Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
(Ecclesiastes 12:12)
This is the time of year
when my thinker really gets going, and probably also the season of my life to think about what to do with all that thinking. My wife’s opinion, knowing me
for many years, is that the thinker cannot be denied, but do not yield to too
much musing. Musing can be destructive, especially when you have what the
medical practitioners call Seasonally Affected Disorder. So, when I sit with my
laptop and some books and some notes or out on long walks, apparently that is
better than if I just lay on the couch.
After the latest predictable
results of the U.S. presidential election there is of course much to read and hear
and, yes, think about. After reading the next morning’s New York Times headlines
(no need to subscribe, I just click the poor-man’s overview), I then also
clicked to Sojourners, my lifelong Christian social justice
magazine which I have subscribed to since I was a college boy – quite a while.
Two quick readings, both of similar opinion but presented very
differently. Adam Russell Taylor, [i] current
president of Sojourners,
gives some advice for a day like
this. “There is a lot of work ahead,” he says, “and I’ve felt tempted to just
pour myself into all that will be required of us in months to come…. I
challenge you to rest before you reset. This is the time to lean first and
foremost into our faith and not our politics." Rest. A good idea it was,
because the thinker was already tempted into verbosity. In my case, verbosity
can be a risk, a liability even.
This morning’s sermon in our
church [ii] was on similar premise as Russell Taylor and the NYT, namely that Donald Trump is not good news for America. The sermon provided good advice from the Bible’s
epistles; eager to do good (1 Peter 3:13) and also the famous one from
Ephesians 6 about the full armor of God, so that “you may
be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to
stand…” (:13). So here we go. The title of this post, as well
as my previous post, as well as today’s sermon, does not really suggest
restfulness. Considerable diligence here; if not lots of work to do,
then at least lots to think about.
Without claiming any super
insight at this point, I find myself thinking a slightly different line. What
if the premises, the assumptions are wrong? What if Donald Trump, in spite of
his misogyny, his unbearable egocentric Make America Great Again (MAGA)
platform, may be the right President for the next four years? Is it right to
write editorials and present sermons with the assumption that he should not
have won? I totally enjoyed the opener of today's sermon recounting conversation
with an elderly kind philanthropic long-time supporter of our worldwide relief
service agency being of the opinion that Donald Trump is God’s choice (she
cringed and we laughed). It was an excellent attention getter and clearly
communicated her respect for this elder in our midst and also the importance to communicate
peaceably in days like this. It also raises this my further question.
In this last year an
interesting podcast series has emerged among all the inboxes, notifications and
posts in our digital world. This one is quite gentle and very respectfully
presented. It becomes interesting in its somewhat unique format, story-form history providing a new look at some old stuff, [iii] well researched, the makings of the Anabaptist Mennonites.
Being a person of this background, I still have good memories of my
post-secondary education throbbing with exciting sixteenth century
‘discoveries.’ That was my people back there, those not wishing to be
encumbered by big Church taxes and tithes and ‘indulgences’ to help get out of
the catholic middle state of purgatory and joyfully jump into heaven. This is
our movement with the noble beginning and which I wrote enthusiastic essays
about. This latter podcast series is now becoming an old-age ‘fresher upper’
for me.
Anabaptist history can use a
little reality check. We too were among other diligent students of Martin
Luther, of Ulrich Zwingli and other clerics and church leaders along with a thirsting
population; all this after invention of the printing press and people beginning
to read for themselves. Much has been and continues to be written about the
Reformation chapter of history.
This podcast tells about a twist in those early beginnings. “Free Radicals is a historical story-telling highlighting events from the radical fringes of church history, redeeming them from the unforgiving lens of orthodoxy.” In the first post (Season 1, Episode 0 – available here https://www.freeradicalspod.com/2023/12/29/episode-zero-released/ ) William Loewen provides a delineation of the word ‘radical’ definitely there at beginning, but not the first impression one gets in today’s Anabaptist or Mennonite culture. Although a cool discovery in my college years back in the early 1970’s (hippy years), now seeing this series hosted by a young man the age of my youngest daughter is not only humbling but educational. Those of us inclined to think that our honorable way of following Jesus was and still is the right way, still kind of radical, and yes way back there we even suffered for it at the hands of our fellow believers, the Lutherans. [see my previous blog!] π
Fact is, our history got
perverted also by us, enemy forces within (Luke 6:45) even
while apparently trying to correct forces without. That early history included
misappropriated ambition, egocentric preachers, misinterpretation of
scriptures, twisted eschatology, and sin. Maybe after we have done our Anabaptism at 500 celebrations in 2025
and then four years of Donald Trump, us longsuffering peacemaking
half-evangelical, half progressive Anabaptists will render an apology to the
Lutherans and the Catholics! [Interesting tidbit from our latest historian:
Loewen advises that in 2018 a service of apology by unofficial representatives
of Catholic, Lutheran and Anabaptist believers actually did take place at the
St. Lambert’s Church in Munster, the very place of the unsolicitous uprising.] [iv]
So this post shall conclude
here. It would be premature and irresponsible of me to wade into further
opinionating of how us Christians – or other faith communities – need to
participate, or perhaps not participate, in the pratter and the social media so
prevalent after election results in the U.S. (and before the imminent election
in Canada). Elections so far by democratic process (almost?) made by people of
this world. Democracy still means leaders chosen by the people, all eligible
persons of whatever faith or unfaith (if you didn’t watch too many U.S. media scrums before this last election). Our Anabaptist history and the
history before that, is not about democracy; it was/is extreme faith practise
in whatever political circumstance. Today’s situation: is it nothing new? Or is
it very new? Or is it nearing the Parousia, the return of the One
who gave his life for all? [v] I
am old enough to say I’m ready for the end. Then no need to make more churches,
or denominations, or seminaries to explain the Greek variants of Parousia, or
political dictatorships with new old-fashioned rules.
Even as my thinker goes on,
I take comfort in the epigraph above. No need to study it all too hard! And I
am willing to follow the thinking of this present generation – not blindly, but
with humble gratitude to those who review our formative journey. Thy will be
done, Oh Lord!
___________________
[i] Adam Russell Taylor is president of Sojourners and
author of A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved
Community. https://sojo.net>sojoaction.
[ii] Donita Wiebe-Neufeld (2024) "Thoughts of War and Peace and What to Do" (Unpublished sermon at Trinity Mennonite Church, Calgary, AB: November 10, 2024).
[iii] Loewen, W.J. (Host), 2023/12/29 – [Audio Podcast] Free Radicals.
[iv] Lloyd Hoover, “Group seeks forgiveness
for trauma of Munster,” Anabaptist World, June 11, 2018.
[v] Parousia, Greek root meaning presence, with variants
Divine Presence, Second Coming preceded by signs, https://www.biblestudytools.com/dict.