Making Churches

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 especially 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, it is about 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!] 😏

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?) and 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 practice 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!

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[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.