Old Mennonite Student Interviews?

[cmbl]

Every time I watch this it makes me sad...and I see myself in it.

These students must be my age. i feel numb watching. so innocent. so vulnerable. so expectant.

It would be fascinating if the different students could view this now, then speak to how they see things today.
Not together, as they were in this video. Individually. Casually. Candidly.

i would be specially interested in the young woman with head covering, stating her interest in family.
she was not the “star” speaker. i’m surprised her view was included (CBS presentation). i doubt CBS would make that “mistake” now.

Chester Weaver has commented to the effect that this documentary was a well-put-together, nuanced view of what was happening, so much so that one viewing of the documentary is not enough to capture it all. "The world" understood what was going on better than "the church."

[cmbl]

Meanwhile, there are a few folks who are going the opposite direction. They are building values into their lives. They are sharing their values with others, and they are helping others build value into their lives and communities.

Indeed. I'm the second generation of my family to be swimming upstream. The first upstream move was my parents (one raised United Methodist, the other raised with no religion) becoming theologically conservative Evangelical. And in the second generation, my move to conservative Anabaptist.

Meanwhile Christianity declines in the West.

[temporal1]

Every time I watch this it makes me sad...and I see myself in it.

These students must be my age. i feel numb watching. so innocent. so vulnerable. so expectant.

It would be fascinating if the different students could view this now, then speak to how they see things today.
Not together, as they were in this video. Individually. Casually. Candidly.

i would be specially interested in the young woman with head covering, stating her interest in family.
she was not the “star” speaker. i’m surprised her view was included (CBS presentation). i doubt CBS would make that “mistake” now.

Chester Weaver has commented to the effect that this documentary was a well-put-together, nuanced view of what was happening, so much so that one viewing of the documentary is not enough to capture it all. "The world" understood what was going on better than "the church."

If you could add more, that would be interesting to read.

As i think back, in general ways, EDUCATION/EDUCATORS were so highly trusted, respected, most parents asked no questions. Parents insisted on obedience of students in classrooms. Teachers were held in the highest esteem. Teacher led students to respect their families, elders, faith, law, etc.

As twists away from family+faith were happening, parents did not know or suspect.
Teens+young people, lacking perspective+life experience, weren’t adequate judges of what they were experiencing.
They aren’t. They can’t be. Maturity comes years/decades later.

Humans are physically+mentally slow developers - esp compared to animals.
Humans have more potential, but it’s a lengthy process to full maturity. By God’s design.

Not all parents send their children out as vulnerable lambs for slaughter.

i’m interested in how they manage it. How to send our most precious ones into the world, prepared, not vulnerable to the world’s lies? Not on a path to be systematically turned against their family and faith (that enabled them to “go out”).

Because this is all too often what results from gov education. (Christian ed is not unscathed.)
Taxpayers unknowingly fund their own destruction.

Too many trusted too much for too long. The price is high.

The answer:

Meanwhile, there are a few folks who are going the opposite direction. They are building values into their lives. They are sharing their values with others, and they are helping others build value into their lives and communities.

Indeed. I'm the second generation of my family to be swimming upstream.
The first upstream move was my parents (one raised United Methodist, the other raised with no religion) becoming theologically conservative Evangelical. And in the second generation, my move to conservative Anabaptist.

Meanwhile Christianity declines in the West.

[cmbl]

If you could add more, that would be interesting to read.

Chester Weaver posted a comment including the following text to Asher Witmer's blog post "When You Want More than Your Mennonite Distinctives"

In the providence of God each of us has arrived at this point of time and history, colored, shaped, molded, impressed, repulsed, invited, and influenced by people and events mostly beyond our control. God is asking us to sort all of this out in His fear. He has always placed people into a historical context; it is impossible to be otherwise. We are the product of our history whether we like it or not. The question is what we will do with the cards we have been given. Either we will rise to the challenge or be bowled over by the challenge. A person (or group) who becomes part of a renewal movement is like a boy on a tricycle running away from a mad dog; either he will pedal furiously forward while looking backwards at the dog and eventually wreck or he will keep his focus forward-looking for some kind of redemption and find deliverance.

It has been well said that only people who have come to rest (to terms) with their tradition are able to transcend it. Otherwise reaction sets in with dire consequences.

I note that many comments on this blog do not speak out of much experience. As I noted previously, I am witnessing the second round of similar thinking in my lifetime, the two separated by about fifty years. For those who may be interested in learning something of what it was like fifty years ago, I would recommend two resources. First, the book entitled God and Uncle Dale portrays the Mennonite Church of the 1960s in the context of a captivating story. This is the inside view. At the same time the public news network CBS News noted that changes were happening among Mennonites, did a week filming a documentary, and edited it down to 28 minutes of very perceptive commentary. It is so well done, so nuanced that one viewing cannot catch all the nuances. The documentary must be seen several times to get the entire message. It is amazing to me that the world had such perception about what was happening. [This is the documentary excerpted in the YouTube link upthread.]

In 2007 a book entitled Road Signs for the Journey, based on three surveys done in the Mennonite Church in 1972, 1989, and 2006 was published by Hearld Press. Incredible what has happened in 50 years! It is amazing to me that they published the incredible results. But now eight years later that book is already out of date but the picture of decline has not ended.

As for me and my house we may not repeat that story. We were all set to do so. Providentially, my father along with many others knew that God had a better way, the way of heart-felt obedience to Christ, the way of a living relationship with Him. Thus we were spared so much. However, most of my people failed to chose the better way back then and are now suffering the consequences. Ideas always have consequences.

[RZehr]

Anyone know where the 28 minute CBS documentary is available?

[temporal1]

Anyone know where the 28 minute CBS documentary is available?

In comments, a year ago:

Joseph Liechty:
I think the clip comes from Lamp unto my feet. Mennonites, the peaceful revolution.
The Goshen College library has a copy of the DVD.