MennoNet.com

Here is an article from McClatchy News Services about how formerly politically uninvolved Lancaster Mennonites are responding to the government's refugee ban.

Here are a few lines from the Article:

• For decades, the Mennonites’ objection to war was the most notable intersection of their community and politics. But that might be changing now as a result of Trump’s executive order on immigration, a policy he reissued Monday after an earlier version was rebuffed by the courts.
  
  Assisting immigrants, especially refugees, is a central tenant of the Mennonite faith. The plight of immigrants and refugees is especially resonant for many Mennonites, who fled from Europe to the New World hundreds of years ago in the face of religious persecution.
  
  “They have baked into their psyche an understanding of what it means to be a refugee population,” said Michael Shank, a professor at New York University who, as a Mennonite himself, has written on the interaction between his community’s faith and politics.
  
  For many members of the community, it’s also a part of everyday life: Lancaster, where Martin and Corbo live, is said to have the highest per capita population of refugees in the country.
  
  “Mennonites believe we should take the words of Jesus seriously and live out his call to love our neighbor as we love ourselves,” said Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach, director of the Mennonite Central Committee Washington office.
  
  ...
  
  Leaders in the community are quick to say that many Mennonites are conservative and many of them likely support Trump and Republicans in Congress. On issues like abortion, the community strongly supports the Republican position opposing it.
  
  Mennonites have also slowly become more politically engaged over the years as many of them have more closely integrated with society, said Stutzman, who has written a book on the subject titled “From Non-Resistance to Justice.”
  
  But Trump might have thrown that conversion into overdrive for some.
  
  “There’s diversity in our church,” Stutzman said. “But on this question of immigrants, the people who have been most involved in actually working with immigration and refugees are the folks who are stirred to action by the Trump administration’s actions.”

What do you think?

Is there an actual shift afoot in Mennodom, or is this jus a reporter cherry-picking the activism of some liberal Mennonites and making a story out of a non-story?

Dan Z wrote:
... is this jus a reporter cherry-picking the activism of some liberal Mennonites and making a story out of a non-story?

Yep. The title of the article is a dead giveaway. Also: see this part of the article that obviously misses out on the fact there are at least 52 flavors of Mennonites and makes a generalized statement implying that all Mennonites are doing this:

Mennonites have also slowly become more politically engaged over the years as many of them have more closely integrated with society, said Stutzman, who has written a book on the subject titled “From Non-Resistance to Justice.”

Don't feel bad: the liberal press also highlights liberal Catholics who have absolutely no connection with the rest of the church, yet tries to influence the reader into thinking that's how all Catholics believe and act.
Hogwash.

Dan Z wrote:Here is an article from McClatchy News Services about how many formerly politically uninvolved Lancaster Mennonites are responding to the government's refugee ban.

Is there an actual shift afoot in Mennodom, or is this jus a reporter cherry-picking the activism of some liberal Mennonites and making a story out of a non-story?

The version I saw on facebook shad a picture of a horse and buggy.

Wayne in Maine wrote:The version I saw on facebook shad a picture of a horse and buggy.

Which is ironic, given the quote from Stutzman:

“When you speak about the horse and buggy, you’re talking mostly about the Amish,” said Ervin Stutzman, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, a 75,000-member denomination. (Stutzman was born into an Amish community before switching to the Mennonite faith, a conversion he said was common among Mennonites.)

Most of the quotes seem to be from MC-USA people, including some actively involved in helping refugees. Church World Service is mentioned specifically. There's a range in these congregations, some much more liberal than others, and the Mennonites mentioned are not only from Lancaster, but also from Wichita and Harrisonburg, probably other places too. I didn't recognize all the congregations mentioned, were any of these plain Mennonites or CMC?

Here's one thing I do see: church groups that work with refugees have usually shunned political involvement, working with volunteers across the political spectrum. Several of these groups are cautiously, reluctantly releasing statements against Trump's executive actions. It's not comfortable territory for them.

So far, I've been working with refugees rather than engaging in political action on this issue.

Amongst Midwest, Beachy, New Conference German Baptists, etc., many Mennonites have taken a turn for being more political, usually pro Trump, sometimes anti Trump.

Amongst CMC this has happened as well, but younger, more liberal minded people seem to be a lot more likely to be pro refugee and generally sceptical of very pro Trump positions. At least that is my experience with young people in CMC churches in northeast Ohio.

MaxPC wrote:

Dan Z wrote:
... is this jus a reporter cherry-picking the activism of some liberal Mennonites and making a story out of a non-story?

Yep. The title of the article is a dead giveaway. Also: see this part of the article that obviously misses out on the fact there are at least 52 flavors of Mennonites and makes a generalized statement implying that all Mennonites are doing this:

Mennonites have also slowly become more politically engaged over the years as many of them have more closely integrated with society, said Stutzman, who has written a book on the subject titled “From Non-Resistance to Justice.”

Don't feel bad: the liberal press also highlights liberal Catholics who have absolutely no connection with the rest of the church, yet tries to influence the reader into thinking that's how all Catholics believe and act.
Hogwash.

Max, what Mennonites have you talked to that you based this on? I have heard anti Trump and pro refugee opinions from many Mennonites including plain ones, a Beachy minister, people in Keystone conference, and many in CMC

Followers of the Way has taken a strong pro refugee stand, with people in plain attire and veils holding protest signs that are pro refugee.

Josh wrote:

MaxPC wrote:

Dan Z wrote:
... is this jus a reporter cherry-picking the activism of some liberal Mennonites and making a story out of a non

Let's be honest about this. For most people it's not about being pro or anti immigrant, it's about being affiliated with the political right or the political left.

Dan Z wrote:What do you think?

Is there an actual shift afoot in Mennodom, or is this jus a reporter cherry-picking the activism of some liberal Mennonites and making a story out of a non-story?

I don't think there has been a strong shift in the last several months or even the past year. Some liberal Mennonites have been politically active before, usually for leftist causes, and some conservative Mennonites have been politically active before, usually for right-wing causes. On the whole, the reaction of Mennonites to Donald Trump and the refugee issue have been pretty much what one would expect.

There has been a shift afoot in Mennodom, but it's one that has been happening for decades. Liberal Mennonites have increasingly been embracing political activism just as Ervin Stutzman is quoted as saying in the article:

Mennonites have also slowly become more politically engaged over the years as many of them have more closely integrated with society, said Stutzman, who has written a book on the subject titled “From Non-Resistance to Justice.”

So no, a conversation with a couple of progressive Mennonites in Lancaster, PA does not indicate that "Trump turns apolitical Mennonites into protesters." More accurate headlines might be:

"Trump turns some apolitical Mennonites into protesters"
"Trump turns some already left-leaning Mennonites into protesters"

Wayne in Maine wrote:Let's be honest about this. For most people it's not about being pro or anti immigrant, it's about being affiliated with the political right or the political left.

I don't think that's honest at all. And I find this kind of skepticism counterproductive.

Kingdom values are a good thing. We don't have to let political parties define us. Really.

Bootstrap wrote:

Wayne in Maine wrote:Let's be honest about this. For most people it's not about being pro or anti immigrant, it's about being affiliated with the political right or the political left.

I don't think that's honest at all. And I find this kind of skepticism counterproductive.

Kingdom values are a good thing. We don't have to let political parties define us. Really.

I think it's extremely honest to say that people's political opinions on immigrants tend to perfectly coincide with whether they identify with the Blue Team or the Red Team.