Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Christian ethics and theology with an Anabaptist perspective
MaxPC
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Post by MaxPC »

steve-in-kville wrote:I eventually found a home in the Dunkard Brethren church where I met my wife (we've since moved on, but that's another story for another day!).
Sounds like a good story :D With what group do you fellowship now?
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Post by Hats Off »

lesterb wrote:This is a hard question to answer, in some ways. There are some things in plain Mennonite churches I don't really like. But a person could wander the whole world over and not find a church where he liked everything. There are certain things that I believe are biblical and I don't know of any other group that holds to them.

Like I used to say on MennoDiscuss in the good old days, you need to chose a congregation as a package. If that package results in what you think is right and biblical, then you can live with some things you don't care for. I've seen too many people walk away from the package because they didn't like the color of string it was bound with.
I could just echo Lester's words - they are so true. I appreciate the standards our groups hold to, I appreciate the cautious approach to change, and like I said in another thread, the cape dress (among many standards) is good in helping us maintain the package.

I have found the story of "Change" in Anabaptist churches very interesting but also discouraging. In the late 1800s we experienced a split in the Swiss Mennonite churches of eastern USA and Canada. The plain group reined in their standards and practices to recover ground they had lost while trying to satisfy the more liberal groups. The liberal groups, freed from the plain restraints, went all out until after twenty five years of free fall, they became concerned by the modernist spirit of the time. Fundamentalism seemed a good way of stopping the trend, but eventually, to some, it looked, felt, and acted too much like their Old Order cousins. This was followed by hippy type trends, long hair and facial hair on men, cut hair and no covering for women and the loss of even the better aspects of fundamentalism.

One hundred years after the onset of the fundamentalist era, those churches have largely exchanged all other standards for the concept of love and acceptance. And yet in the words of Sandra Cronk in her dissertation "Gellassenheit", "Discipline is the highest form of love we can show." Freely calling everything good, in spite of what the Bible says, is not truly the kind of love we wish to have for each other.
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Post by Hats Off »

MaxPC wrote:
steve-in-kville wrote:I eventually found a home in the Dunkard Brethren church where I met my wife (we've since moved on, but that's another story for another day!).
Sounds like a good story :D With what group do you fellowship now?
Max, their is another thread (supposedly) all about Steve's search for a new fellowship.
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MaxPC
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Post by MaxPC »

Hats Off wrote:
MaxPC wrote:
steve-in-kville wrote:I eventually found a home in the Dunkard Brethren church where I met my wife (we've since moved on, but that's another story for another day!).
Sounds like a good story :D With what group do you fellowship now?
Max, their is another thread (supposedly) all about Steve's search for a new fellowship.
Thank you, I must have missed it, forgotten it, or somewhere between the two. It's been a busy month ;) :up:
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Max (Plain Catholic)
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Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
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steve-in-kville
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Post by steve-in-kville »

MaxPC wrote:
Hats Off wrote:
MaxPC wrote: Sounds like a good story :D With what group do you fellowship now?
Max, their is another thread (supposedly) all about Steve's search for a new fellowship.
Thank you, I must have missed it, forgotten it, or somewhere between the two. It's been a busy month ;) :up:
We were attending a KMF church for the last few years. Both my wife and I (as well as our older children) all agreed we wouldn't make good mennonites (now THAT'S a can of worms right there!! ;) ). We are checking out the various Brethren circles at the moment.
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MaxPC
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Post by MaxPC »

steve-in-kville wrote:
MaxPC wrote:
Hats Off wrote: Max, their is another thread (supposedly) all about Steve's search for a new fellowship.
Thank you, I must have missed it, forgotten it, or somewhere between the two. It's been a busy month ;) :up:
We were attending a KMF church for the last few years. Both my wife and I (as well as our older children) all agreed we wouldn't make good mennonites (now THAT'S a can of worms right there!! ;) ). We are checking out the various Brethren circles at the moment.
Thank you, Steve. We'll keep you in prayer to find a church home that will help your discipleship to Jesus.
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Max (Plain Catholic)
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Proverbs 18:2 A fool does not delight in understanding but only in revealing his own mind.
1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God
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Bootstrap
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Post by Bootstrap »

Question for the plain Mennos and Anabaptists who have posted.

I think I am hearing most people say that they wouldn't join just any plain Mennonite / Anabaptist church, and that the entire package is really important to them. I think I am also hearing people say that much of what is most important is not being plain per se, but other things that they think are found in their own plain churches.

Is that true, or am I misinterpreting? I imagine the answer might be different for each person.
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steve-in-kville
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Post by steve-in-kville »

Not sure how to answer the question, but you will notice from my other threads/posts that I firmly believe its senseless (if not spiritually dangerous!) to judge a group by their written polity, discipline, rules, whatever. I have found from my own experience, and mistakes, that entire congregations tend to "hide" behind their rules.... basically use it as a substitute for genuine spirituality. Each and every one of us needs to develop our own convictions and live true to ourselves.!!

I don't want to come off as being negative.... but I would have stories to tell :D !!
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Josh
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Post by Josh »

I chose to be a follower of Christ, including obedience to the full witness of the New Testament.

It seems that most bodies of believers who do the same thing are considered "plain". That's the only reason I'm plain.
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lesterb
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Re: Why are you a plain Mennonite / Anabaptist?

Post by lesterb »

Bootstrap wrote:Question for the plain Mennos and Anabaptists who have posted.

I think I am hearing most people say that they wouldn't join just any plain Mennonite / Anabaptist church, and that the entire package is really important to them. I think I am also hearing people say that much of what is most important is not being plain per se, but other things that they think are found in their own plain churches.

Is that true, or am I misinterpreting? I imagine the answer might be different for each person.
There is a sense in which being plain is a byproduct of what I want in a church. In other words, the kind of people I want to worship and fellowship with tend to be plain, but that isn't the prime reason I want to worship and fellowship with them.
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