Unlawful remarriage of injured spouse. A false Mennonite teaching

[Bootstrap]

I find it interesting how Wade (and others) bash various plain groups and churches and plain people repeatedly, people who aren’t even here to defend themselves, or who stay silent.

Interesting. Wade doesn't come across that way to me. Are there others who feel that he does?

In this thread, I find your tone much harsher than his. I haven't read every post in the thread, I may be missing something.

[Josh]

I do tend to be more open and direct, particularly in this forum, and call a spade a spade.

I find your allegation I’m a seeker, not a Mennonite, particularly instructive. I’ve been a member of a Mennonite church for years, longer than I’ve been a Christian. I didn’t grow up in a Mennonite church and am not fully socialised into acting exactly like one. I hope that’s not a bad thing.

Re: Disciplined & Scheduled Family Life = ?

Postby Josh » Tue Mar 27, 2018 12:28 pm
I took the counsel of others who felt my job is okay for now, as long as it’s not this way permanently, and took steps to change it.

I have not been instructed that there is a rush to finish up church membership. Indeed, my Gelassenheit experience is that it’s been good for me to wait and wait with no idea when it will happen - trusting God for this instead of forcing it to happen on my own. I’ve been waiting 3 1/2 years, so a few more months won’t hurt me.

Wade,

I still have a membership (complete with newsletters and the occasional auto-dialer phone call) in a former Mennonite Church USA congregation, now part of a group called FEC. That congregation has changed a massive amount in the last 4 years. So have I. As far as my involvement there goes, I stopped participating in things like MCC, the local youth centre they built, etc. about 2 years ago.

I made a decision 2 years ago to withdraw my imminent membership due to problems I saw in that church that I did not believe would be resolved. I felt it best to withdraw instead of join, and then immediately challenge leaders and sow discord and disharmony into that church. I could not be a member there and stay silent about the problems I saw there, which are still there today.

I’m quite content where I am now, particularly with the transparency of expectations of membership. I don’t really feel like a “seeker” anymore, although I will never be someone who was born in North America and raised in a Mennonite home. I wish you find a way to find similar contentment. Maybe that’s the source of my frustration when speaking to you. I had to accept a lot of criticism, negative feedback, very harsh gossip, and hurt to end up where I am now.

[temporal1]

The word, “seeker” begs definition.
On a mixed public forum like this, altho cumbersome, it’s fair to clarify intended word meanings.

i always think of the word, “seeker,” as the greatest compliment!
i understand it to be a lifelong endeavor: seeking Jesus in our lives. seeking the Holy Spirit. for life.

it’s not over, until He says it’s over.
no matter how strongly we believe and know we are with Him, we continue to seek Him.

Wayne uses these words:
Affiliation: Anabaptist Seeker

personally, i don’t believe church membership, alone, defines/fulfills this active pronoun/verb.

maybe a poll on perceptions/definitions would reflect views?

[Josh]

“Seeker” is a term conservative Anabaptists use to refer to someone who didn’t grow up in a conservative Anabaptist family or church, but now has an interest in their teenage years or in adulthood.

Generally someone who becomes a full fledged member isn’t referred to as a seeker anymore.

The terminology is rather derogatory, but it is the way it is and won’t be changing any time soon.

[temporal1]

“Seeker” is a term conservative Anabaptists use to refer to someone who didn’t grow up in a conservative Anabaptist family or church, but now has an interest in their teenage years or in adulthood.

Generally someone who becomes a full fledged member isn’t referred to as a seeker anymore.

The terminology is rather derogatory, but it is the way it is and won’t be changing any time soon.

ok. thank you. i had no idea.

this being your current definition, learned specifically by seeking CM membership, wouldn’t it be important to be certain others are usng the same definition, esp before taking offense?

[Josh]

“Seeker” is a term conservative Anabaptists use to refer to someone who didn’t grow up in a conservative Anabaptist family or church, but now has an interest in their teenage years or in adulthood.

Generally someone who becomes a full fledged member isn’t referred to as a seeker anymore.

The terminology is rather derogatory, but it is the way it is and won’t be changing any time soon.

ok. thank you. i had no idea.

this being your current definition, learned specifically by seeking CM membership, wouldn’t it be important to be certain others are usng the same definition, esp before taking offense?

Calling someone a “seeker” is often a way to say they are not a “real”, native born, ethnic Mennonite. I really don’t care for that kind of thinking.

[temporal1]

“Seeker” is a term conservative Anabaptists use to refer to someone who didn’t grow up in a conservative Anabaptist family or church, but now has an interest in their teenage years or in adulthood.

Generally someone who becomes a full fledged member isn’t referred to as a seeker anymore.

The terminology is rather derogatory, but it is the way it is and won’t be changing any time soon.

ok. thank you. i had no idea.

this being your current definition, learned specifically by seeking CM membership, wouldn’t it be important to be certain others are usng the same definition, esp before taking offense?

Calling someone a “seeker” is often a way to say they are not a “real”, native born, ethnic Mennonite. I really don’t care for that kind of thinking.

do you believe that is the majority use of the word on this forum?
“seeker” is used frequently. i never detected it as derogatory before your response above.
no doubt, i could have overlooked it.

from your description, i would probably use the word, “interloper.”

[Josh]

temporal1, I’ve attended or been a member of Mennonite churches for 7 years, and in plain / conservative churches for 3 of those years. I’m pretty familiar with when outsiders are looked at as a threat or in a derogatory way, and sometimes native born Mennonites can use the term “seeker” in a way that means “not like us”, usually in the context of the problems seekers tend to have.

It’s not fun to commit yourself to a new faith community and church and have some view as an “interloper”. If you want to understand what I mean, I suggest you go attend a Mennonite or other plain church in your area for a while. If you haven’t done that - I’m not really sure what you’re trying to accomplish here - very little of plain Mennonite life can be learnt and understood by reading online forums.

[Soloist]

I'm a seeker, I'm not a Mennonite, I'll never actually be a Mennonite in my mind for two reasons, one its my belief that this is an ethnic group, two, I am a follower of Jesus not a Mennonite. Do people call me Mennonite? sure... it was derogatory to begin with anyway and I'm not ashamed of being called it, but I usually say I go to a Mennonite church but I wouldn't consider myself a Mennonite.

I prefer the understanding to be this: Seeker "a individual through experience seeks the truth of Jesus and generally comes from a worldly church or wasn't a Christian"

Generally its something applied to people from non-Mennonite background and the biggest thing is most of the "seekers" have vastly different cultural understanding and both sides have issues with compromise for unity.

[temporal1]

I'm a seeker, I'm not a Mennonite, I'll never actually be a Mennonite in my mind for two reasons, one its my belief that this is an ethnic group, two, I am a follower of Jesus not a Mennonite. Do people call me Mennonite? sure... it was derogatory to begin with anyway and I'm not ashamed of being called it, but I usually say I go to a Mennonite church but I wouldn't consider myself a Mennonite.

I prefer the understanding to be this:
Seeker "a individual through experience seeks the truth of Jesus and generally comes from a worldly church or wasn't a Christian"

Generally its something applied to people from non-Mennonite background and the biggest thing is most of the "seekers" have vastly different cultural understanding and both sides have issues with compromise for unity.

Thank you for this.
Being called a Christian was derogatory to begin. In some places it remains so, it can be dangerous. People continue to be killed for their beliefs.

i will have to keep in mind the Mennonite cultural use of the word.