A Call to Gelassenheit The Nemesis of Fundamentalism — Chester Weaver

[DrWojo]

I enjoyed the thread on Fundamentalism so much I kept reading until I found the following Link: http://www.anabaptistslive.org/wp-conte ... enheit.pdf

It’s actually the transcript of a topic at Anabaptist Identity Conference 2015 Nappanee Indiana

Here’s some of the highlights I thought worthwhile sharing:

For me, Christianity is focused first on the Living Word, the Person of Jesus Christ, (Thank you Dean, once again.) rather than focused first on the Holy Scriptures which include the person of Jesus Christ. That has made the difference between Christianity that is academic and Christianity that is a real relationship with Jesus Christ. And that difference is huge.
When churches struggle with their young people for not "buying in" to the church's position and mission, it is easy to fault the young people. But maybe the young people discern a very real problem, a problem they are most likely not able to articulate. Maybe they are looking for something genuine, something divine, something powerful, something meaningful, and something deeply satisfying.
When churches find their members consumed with materialism, just maybe those members are seeking fulfillment because the real Living Person of Christ has not been held before them.
When churches are consumed with criticism, controversy, and bickering, most likely Christ is not immediately present. Onlookers easily note Christ's absence.
When individual Christians feel exhausted with all the discipline necessary to keep up with all that is expected to maintain a good image, Christ is most likely saying, "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
When people are abused, verbally and emotionally abused, in the Name of Christ, He is definitely absent. He is weeping while watching from a distance.
When plank-obstructed eyes are trying to find motes in other people's eyes, Christ is nowhere around. Christ Jesus teaches us to first think and say, "I have the plank; you have the mote." That’s a kingdom principle, it is not natural.
I personally have been abused a number of times, in some rather significant ways. My guess is that you have also been abused at one or more times in your life. Jesus Christ Himself suffered the greatest abuse of all. He understands every abuse we experience. And He is always there beside the abused, never the abuser. Every time He ministers grace, compassion, comfort, courage, and healing to the abused. And at the same time He teaches forgiveness for abusers. That is the way of Christ.

Feel free to discuss and share at will.

[Ms. Izzie]

In my opinion, Gelassenheit is one of those words that needs defining before a conversation can be had. Could somebody do that for me, please? (So we all know what we are talking about.)

[Neto]

In my opinion, Gelassenheit is one of those words that needs defining before a conversation can be had. Could somebody do that for me, please? (So we all know what we are talking about.)

I agree. When I ask different people what it means, I get different answers. (I asked someone at our congregation yesterday, and they said something to the effect of "a temporary concession for the sake of fellowship, to maintain community".)
Using a term from another language that has a complex or disputed meaning allows for misunderstanding - 'talking past one another'. Boil it down to a single phrase in English, please. (I don't expect a single word.) If there is not agreement, then that's all the more reason for each person to give a definition of their understanding of it in each post in which they use it. (The reader should not be expected to memorize each person's understanding of such a term in order to be able to follow a discussion.)

[ohio jones]

Maybe that discussion would be more relevant in this thread:
Gelassenheit: Your definitions? Your praxis?

...which would allow this thread to utilize Chester's definition beginning on p. 4 of the linked PDF.

[DrWojo]

In my opinion, Gelassenheit is one of those words that needs defining before a conversation can be had. Could somebody do that for me, please? (So we all know what we are talking about.)

I agree. When I ask different people what it means, I get different answers. (I asked someone at our congregation yesterday, and they said something to the effect of "a temporary concession for the sake of fellowship, to maintain community".)
Using a term from another language that has a complex or disputed meaning allows for misunderstanding - 'talking past one another'. Boil it down to a single phrase in English, please. (I don't expect a single word.) If there is not agreement, then that's all the more reason for each person to give a definition of their understanding of it in each post in which they use it. (The reader should not be expected to memorize each person's understanding of such a term in order to be able to follow a discussion.)

Here’s an excerpt from a sermon by a Michael Bunker that agrees with what Neto says:

Before we can go any further in examining Gelassenheit, we need to get a really good idea of the world we are dealing with – that world in which Gelassenheit must function.
In any system, quite often the vocabulary or the lexicon of that system can become so common and can be used so regularly (or irregularly) that the words themselves will cease to have meaning, or will evolve new and different meanings than those intended when the words were first used in that system. In Christianity, the lexicon of the Christian life are often so misused that the very words themselves really cease to have any meaning. We hear sayings like “take up your cross”, “the daily cross”, “die daily”, etc. and it seems that the words are now become mist without any corporeal practical reality or meaning. By way of example, nowhere is this more evident than in the modern apostate “christian” music business. Once Christian sayings or Biblical quotes are now written into stupid, shallow, and vapid songs, where they are repeated like mantras, over and over, until any true meaning or actuality is stripped from them. Modern “christians” can sing these songs, and repeat the phrases (like “I take up my cross”) while they live lives indistinguishable from the world around them. This myth has permeated the world that Jesus Christ, our perfect obedient and suffering Savior, was just some good ol’ boy who worked as a carpenter by day and hung around with the sinners and tax collectors at night. And since the modernist “christian” has accepted this false view of Christ, and since they have embraced a false view of who Christ is and what He was sent to do, then they can easily eviscerate these powerful words and sayings and make them mean anything – or nothing at all. They do not know what to say about a Jesus who said this:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19).
Our text for today says that Jesus “made himself of no reputation”. There are two words that are translated to make up this phrase, and those two words are literally translated thusly: “He emptied himself”. Jesus poured himself out, and by that I mean that He poured His SELF out. His carnal will, His personal wants and desires, His own way of looking at things, His personal opinion, His ideas, His facts, etc. – all of these – were poured out and considered nothing, and He replaced all these things with the will of His Father. Jesus Christ emptied Himself. There is a theological term for this. The word for “emptied” here is the word kenoō.. The theological term for “emptying oneself” is kenosis. During the most ancient and most effective epochs of the Church, there was much teaching and preaching on this concept of kenosis, but, like in any thing or in any truth, when some groups and teachers became extreme or unbiblical in their teaching on the subject, the backlash against those extreme or unbiblical teachings caused many (in fact most) of the Church to reject any and all teaching on the subject. Kenosis was dismissed as mere “mysticism”. When the Catholic sect began to predominate, the teaching of kenosis was twisted horribly. Catholics were taught that they must empty themselves of their will and replace it with the will of “The Universal Church” or of the Bishops, or of the Pope himself. Since Catholics were not taught, encouraged, or even allowed (in most cases) to read the Bible in their own language and to determine God’s will for themselves, they were instructed that only the Church and its Pope could determine God’s will. Kenosis as a substantive teaching, then, was left to those in monasteries. Again, most of these secluded men or women did not have access to Bibles to read for themselves, so even their admirable attempts at “emptying themselves” in their search for an authentic Christianity or a closer walk with God turned into fanciful mysticism or even a demonic or paganistic search into the self for God.

[Neto]

I decided to try Google. Here is a wikipedia quotation.

Gelassenheit
For Martin Heidegger's understanding of Gelassenheit, see Heideggerian terminology § Gelassenheit.
An important part of Amish life is Gelassenheit (German pronunciation: [ɡəˈlas.ən.haɪ̯t]), yieldedness, letting be, or submission to the will of God (in modern German approximately: composure, tranquility, serenity). This concept derives from the Bible when Jesus said, "not my will but thine be done,"[8] thereby making individuality, selfishness, and pride, abhorrent; see humility. "He submits to Christ, loses his own will, and yields (Gelassenheit) himself in all areas."[9] Serving others and submitting to God, therefore, permeates all aspects of Amish life. A person’s personality must be modest, reserved, calm, and quiet. The values which must be apparent in a believer’s actions are submission, obedience, humility and simplicity. Gelassenheit should be the overriding aspect for every person within the Amish community, and it must be viewable through actions and possessions.[10] Lamentations 3:26 "quietly wait," "in the Froschauer [German] Bible reads 'in Gelassenheit' (instead of quietly) – one probable Biblical reference that helped to establish this important 'Anabaptist term.'"[11]

The Ordnung is used to produce Gelassenheit, which is to be shown via a yielding of spirit to the traditions. The Amish glance back into the past and examine their traditions, treasuring them. The past is always the main resource for coping with the present. An Amish businessman may look forward to plan for new markets for his products; however, he never loses sight of the past and its precious legacy. To give yourself under the church means to yield, to submit. Modern culture's aggressive individualism sharply contrasts with the Amish gelassenheit. Through Gelassenheit, an Amish person yields to the Ordnung, the will of God, church, elders, parents, community, and traditions. The individual suppresses the will of 'self' in lieu of the Amish community.

By giving up individuality and any thought of selfishness, they embrace God's will by serving others and submitting to Him. To the Amish, Gelassenheit is seen in all of the following aspects of Amish life:

Personality: reserved, modest, calm, quiet
Values: submission, obedience, humility, simplicity
Symbols: dress, horse, carriage, lantern
Structure: small, informal, local, decentralized
Ritual: baptism, confession, ordination, foot-washing.
— The Riddle of Amish Culture, Donald Kraybill, Johns Hopkins UP, 1989, p.26.

Parts of this make it sound like fatalism, which I've heard a good deal in Amish talk around here (Holmes county, Ohio). A common response to an accident which is basically the result of carelessness - "It was his/her time' the will of God."

I have an Amish friend who told me that he would not have a problem with it if his children were to leave the Amish way of life and go to a Mennonite congregation, AS LONG AS THEY HADN'T ALREADY JOINED THE AMISH CHURCH. If they had, then he would fear for their salvation, because they would have broken their promise to the church (at the time of baptism). I think that the promise made is one made to Christ, not to a church group. That kind of dedication to community or fellowship is idolatry (in my opinion). Nothing should come before our commitment to Christ. (But maybe I'm just still a 'conservative' Mennonite Brethren, more so than I knew.)

[HondurasKeiser]

I decided to try Google. Here is a wikipedia quotation.

Gelassenheit
For Martin Heidegger's understanding of Gelassenheit, see Heideggerian terminology § Gelassenheit.
An important part of Amish life is Gelassenheit (German pronunciation: [ɡəˈlas.ən.haɪ̯t]), yieldedness, letting be, or submission to the will of God (in modern German approximately: composure, tranquility, serenity). This concept derives from the Bible when Jesus said, "not my will but thine be done,"[8] thereby making individuality, selfishness, and pride, abhorrent; see humility. "He submits to Christ, loses his own will, and yields (Gelassenheit) himself in all areas."[9] Serving others and submitting to God, therefore, permeates all aspects of Amish life. A person’s personality must be modest, reserved, calm, and quiet. The values which must be apparent in a believer’s actions are submission, obedience, humility and simplicity. Gelassenheit should be the overriding aspect for every person within the Amish community, and it must be viewable through actions and possessions.[10] Lamentations 3:26 "quietly wait," "in the Froschauer [German] Bible reads 'in Gelassenheit' (instead of quietly) – one probable Biblical reference that helped to establish this important 'Anabaptist term.'"[11]

The Ordnung is used to produce Gelassenheit, which is to be shown via a yielding of spirit to the traditions. The Amish glance back into the past and examine their traditions, treasuring them. The past is always the main resource for coping with the present. An Amish businessman may look forward to plan for new markets for his products; however, he never loses sight of the past and its precious legacy. To give yourself under the church means to yield, to submit. Modern culture's aggressive individualism sharply contrasts with the Amish gelassenheit. Through Gelassenheit, an Amish person yields to the Ordnung, the will of God, church, elders, parents, community, and traditions. The individual suppresses the will of 'self' in lieu of the Amish community.

By giving up individuality and any thought of selfishness, they embrace God's will by serving others and submitting to Him. To the Amish, Gelassenheit is seen in all of the following aspects of Amish life:

Personality: reserved, modest, calm, quiet
Values: submission, obedience, humility, simplicity
Symbols: dress, horse, carriage, lantern
Structure: small, informal, local, decentralized
Ritual: baptism, confession, ordination, foot-washing.
— The Riddle of Amish Culture, Donald Kraybill, Johns Hopkins UP, 1989, p.26.

Parts of this make it sound like fatalism, which I've heard a good deal in Amish talk around here (Holmes county, Ohio). A common response to an accident which is basically the result of carelessness - "It was his/her time' the will of God."

I have an Amish friend who told me that he would not have a problem with it if his children were to leave the Amish way of life and go to a Mennonite congregation, AS LONG AS THEY HADN'T ALREADY JOINED THE AMISH CHURCH. If they had, then he would fear for their salvation, because they would have broken their promise to the church (at the time of baptism). I think that the promise made is one made to Christ, not to a church group. That kind of dedication to community or fellowship is idolatry (in my opinion). Nothing should come before our commitment to Christ. (But maybe I'm just still a 'conservative' Mennonite Brethren, more so than I knew.)

I wonder if your Amish friend sees the promise made to Christ and the promise made to His Church as somehow linked or even synonymous. That seems to map with the tension between group and individual salvation that Chester was talking about. If we have an overly individualistic mentality with respect to our salvation or our promise to Christ it seems to make our Church membership entirely incidental and transactional. I can leave this body of which I am apart at any time and for any reason because all that matters is my relationship with Jesus. That seems to be a ditch on the one side of the road that cuts down through that individual-group tension. I’m not sure if Chester would agree with my assessment, I’m just thinking out loud in type-written kind of way.

[barnhart]

I haven't had the opportunity to read the article yet but I plan too. It looks interesting. In the mean time, I don't want to see this thread disappear.

[Neto]

I decided to try Google. Here is a wikipedia quotation.

Gelassenheit
For Martin Heidegger's understanding of Gelassenheit, see Heideggerian terminology § Gelassenheit.
An important part of Amish life is Gelassenheit (German pronunciation: [ɡəˈlas.ən.haɪ̯t]), yieldedness, letting be, or submission to the will of God (in modern German approximately: composure, tranquility, serenity). This concept derives from the Bible when Jesus said, "not my will but thine be done,"[8] thereby making individuality, selfishness, and pride, abhorrent; see humility. "He submits to Christ, loses his own will, and yields (Gelassenheit) himself in all areas."[9] Serving others and submitting to God, therefore, permeates all aspects of Amish life. A person’s personality must be modest, reserved, calm, and quiet. The values which must be apparent in a believer’s actions are submission, obedience, humility and simplicity. Gelassenheit should be the overriding aspect for every person within the Amish community, and it must be viewable through actions and possessions.[10] Lamentations 3:26 "quietly wait," "in the Froschauer [German] Bible reads 'in Gelassenheit' (instead of quietly) – one probable Biblical reference that helped to establish this important 'Anabaptist term.'"[11]

The Ordnung is used to produce Gelassenheit, which is to be shown via a yielding of spirit to the traditions. The Amish glance back into the past and examine their traditions, treasuring them. The past is always the main resource for coping with the present. An Amish businessman may look forward to plan for new markets for his products; however, he never loses sight of the past and its precious legacy. To give yourself under the church means to yield, to submit. Modern culture's aggressive individualism sharply contrasts with the Amish gelassenheit. Through Gelassenheit, an Amish person yields to the Ordnung, the will of God, church, elders, parents, community, and traditions. The individual suppresses the will of 'self' in lieu of the Amish community.

By giving up individuality and any thought of selfishness, they embrace God's will by serving others and submitting to Him. To the Amish, Gelassenheit is seen in all of the following aspects of Amish life:

Personality: reserved, modest, calm, quiet
Values: submission, obedience, humility, simplicity
Symbols: dress, horse, carriage, lantern
Structure: small, informal, local, decentralized
Ritual: baptism, confession, ordination, foot-washing.
— The Riddle of Amish Culture, Donald Kraybill, Johns Hopkins UP, 1989, p.26.

Parts of this make it sound like fatalism, which I've heard a good deal in Amish talk around here (Holmes county, Ohio). A common response to an accident which is basically the result of carelessness - "It was his/her time' the will of God."

I have an Amish friend who told me that he would not have a problem with it if his children were to leave the Amish way of life and go to a Mennonite congregation, AS LONG AS THEY HADN'T ALREADY JOINED THE AMISH CHURCH. If they had, then he would fear for their salvation, because they would have broken their promise to the church (at the time of baptism). I think that the promise made is one made to Christ, not to a church group. That kind of dedication to community or fellowship is idolatry (in my opinion). Nothing should come before our commitment to Christ. (But maybe I'm just still a 'conservative' Mennonite Brethren, more so than I knew.)

I wonder if your Amish friend sees the promise made to Christ and the promise made to His Church as somehow linked or even synonymous. That seems to map with the tension between group and individual salvation that Chester was talking about. If we have an overly individualistic mentality with respect to our salvation or our promise to Christ it seems to make our Church membership entirely incidental and transactional. I can leave this body of which I am apart at any time and for any reason because all that matters is my relationship with Jesus. That seems to be a ditch on the one side of the road that cuts down through that individual-group tension. I’m not sure if Chester would agree with my assessment, I’m just thinking out loud in type-written kind of way.

I don't think so, because while he didn't mention this specifically, it is fairly common here, that if an Amishman doesn't like something about his particular district, he will move his family to another area. Other Amish friends HAVE told me that they did this, and I have never heard anyone censure that decision. What I'm saying is that if there is a promise or "obligation" to a particular "community", would it not be to that congregation, not just to that particular "denomination"?

If there is supposed to be this unbreakable tie between the individual and their congregation, then what is the "Gelassenheit-ed" Christian supposed to do when their congregation changes ("drifts") to the extent that the fellowship has become strained, to the point that the person has become a pariah, nothing but a thorn in the collective flesh of the congregation?

As I said before, it seems that this theory eliminates the possibility of a "prophet" calling the people back to truth. Would this theory actually tell a person (Amish or otherwise) whose faith has deepened, and who, because of this, is no longer accepted in that congregation; that he/she must not leave their original "community of faith" for another? (I'm not suggesting that Christian faith is a totally individual thing. It just appears to me that the ditch has been cut well into one side of the road.)

Edit: When I get the opportunity, I will listen to the presentation again.

[Josh]

If there is supposed to be this unbreakable tie between the individual and their congregation, then what is the "Gelassenheit-ed" Christian supposed to do when their congregation changes ("drifts") to the extent that the fellowship has become strained, to the point that the person has become a pariah, nothing but a thorn in the collective flesh of the congregation?

This is a very good question.