Sattler College Turmoil

[ohio jones]

I've been hearing the same concerns coming out of the Amish, GBs, certain SDA splinter groups, a branch or two of the Eastern Orthodox, and some very credible Holiness friends. Word on the street is Finny simply refuses to give his blessing to anyone's church plants and it's starting to create a real spiritual gridlock in the city. Extremely disappointing if true.

Google tells me that there are over 700 churches in central Boston (Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline): https://www.egc.org/blog-2/2013/4/2/per ... statistics

I expect the vast majority of them have never even heard of Finny.

The concerns heard by our raccoonteur friend are, I'm quite sure, international in scope.

[Ken]

I've been hearing the same concerns coming out of the Amish, GBs, certain SDA splinter groups, a branch or two of the Eastern Orthodox, and some very credible Holiness friends. Word on the street is Finny simply refuses to give his blessing to anyone's church plants and it's starting to create a real spiritual gridlock in the city. Extremely disappointing if true.

Google tells me that there are over 700 churches in central Boston (Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline): https://www.egc.org/blog-2/2013/4/2/per ... statistics

I expect the vast majority of them have never even heard of Finny.

The concerns heard by our raccoonteur friend are, I'm quite sure, international in scope.

And what constitutes spiritual gridlock?

Is that like gridlock on the freeway caused by there being TOO MANY churches?

[Soloist]

Google tells me that there are over 700 churches in central Boston (Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline): https://www.egc.org/blog-2/2013/4/2/per ... statistics

I expect the vast majority of them have never even heard of Finny.

The concerns heard by our raccoonteur friend are, I'm quite sure, international in scope.

And what constitutes spiritual gridlock?

Is that like gridlock on the freeway caused by there being TOO MANY churches?

No, that’s a new invention. The church on wheels! Hear a sermon as you drive the freeway in surround sound!

[cooper]

OF COURSE Mennos (and anyone else) are free to start a church or 17 churches in Boston, with or without the blessing of Finny Kuruvilla, the Archbishop of Canterbury, or the guy who mops the floors at the local cannoli shop. What exactly is Finny going to do to them, put them on his naughty list? I assumed it would be obvious that my comment was meant to highlight the absurdity of claims to the contrary.

Yes, I caught the attempt at clever sarcasm. My understanding is that a straw that broke the camel's back and caused the mass resignations was Dean Taylor wanted to start or supported starting a BMA-type church for BMA-type students. Finny opposed this strenuously enough that it wasn't viable for Dean to continue as president. So in effect, the proposed BMA-type church plant was on Finny's naughty list. Please inform me if these facts are inaccurate.

I'm guessing you and BrotherEicher see the turmoil as a result of an attempted Mennonite takeover which was successfully rebuffed. I'm making assumptions here. Is that accurate?

This really isn't my circus, but I find the bait-and-switch from Boston to be tiresome.

[Josh]

The original vision of Sattler (as it was told to me) was to recruit evangelical students and indoctrinate them into why nonresistance and other “kingdom Christianity” concepts are a good idea. Needless to say that didn’t happen.

[jahertz]

The concerns heard by our raccoonteur friend are, I'm quite sure, international in scope.

Yes, this is correct. It began in Boston, but the ambitions are clearly global. In my view, no one is safe—not even Cleveland.

[jahertz]

And what constitutes spiritual gridlock?

Is that like gridlock on the freeway caused by there being TOO MANY churches?

Worse. Too many metaphorical TRAFFIC LIGHTS.

[jahertz]

My understanding is that a straw that broke the camel's back and caused the mass resignations was Dean Taylor wanted to start or supported starting a BMA-type church for BMA-type students. Finny opposed this strenuously enough that it wasn't viable for Dean to continue as president. So in effect, the proposed BMA-type church plant was on Finny's naughty list. Please inform me if these facts are inaccurate.

I'm guessing you and BrotherEicher see the turmoil as a result of an attempted Mennonite takeover which was successfully rebuffed. I'm making assumptions here. Is that accurate?

This really isn't my circus, but I find the bait-and-switch from Boston to be tiresome.

I'm not in a position to opine on the details of negotiations for which I was neither present nor in a position to see the minutes. My understanding is that there was some significant difference in vision regarding Sattler's potential involvement in sponsoring a Mennonite church, and that Dean and Finny—both men I respect—did not see eye to eye on this issue, triggering a controversial series of events which will likely always be remembered and recounted differently by different people involved.

What I am certain of from speaking with closely involved friends is that neither Finny nor anyone else I'm aware of in current or past leadership at Sattler has ever opposed the establishment of a Mennonite church in Boston on principle. Everyone I know who lives in Boston is well aware that it's a big city, not to mention a fun one, with room for any number of Plain churches, provided they can supply the bodies to colonize them.

I've been told consistently that Sattler leadership (as well as the FOTW core) would be relieved if a Mennonite church not dependent on Sattler were to launch there, so that students who are more comfortable with a traditionally Anabaptist setting and theology could have a familiar church home. The disadvantages of having FOTW as the only Anabapt-ish local church option for Plain Sattler students are obvious to everyone, I believe, and have been noted by my friends in Boston since essentially the launch of Sattler.

But whether any of that is correct or not, the claim that Finny is preventing Mennos from planting churches in Boston would require him to have some sort of power to determine which churches do or do not get planted. And to see such an idea apparently being treated as established fact in Sattler-curious Plain circles strikes me as ludicrous in the extreme.

[Soloist]

It’s interesting, you are right that both sides see things differently. Perhaps you would comment on why David resigned?

[jahertz]

It’s interesting, you are right that both sides see things differently. Perhaps you would comment on why David resigned?

No, I have no insight on this.