Dank Kingdom Christian Memes

[Szdfan]

Well, I’m the same generation (or younger) as the active participants in DKCM. I’m also a lot more familiar with the Internet culture at hand than they would be; I just choose not to indulge in it these days.

Except for...(looks at notes)...here

[Josh]

Well, I’m the same generation (or younger) as the active participants in DKCM. I’m also a lot more familiar with the Internet culture at hand than they would be; I just choose not to indulge in it these days.

Except for...(looks at notes)...here

“Josh is a hypocrite! Amish aren’t supposed to be in the Internet.”

[Szdfan]

I wonder if there’s done generational differences going on. The most active participants on DKCM seem to skew pretty young and are much more comfortable with social media and memes than I think a lot of folks on MN are. I am sometimes surprised by the awareness of race and sexual abuse some of them are, which is not something I remember CM churches being that aware of when I was younger.

MennoDiscuss also began as a project of young CA’s and it’s become something different over the past decade or so. I also remember discussion about how inappropriate it was for Christians to participate in web forums and that you could never really build community online. On the one hand that’s true, we really do need face-to-face contact, but on the other hand, I’ve known some of you virtually for over a decade, and that also seems to me that MN is some sort of community as well.

I think an ongoing theme I’ve witnessed over the years is that the older generation of CA’s is often afraid that the next generation is too liberal and progressive, so there’s lots of gate keeping and tension but things eventually seem to work out.

It seems to me that most of the DKCMers are former members of conservative Anabaptist denominations but I could be wrong.

Could very well be true...there’s plenty of ex-Menno type of angst going on, but I don’t really know either.

If anything, DKCM shows me how far outside of the CA world I am. Until I joined, I’d never heard of Sattler College and now I see it’s a thing.

[joshuabgood]

I wonder if there’s done generational differences going on. The most active participants on DKCM seem to skew pretty young and are much more comfortable with social media and memes than I think a lot of folks on MN are. I am sometimes surprised by the awareness of race and sexual abuse some of them are, which is not something I remember CM churches being that aware of when I was younger.

MennoDiscuss also began as a project of young CA’s and it’s become something different over the past decade or so. I also remember discussion about how inappropriate it was for Christians to participate in web forums and that you could never really build community online. On the one hand that’s true, we really do need face-to-face contact, but on the other hand, I’ve known some of you virtually for over a decade, and that also seems to me that MN is some sort of community as well.

I think an ongoing theme I’ve witnessed over the years is that the older generation of CA’s is often afraid that the next generation is too liberal and progressive, so there’s lots of gate keeping and tension but things eventually seem to work out.

It seems to me that most of the DKCMers are former members of conservative Anabaptist denominations but I could be wrong.

Could very well be true...there’s plenty of ex-Menno type of angst going on, but I don’t really know either.

If anything, DKCM shows me how far outside of the CA world I am. Until I joined, I’d never heard of Sattler College and now I see it’s a thing.

I really see it as a neo CA movement. Some folks, especially a certain type, are getting weary of the institutions and structures that are so resistant to change and challenge.

[Josh]

If my predictions hold true, it’ll be the next EMU. (EMU was started because Goshen was getting too liberal.)

EMU has plummeting enrolment and a budget crisis, and Harrisonburg isn’t exactly a place young, hip students are clamouring to go.

Sattler is in Boston in the middle of the city, which appeals to youth who want to go some place “fun”. It has backers with deep pockets and the excitement of a new school with climbing enrolment, along with promises to parents, donors, and church leaders that the school is very dedicated to being “conservative”.

With that said, I fully expect Sattler to end up like EMU is.

[jahertz]

Sigh... Just look around. This place is nauseating.

LOL Wade, are you sure your involvement here doesn't speak louder than your words? [ducks and relurks]

[Wade]

Sigh... Just look around. This place is nauseating.

LOL Wade, are you sure your involvement here doesn't speak louder than your words? [ducks and relurks]

You have a good point.

There are a number of real amazing people on here that I have learned a lot from, but it has also being an internal struggle for me to stay or leave with some of the things that go on and how Christianity can be misrepresented at times(I don't mean this as a game of who is the kingdom contest - I worry about pushing people away from Christ). I am fairly certain if I didn't stay for at least some period of time that there wouldn't be a CA church that moved to my area and I wouldn't have made friends with some incredible brothers and sisters in Christ too.

[Wade]

Part of it may be generational, but some of what is driving what JoshScott called "crowds of people and groups in orbit around conservative Mennonitism" is that conservative Mennonites have some serious problems that are largely being ignored. So while the "conservatives" condemn those who don't wear the correct clothing or engage on the internet correctly, or etc., they are ignoring huge issues like sexual abuse or the sin of favoritism or materialism or contentious/hateful church splits.

Conservative Mennonites can get upset about there being places like DKCM, but I don't think they can wash their hands of it and say they haven't helped create its content.

As representatives of the heavenly kingdom do you think there will be talking and memes like this in heaven? If you do then continue on but if not then please just take Kingdom Christian out of the name rather than the gross misrepresentation of God and His kingdom. Therefore these memes are an attack on an Individual and His character.

I'm not on Facebook and never created a meme. The ones condemning DKCM and the people involved also say they are representatives of the Kingdom. It gets a bit laughable if we're going to engage in a "Who represents the Kingdom contest?" The King might tell us that none of us do.

You've completely missed my point... We are obviously coming at this from completely different perspectives.

[Josh]

So while the "conservatives" condemn those who don't wear the correct clothing or engage on the internet correctly, or etc., they are ignoring huge issues like sexual abuse or the sin of favoritism or materialism or contentious/hateful church splits.

Izzie,

I take offence to this statement. I have not ignored huge issues like sexual abuse, and indeed lost my home church and my reputation due to my stance.

It’s possible to be opposed to use of Internet “memes” and yet also take a stance against things like materialism. And in my experience, liberals are just as likely as conservatives to cover up abuse.

[Szdfan]

Part of it may be generational, but some of what is driving what JoshScott called "crowds of people and groups in orbit around conservative Mennonitism" is that conservative Mennonites have some serious problems that are largely being ignored. So while the "conservatives" condemn those who don't wear the correct clothing or engage on the internet correctly, or etc., they are ignoring huge issues like sexual abuse or the sin of favoritism or materialism or contentious/hateful church splits.

Conservative Mennonites can get upset about there being places like DKCM, but I don't think they can wash their hands of it and say they haven't helped create its content.

I think is a profoundly insightful post. I know there is trauma in the CM world from my own extended family that frequently does not get addressed or dealt with. I’m glad when there are ways to express it. If memes are a minor form of therapy and it provokes discussion, then that’s a good thing. Some of the posters on DCKM are thoughtful.