Benjamin Unruh

[Jazman]

I can recall two sermons in our church which covered this topic. I wish more conservative Mennonites would raise the issue of our history of relationship with power. I look forward to reading this. The most likely result of hiding history is the loss of the potential to learn from it.

Wow, you're blessed to have had at least 2... I've never heard this ever in any sermon at any church I've been part of and I can't imagine it ever being talked about at length or even in passing in the churches I'm at now... history or our relationship to power is for stuffy intellectual abstract thinking 'elites' (like those wicked MSUSA folk... we don't want to be like them!) or the 'politics' debate that you can only have elsewhere but never at church; in that space you must only focus on your individual salvation/relationship with God, sin management or getting more on fire!... oh, ancient Bible history can be used to those ends, but nothing else, especially anything that might expose something too close to home or that might have any 'political' baggage... (I don't believe this should be the case, but am only describing, with a touch of sarcasm).

[Jazman]

I agree that nonresistance must be maintained, but it is based on a true and vital relationship with God. I'm suggesting that by the time this solution was accepted, for many cultural Mennonites nonresistance was no more than a traditional cultural heritage, that the core of belief had been lost decades before. A fellow brother in our congregation here in Holmes County commented to me recently that he wonders sometimes how deep 'Christianity' goes for many of our own people, even in our congregation, where the Gospel is preached from the pulpit and taught in Sunday School. Hard times can bring about either unthinkable betrayal of our core beliefs, or strengthening of these beliefs. I will suggest that unchallenged beliefs can be difficult to maintain. "God has no grandchildren."

And troublingly, this seems to be the case with some plain and non-plain mennos in my area... I'm especially worried about the Amish... I'm observing from the sidelines, don't have close family connections, etc but it seems there's a strong leaning towards a certain political party that 'looks' christian but has 0 convictions about nonresistance/non-violence etc (in fact this 'christian' party has anti-convictions in this area...).

[JohnH]

And troublingly, this seems to be the case with some plain and non-plain mennos in my area... I'm especially worried about the Amish... I'm observing from the sidelines, don't have close family connections, etc but it seems there's a strong leaning towards a certain political party that 'looks' christian but has 0 convictions about nonresistance/non-violence etc (in fact this 'christian' party has anti-convictions in this area...).

I'm sure people bleating constantly about how bad Trump is and how great Democrats are will do a great job of convincing them!

[joshuabgood]

And troublingly, this seems to be the case with some plain and non-plain mennos in my area... I'm especially worried about the Amish... I'm observing from the sidelines, don't have close family connections, etc but it seems there's a strong leaning towards a certain political party that 'looks' christian but has 0 convictions about nonresistance/non-violence etc (in fact this 'christian' party has anti-convictions in this area...).

I'm sure people bleating constantly about how bad Trump is and how great Democrats are will do a great job of convincing them!

Who is doing that?