At first we asked the question, "Why does God let bad stuff happen?"  If God is all-knowing, all-powerful and loving, why does he allow bad things to happen to us?  Jesus weeps for his friends.  He has compassion on them.  Maybe Jesus weeps because the people just don't get who he is and what he's capable of.  Maybe he cries because of the compassion he has for his friends who are hurting so much.  And maybe he cries because he knows humanity was never meant to experience something so painful when he created them.  But consistently throughout the Bible when people cry out to God he hears them.

In our second session we asked, "Is it okay to be angry at God?"  Martha and Mary both say to Jesus, "If you had been here our brother wouldn't have died."  They question where Jesus was when they sent for him.  Jesus intentionally comes to the scene too late.  It's tough to understand what God is doing especially when you're in the middle of a tough situation.  Others in the Bible like Job and David got mad at God and told him about it.  God wants a genuine relationship with us and sometimes that means pouring out our emotions.  He can handle it.

Lastly we looked at Martha's response.  After questioning Jesus she simply states that even now she believes Jesus can do something.  Ultimately the glory of God is displayed in the situation.  Lazarus is raised to life.  Because that's what God is about.  Bringing life to situations where all we see is death.  We have to have faith that God will show up at the right time, whether it's in our timing or not.

Asking these questions is not easy.  Many of my friends are going through really hard stuff in their lives. I don't blame them when they're upset with God.  I can't imagine what it's like to wrestle with some of the issues of broken relationships with friends and family or sickness with loved ones or even death.  But I believe God wants to display his glory through our tough times.  And I have to believe that in the end God will bring us to true life without the death that we see now.

The Upside-Down Kingdom

My goal, at least to start, this year is to be more consistent in writing, if not for anyone else's benefit, than for my own.  I will start to include book reviews of some of the things I'm currently reading either for church or for my own.  With that said, here's "The Upside-Down Kingdom."

Donald Kraybill's book originally published in 1978 has continued to be printed and edited.  I finished reading the 25th Anniversary Edition from Herald Press.  Kraybill gives new insight into the world surrounding Jesus.  "The Upside-Down Kingdom" describes the radical message Jesus brought to his world and connects it to the message the church continues to live in a foreign, worldly kingdom.  He goes into detail about the history, culture and politics that surrounded the first century Jewish world with all of it's revolutions, religion, and empires.  Kraybill then discusses how Jesus message differed with that of the surrounding culture.  He discusses how Jesus consistently broke with cultural conventions to minister to the Gentile, Samaritan, sinners, women and multiple other people groups who Jesus should not have had contact with had he followed the culture.  Kraybill ends by challenging the church to continue to be a community that bears witness to and upside-down way of living.

I enjoyed this book.  Recently I've read other books (Myth of a Christian Nation, Jesus For President) which have a similar message.  Kraybill shows that this is not a new idea.  I learned a lot about the religious background and make up of the 2nd Temple period of Jewish history.  I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

As an additional plug Don will be speaking at Mechanic Grove March 6.  He'll be talking about Discipleship and also Amish faith during our Sunday School hour.  For more information visit: www.mgcb.org

Upside Down Christmas

I've been reading "Upsidedown Kingdom" by Don Kraybill recently.  In it he talks about the social world of Jesus time being like a checker board.  People placed themselves in boxes of Pharisee, Wealthy, Jew, Gentile, Samaritan, Man, Woman, etc.  These boxes were important.  You only associated with those in boxes like your own.  But Jesus comes and begins stepping all over the boxes.  He associates with the lowly despised Samaritan woman at the well, the greedy manipulative tax collector and the uneducated fishermen.  Today our society is based on similar boxes.  Those that are college educated or trade school.  Those that have money and those that don't.  Those that are like us and those that aren't.

As we get close to Christmas and hear the same Christmas story read again, it occurs to me that Jesus started stepping across boxes from the very beginning.  A teen, unmarried mother, dirty shepherds, foreign Gentile wisemen.  From the beginning Jesus is reaching out and doing things in a way that are upside down.

So what am I doing this Christmas to celebrate in way that is upside down, that reflects the first Christmas.  How am I showing love, hope, peace and joy to the world around me and specifically to those whose boxes are farthest from my own?  How will I be like Jesus and step out of my comfortable box and into one less comfortable?  How will I live an upside down Christmas?

Is He serious?

This past weekend I had the privilege of presiding over my brother, Aaron, and his wife, Angela's, wedding.  It was an honor to be a part of their beautiful ceremony.  It will be a great memory for me too because it was the first wedding I've performed.

All that to say I was at my parents' church this past Sunday where my dad is the senior pastor (so this is life a little outside the Grove now).  He preached on a section of Scripture from John 6 where Jesus has just told his disciples to eat his flesh and drink his blood.  Many of the disciples can't take this teaching and turn away.  Jesus doesn't stop them from leaving, but, instead, gives them a choice.  The main point of the message is what do we do with these hard teachings of Jesus, and there are many.  If we take Jesus seriously and believe that we are to put his teachings into practice, what does that look like?

I believe whole heartedly that we are to take the teachings of Jesus literally.  It has implications for our spiritual life, but more than that.  First of all I think the idea that part of life is spiritual and part is, well, not spiritual is a modern concept not a biblical one.  For Jesus, every part of who he was was spiritual.  Unfortunately we tend to turn everything into talk about our "spiritual life".  When we see the teachings about taking up your cross we talk about our cross being a sickness or relationship struggle or something else.  John Howard Yoder points out that the cross was something Jesus willingly chose and was the result of his moral stand against the powers and authorities in his world.  It was not something that was a surprise.  Taking Jesus seriously means living in radical obedience to Christ.  Radical obedience to Christ means that sometimes the powers and authorities of this age may persecute you and you may end up dead.

I'm also beginning more and more to think that I also need to take the Bible seriously when it says I am to live as a stranger and alien.  That my life as a literal citizen of the kingdom of God is to be literally different from those who are citizens of the kingdom of (fill in any country).  I could be wrong about all of this, but I am finding that Jesus was a revolutionary who told us to make disciples who follow and obey him.  He practiced radical love.  And I am learning what it means to take Jesus literally and seriously.

Thanks Dad!
Dad's sermon