This is consistent with what I've been hearing you say the last 10 years. If I am hearing correctly, what you outline here is a request to have a typical MN discussion in person rather than online.Bootstrap wrote:I would be much more interested in several such presentations, with time to discuss them together. Instead of being presented with "the answer", I would rather have a chance to hear several possible answers with time to discern.joshuabgood wrote:I'd like to hear Ernie, Dan, Wayne, or Mike or some other person (maybe Steve Brubaker), give a compelling vision of what conservative Anabaptism can be in the 2018. A sort of Harold Bender for the 2018.
And ultimately, the question shouldn't be what conservative Anabaptism can be, but what Christianity is (as understood by Anabaptists).
History is useful for seeing how others have understood Christianity. When we look at the early Church or early Anabaptists, we should appreciate the variety of understandings they had, not force them into one mold if they don't quite fit. That's important if we really want to understand the ways they lived out their faith. We can learn from both Dutch Anabaptism and Swiss Anabaptism, from Sattler and Marpeck, and from various Apostolic fathers.
But biblical Christianity is the goal. And figuring out how we should best live it today.
You would be very welcome to organize such an event but that is not what I have in mind.
I'm looking for an event that will help seekers understand the worldview of conservative Anabaptists (particularly CAs who still retain some "Old Order sensibilities" to use Dan's term) and to become familiar with early Anabaptist thought. There are many seekers who have heard all they care to hear about "biblical Christianity" and are wanting to learn more about how conservative Anabaptists think.
Seekers who are looking for something akin to mainstream Anabaptism or "biblical Christianity" as defined by Evangelicals may not enjoy the event that I am envisioning.