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The Naked Anabaptist and Christendom Did that title get your attention? I've been reading a book entitled "The Naked Anabaptist" by Stuart Murray which highlights some of the essentials of my background (Mennonite) and how they might be relevant to the position of the church in our society today, specifically with respect to the decline of the Christian society (Christendom). [The Anabaptist Network has posted a good primer on Anabaptism if you're interested. Though the name is similar, it has a whole different meaning from Baptist.] In contrast to the usual Christian responses to the decline of the Christendom ("There will be a revival that will turn our society back to God," or "Can we not find a way to restore Christendom?"), Stuart Murray writes that Anabaptists are drawn to a different response (pp. 80-81). What if the western churches are entering a period of exile? What if God is leading us out of Christendom so that we can encounter afresh the gospel, which Christendom distorted, and Jesus, whom Christendom marginalized? What if there are resonances (if not exact parallels) between our experience today and that of the Israelite exiles in Babylon to whom Jeremiah wrote? Rather than hankering to go back to Jerusalem, despairing of the future or becoming apathetic, Jeremiah urged them to accept their new situation as the will of God, to seek God's blessing on those they perceived as their enemies, and to act creatively in ways that would sustain their own community (Jeremiah 29:1-9). With hindsight we recognize that exile was profoundly significant for the Israelites. Their vision of God expanded hugely: God was God in Babylon as well as in Israel, the God of all the earth. The perennial issue of idolatry was finally dealt with. The emergence of the synagogue in a context where there was no longer access to the temple transformed their religious life--and would influence the shape and practices of the early churches. Prophetic insights into God's intentions for humanity, culminating in a new heaven and a new earth, were woven into their Scriptures, which were collected, edited and reapplied in this new situation. Might a period of "exile" for western Christians today be equally transformative, liberating, and envisioning? Can we not discern the hand of God in this? I find this encouraging; we don't have to despair, but rather we can have faith that God is accomplishing his great purposes. Indeed it was in the midst of the exile that Yahweh declared to Jeremiah, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)  that's a cool perspectiveSubmitted by Erin on Sat, 2010-07-24 22:26.
That is a perspective I've never heard before and I really like it. I feel like its encouraging too. Thanks for posting, Jon. Erin |
Just saw this comment in a blog
"Regarding our situation here in America, I think, hope and pray that it’s just a cycle, and I have a pretty good feeling that we will find our way back to God as a country again, but it could be a while, and it will require …wait for it… great leaders! Including us in the church (to bring the unchurched in this country to Christ), all the way up to the president."
This is a direct quote from a comment on a blog that I was reading; it reminded how strong the Christendom thinking is in the majority of our Christian brothers and sisters to the south.
The problem that I see with this idea, this longing for the restoring of the Christendom model, is that it so heavily relies on people in positions of power to help convert the masses. Thus, the fellow I quoted above would love to see the President of the United States in the role of bringing the unchurched to Christ. In Scripture, I see the opposite view of power; it is in our weakness that we are most used by Christ, not when we are most able to exercise power.
Paul makes this very clear on a couple of occasions in 2 Corinthians, like when he notes that the treasure of the "Good News" lives in us, who are fragile "clay pots", so that it's clear that any power linked to the gospel is clearly not ours, but God's. And in even stronger language, Paul notes that God tells him, "My grace is sufficient for you because [human] power is brought to its end in weakness." No wonder Paul goes on to say that "I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
[This text comes from 2 Corinthians 12:9, although the translation is probably different than most. However, Marva Dawn makes a great case why this is a more accurate translation in her book, Powers, Weakness, and the Tabernacling of God. Understanding a bit of Greek myself, I'd say that she makes a good point.]
That's the end of my little sermon for tonight.