Questions about Mennonite denominations

[cmbl]

Adding the Garden City Confession's article on the Resurrection:

Article XV: Of the Resurrection

We believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the bodily resurrection of all men, both of the just and the unjust—of the just to the resurrection of life, and of the unjust to the resurrection of condemnation. Jn. 20:20, 24-29; Lk. 24:30, 31; I Cor. 15:42-44; Acts 24; Jn. 5:28, 29; I Cor. 15:20-23.

Note that the Dordrecht Confession indicates that all men shall be raised at the last day and the good separated from the wicked. The Garden City confession states that both the just and unjust will be raised, but does not indicate that both will be raised at the last day, thereby making "room" for, while not requiring, dispensational premillenial understandings.

[Ernie]

Adding the Garden City Confession's article on the Resurrection:

Article XV: Of the Resurrection

We believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the bodily resurrection of all men, both of the just and the unjust—of the just to the resurrection of life, and of the unjust to the resurrection of condemnation. Jn. 20:20, 24-29; Lk. 24:30, 31; I Cor. 15:42-44; Acts 24; Jn. 5:28, 29; I Cor. 15:20-23.

Note that the Dordrecht Confession indicates that all men shall be raised at the last day and the good separated from the wicked. The Garden City confession states that both the just and unjust will be raised, but does not indicate that both will be raised at the last day, thereby making "room" for, while not requiring, dispensational premillenial understandings.

Interesting. I wonder if that was intentional.

[Neto]

I concur that both fellowship and eastern do NOT require a particular view on revelation. In fact last I heard a bishop discuss it in Eastern he was rather pointed that while ministry can preach what they like it should always be emphasized that either view is not doctrinal.

That said I would say Eastern is more pre-trip in general, varying in extent congregation by congregation. NWF also is probably stronger on one view in each congregation just do to the influence of that congregation’s preaching.

Oddly, I cannot remotely imagine this topic impacting thinking on joining such a group.
This confirms my pov about the topic. If someone was serious about joining a certain congregation and the ONLY reason stopping or confirming that decision is this topic…..you need to rethink.

To be fair, the Catholic church teaches amill. doctrine as sound doctrine and doesn't really have much room for "alternative" belief systems (other than that in general, some Catholic people personally hold to doctrines that are at odds with official church teaching in many areas).

The Holdeman Mennonites consider amill. eschatology part of sound doctrine. In instruction class it is part of the lesson on the Lord's return. It is considered a cause for concern if someone drifts away from that into other teachings. If a preacher does so, that will be considered teaching "false doctrine" and he would be removed from the ministry and not permitted to ever preach again.

This is interesting, because in the MB congregation (in a small country church) where I grew up there was concern over 'doctrinal drift' when the amil. position began to be taught by some professors in the MB seminary. (Or perhaps I should say that my own father was very concerned about this. Having already moved away from the pretrib. position myself, I avoided talking about it in my home area. I don't know how wide spread such concern was within the US MB conference, but I suspect the Southern District - where we were located, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas - was more strongly pretrib, premill. I think that the more serious danger came from training interactions with groups in the States whose most similar counterparts in the Russian Empire were very much like Mennonites, but assumptions were made at the time of the Mennonite emigration. It is telling that Russian emigrants to the States in recent decades from some of these same groups chose to affiliate with Mennonites rather than what would appear to be "their own denomination". Russian Baptists are an example of this.)

[JayP]

Can someone explain how holding to a premillennial interpretation changes any Christian belief in terms of its application to the Christian life?

I mean, a reading of the Good Samaritan teaches I must view folks I normally might not consider “my brother “ as truly my brother.
I read the sermon on the mount and am taught how I must exercise love, compassion, non resistance and humility in a way different than my instincts lead me.

So, what is different if I hold to a premillennial view instead of an an one?

[barnhart]

I have heard some resistance to amillenial views framed as conservative or literalist defence. The thinking was accepting a figurative or symbolic interpretation anywhere leads to the abandonment of the authority of scripture in general.

[cmbl]

Can someone explain how holding to a premillennial interpretation changes any Christian belief in terms of its application to the Christian life?

I mean, a reading of the Good Samaritan teaches I must view folks I normally might not consider “my brother “ as truly my brother.
I read the sermon on the mount and am taught how I must exercise love, compassion, non resistance and humility in a way different than my instincts lead me.

So, what is different if I hold to a premillennial view instead of an an one?

Well, classic dispensationalism teaches that the Sermon on the Mount applies to the future millenial kingdom and not to Christians today.

[cmbl]

Interesting. I wonder if that was intentional.

I suspect that it was, given that the 1928 edition of "Doctrines of the Bible" both mentions and allows for either the view that the just and unjust are raised in the same event or the view that the just and unjust are raised 1000 years apart.

[Nomad]

Some amill, postmill seem to think its up to the church to establish the Kingdom without Jesus present. Others claim its mystically established as a spiritual Kingdom inside our hearts or that the Church itself is presently the Kingdom prophecies fulfilled in full. And still others will claim their outward works are a spiritual manifestation of the Kingdom itself. Actually, the way one views the millennium can color one's theology quite a bit if you think about it...

[Neto]

Some amill, postmill seem to think its up to the church to establish the Kingdom without Jesus present. Others claim its mystically established as a spiritual Kingdom inside our hearts or that the Church itself is presently the Kingdom prophecies fulfilled in full. And still others will claim their outward works are a spiritual manifestation of the Kingdom itself. Actually, the way one views the millennium can color one's theology quite a bit if you think about it...

Jay, I think Nomad's comments here may answer your question about the impact of beliefs pertaining to the future may impact a person's Christian life. Obviously, if one thinks that the Church is supposed to create the earthly kingdom as a ready-made government for Jesus to come and just step into, then they will be very engaged in world politics. If someone else believes that there will be a literal earthly kingdom, but that Jesus will bring it all to pass on his own, then that person will find his or herself free to do the spiritual work in the so-called 'great commission'.

If the present earth will be the site of an eternal kingdom - that is, if it will not be purified by fire, literally - then if that were me, I would be much more active in opposing the vast amount of pollution of the environment that is going on in our world, right now. I'm probably more of an environmentalist than many here (with a few here more actively involved in this cause than I), but I act 'privately', as an individual, and do not get involved in politics to 'force' it on others. (It was the summer after I finished the eight grade, 1968, when I remember thinking that only fire could purify the earth this time around. I was walking along the highway up to our church house, where I was attending pre-baptism classes, and was seeing all of the broken pop and beer bottles that people had thrown out their car windows as they drove past my grandparents' farm. And there are lots of other types of pollution now, things that were unknown back then. We bought a house last year that has a few acres of woods behind it, and just yesterday I walked through part of it, and had soon collected a large bag full of plastic, packaging foam, fast food containers, etc. I hadn't planned to do that, but after I came across the large plastic bag from some form of ice-melt solution, I started filling it with trash. I suspect that most of it blows into the woods from people who are careless with their own trash.)

[Ernie]

Interesting. I wonder if that was intentional.

I suspect that it was, given that the 1928 edition of "Doctrines of the Bible" both mentions and allows for either the view that the just and unjust are raised in the same event or the view that the just and unjust are raised 1000 years apart.

And this was changed/edited in later editions?