Confession of Faith: Creation and Divine Providence

The Mennonites believe God created the heavens, the earth, and all that is in them through love and out of sovereign freedom .  God preserves and sustains what God has made, limiting the forces of sin and evil for the sake of the world, redeeming and saving humans and creation.  We are called to respect the "natural order of creation and to entrust ourselves to God's care and keeping, whether in adversity or plenty" (Confession of Faith).

In many ways we live in a world where nature is not readily taken care of.  Thinking about the reliance and abuse of limited fossil fuels, deforesting, over-hunting/fishing, and overeating of meat (which requires more resources to sustain because we have to feed the animals a lot of food to make food) brings to mind many areas of concern when it comes to taking care of the earth and sustainability. 

Even when it comes to our own bodies we are not very good stewards.  Many in the United States fall under the category of "obese or overweight."  According to the Food Research and Action Center, 68.8% of US adults are overweight or obese, with 35.7% being obese.  These things are linked: as we drive more we walk or bike less; overeating of fatty meats and the preservatives they hold means eating less vegetables and fruits which are healthier and more sustainable; eating too many fatty carbs (like donuts) and too much fast food (like McDonalds) are also culprits. 

Into this, Mennonites proclaim God created us and sustained us - therefore we look after the environment, trying to living sustainably and responsibly. We work with relief groups to try to end world hunger; we participate in food pantries and banks in order to help take care of the poor while stewarding our own goods.  On the individual level, perhaps we need to step up taking care of the environment in other ways as well...in what ways is God calling us to steward the environment and creation even better?  Leave a comment below!

Want to learn more?  Here is Article 5 of the Mennonite Confession of faith:   http://www.mennoniteusa.org/about/confession-of-faith-in-a-mennonite-perspective-1995/confession-of-faith-%E2%80%94-article-5/

Obesity Stats (Food Research and Action Center):

http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/obesity-in-the-us/

Confession of Faith: Scripture

The Mennonites believe Scripture.  We believe that Scripture, both the Hebrew (or Old) Testament and the New Testament, are inspired by the Holy Spirit for "instruction in salvation and training in righteousness" (Confession of Faith).  We believe that all the many very smart scholars, text critics, text copiers, and compilers were inspired by the Holy Spirit throughout the ages (basically the process by which Scripture is formed was inspired).  We acknowledge the Scripture as authoritative source and standard for faith and life and that all things need to be tested and corrected by the light of Scripture.

The Bible is the essential book of the church.  Some Christians believe that the Bible is inerrant, or completely without error, perfect, and as if God had spoken every word of the Bible to humans to write down.  We don't take it that far, for there is no need to.  When God spoke, he did so through a living word, named Jesus Christ (Jn 1).  Some Christians(?) believe the Bible is riddled with errors, nonsensical stories, and myths which make it useless.  Into this perspective we proclaim the Bible as authoritative truth through which God continues to speak. 

Into a world which finds all perspectives and views on truth equal, as if truth was a buffet restaurant from which we pick our favorite ones, the Mennonites proclaim Jesus: Jesus who is revealed in the Gospels, Jesus in the prophets, Jesus in the epistles, Jesus at creation.  Jesus is truth...and we can find Jesus revealed in the Bible.  Read it, eat it, sleep with it... Scripture is the book of the church.

Want to learn more?  Here is Article 4 of the Mennonite Confession of faith:   http://www.mennoniteusa.org/about/confession-of-faith-in-a-mennonite-perspective-1995/confession-of-faith-%E2%80%94-article-4/

Confession of Faith: Holy Spirit

The Mennonites believe in the Holy Spirit, declaring with conviction the empowerment of Jesus and the church by the Holy Spirit.  We believe the Spirit of God participated in the creation of the world, inspired the prophets and those who wrote Scripture, ignited the disciples at Pentecost, and continues to ignite, call, and transform her church.

The role of the Holy Spirit tends to be an edgy one in most churches, and of course out-right denied in others.  Some churches seek, cater towards, and wish to somehow cultivate the power of the Holy Spirit in them, leading to outbreaks of tongues, miraculous healing, being slain in the spirit, in some places snake handling, and the odd outbreak of animal noises.  In other places, the Holy Spirit is almost completely ignored or denied, maybe because things get a little crazy when the Holy Spirit shows up.

Into this the Mennonites assert that the Holy Spirit is an important part of the Trinity, making space for the Holy Spirit to work in power by proclaiming what the Holy Spirit has already done and continues to do.  We find the Holy Spirit to be empowering of people with love, reconciliation, hope, and healing.  In a culture where spirits and new age religion is finding a hold, we continue to proclaim and look for the power of the Holy Spirit to embolden us to pick up the cross each and every day to follow after Jesus. 

Want to learn more?  Here is Article 3 of the Mennonite Confession of faith:   http://www.mennoniteusa.org/about/confession-of-faith-in-a-mennonite-perspective-1995/confession-of-faith-%E2%80%94-article-3/

Confession of Faith: Jesus Christ (The Trailblazing Savior)

Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, "who delivered us from the dominion of sin and reconciled us to God by humbling himself and becoming obedient unto death on a cross."  He is resurrected, the exalted slaughtered Lamb, ascended and reigning with God in glory, the Messiah, Savior of the world, head of the church, Lord of all.

The Mennonites value Jesus above everything else in Scripture, including his life, teachings, death, resurrection, ascension, and present ruling of his church.  Today, we in the US tend to strip Jesus of his power.  We sing "washed in the blood of the Lamb" and imagine this to be like a holy shower by which we become clean, are able to go sin as much as we want, then come back and wash off again.  We think that Jesus does not call out our deepest fears and ask us to follow him through and beyond those fears -fears such as being secure and safe, staying alive, and remaining in material satisfaction.

Yet, that is just what Jesus does all through the gospels.  He says, "Pick up your cross and follow me" and "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Mt 5:44; Mt 16:24-28).  Unfortunately, we tend to think since Jesus lived back in the day he wasn't very smart and didn't realize just how hard these things would be - so we trivialize their power by suggesting Jesus really didn't mean them.  Into this culture, the Mennonites follow Jesus, backs bowed with the cross, loving friends and enemies, offering peace, reconciliation, and love, even if it means their deaths.  Why?  It's exactly what Jesus did to reconcile us to himself, and by following Jesus we enact the living hope for God's new world.

Want to learn more?  Here is Article 2 of the Mennonite Confession of faith:   http://www.mennoniteusa.org/about/confession-of-faith-in-a-mennonite-perspective-1995/confession-of-faith-%E2%80%94-article-2/

Confession of Faith: God

In the Mennonite confession of faith, there is no discussion about classical philosophy (you won't find words like "immutable or omni-[insert characteristic here]" in the confession of faith), but about a person.  We believe that God is Holy Trinity: Parent, Son and Holy Spirit, creator of all things, caller of human beings, offering redemption to all of humanity through Jesus Christ, Son of God/Man, sustainer of the church.  We believe God surpasses all human understanding, but has revealed God's self to us.  God is love; in awesome glory, in enduring compassion, sovereign power, unending mercy, abounding grace, wrath against sin, God is love.

The way we view God matters for today - as A.W. Tozer writes in Knowledge of the Holy, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us" (pp 1). In many ways, we model our actions after who we think God is.  If we think, "God bless America," then we support the USA in whatever wars it undertakes in order for her to maintain her power.  When we see "In God we trust" on the back of US money, we may think that since we trust in "God" that God supports America in all her endeavors. 

Into this mindset, we see the Mennonites proclaiming "God is love and shows it perfectly in all characteristics."  I wonder...what if the first thing we thought of when we thought of God was perfect love?  What would we look like if we modeled ourselves after this love?

Next: Article 2 - Jesus Christ

Want to learn more?  Here is Article 1 of the Mennonite Confession of faith:   http://www.mennoniteusa.org/about/confession-of-faith-in-a-mennonite-perspective-1995/confession-of-faith-in-a-mennonite-perspective-%E2%80%94-article-1-god/

Mennonites: Radical Religious Revolutionaries (in a Nutshell)

Mennonites are people who trace themselves back to a Catholic priest named Menno Simmons in Holland during the time of the reformation.  Menno heard of the "Anabaptists," or radical reformers during the period of Luther's reformation who believed that people could not be born into the Christian Kingdom but instead must make an adult choice for themselves about whether or not they believed in Christ and were to be baptized.  Menno was asked to be the leader of the Anabaptists.

While requiring adult baptism, the founding Anabaptists were highly educated individuals who were radical in the way they perceived the world.  They believed that Jesus was the most important part of the Bible and that he actually meant what he said in the gospels, especially the Sermon on the Mount.  They grabbed hold of Jesus as the center of their religion, becoming simple, loving, reconciling, and peaceful people for Christ.

And, much like the early church pre-Constantine, they fought a revolution - not with weapons but with their blood, not with anger but with love, not with hate but with hope.  Anabaptists were pacifists...and both Catholics and Lutherans slaughtered them as heretics because of their belief in adult baptism.  Yet, the Anabaptists continued, radical religious revolutionaries.

Fast forward 500ish years and the Mennonites are still around today, pursuing healing and hope, reconciliation and love.  We stand in a position of speaking into the world in ways the world doesn't want to hear - the way Jesus does.  We'll continue this series with their first confession of faith: God.

Want to know more?  Head over to http://www.mennoniteusa.org/ and click on "about us" on the left hand side.

Resurrection (of a blog)

The last post made on this blog was on December 9, 2011.  For the last several years, it has been dead.  The beautiful thing about being dead is it provides time for a resurrection, as the biblical narrative shows us time and time again.  My long absence is due to the life journey I have been on since 2011.  I became a Trainer (teacher/supervisor) at my job a week after my last posting, experienced the joy and hardship of middle management, and learned a lot of new insights.  I was interim pastor (bio-vocationally) for several months during this time. A month ago I was hired as the sole pastor of South Union Mennonite Church.  This church has a beautiful congregation which I am loved by, love, and serve as a pastor.  Lots of change has happened...and as  life has the habit of doing, I am a different person than the one that wrote two years ago.

That being said, I am going to continue blogging about the ordinary journey of daily life, which is actually quite extraordinary.  I will be beginning with a series reflecting on who the Mennonites are, why they matter, and what draws me to them as a pastor a congregation in their midst.  We will continue to wrestle with difficult texts, ordinary insights, and books reviews along the way. 

I also want to invite you to dialogue with me through the comments below.  Share your stories, reflect on your experiences with me, for no journey is meant to be traveled alone.