I recently had a personal experience that exposed my own tension about how to relate to conservative and progressive believers within the Christian faith. How much do we need to agree about in order to relate to each other as being in the faith? If someone comes to faith, but they go to a church that's more liberal or conservative than ours, do we genuinely celebrate that they've come to faith, or do we hold back. It’s important to lean into this tension prayerfully, especially in microchurch gatherings where it’s hard to hide our differences. Is it possible for conservative and liberal Christians to be in fellowship with each other? How much difference can you tolerate? How much difference should we tolerate?
00:00 An Interesting Experience 00:13 Family Reunion Reflections 01:44 Conservative vs. Progressive Faith 04:59 Personal Struggles with Faith 09:01 Defining the Faith 11:16 Unity in Faith 12:52 Final Thoughts and Encouragement Mission Update: Have you heard of the Bruderhof?
As Wendy and I travel the country to encourage people in our X242 network, and to pique the interest of others about the same, I am overjoyed at the quality and breadth of experiences.
The Bruderhof Last week we left the Spring Valley Bruderhof in Farmington, PA, and drove a few hours to Berlin, Ohio, where I've had a number of meetings. And I continue to mull over my Bruderhof experience such that it keeps coloring all my conversations with people. ("Have you heard of the Bruderhof?") Bruderhof is German for Place of Brothers. They are an Anabaptist community, with roots in the Radical Reformation in 1525, which branched out of the Protestant Reformation. Anabaptism is marked by a lived out faith, adult baptism, and rejection of violence. If you think of Amish, Hutterite, or Mennonite, you're in the ballpark, but at the same time, Bruderhof isn't any of those. They were started in 1920 in Germany, in response to all the things that were going on there at the time. They were persecuted, and they responded by living communally, meaning they have all things in common. No one has any personal possessions. There are 3000 people, with a couple dozen large communities around the world with 200-300 people in each. But then they also have a number of small house church type communities where ten or twelve people might share a house. (Interestingly, for those of us in Sarasota, there's one at the St Pete Pier!) The larger communities farm to supply the community with vegetables, etc., and they have their own businesses (Rifton and Community Playthings), which have onsite factories that most people work in, and which provides for the financial needs of the community. People in house churches work regular jobs if necessary, but still share all things in common. At the Spring Valley community, they have lunch together every weekday. But they also give each other plenty of personal space at night. They have an onsite school. They have a Sunday worship gathering that is kept simple for children. They sing hymns and folk songs that they all enjoy. They also sing before meals. They have adult bible studies a couple nights a week, but it can be interrupted for other things. For the most part, it's all very fluid and peaceful, even though they work a lot. It was a fascinating experience. I asked questions the whole time. Nothing was off limits. I discovered no "wizard of Oz" behind the curtain pulling the levers, and no bishop telling everyone what they're allowed to do or how to dress. They have cell phones and electricity and all the modern conveniences. I asked Mathais, our 28 year old host, if they're allowed to watch YouTube and stuff, and he said, Of course. I said, but can a person just sit and watch YouTube on their phone all evening? And he said, "I mean you could, but why would you want to?" That was a pretty good answer for me. They like to hang out and talk at night, sitting outside on swings and things. One of my favorite take aways was the value of living out their faith in community. I'm not sure if someone said it or I read it: "If you're not close to God, you'll know it, and we'll know it. If you're close to God, you'll know it and we'll know it." And by extension, "If you're caught up in a sin, you'll know it and we'll know it." I was encouraged by that, because in it is a hope that through the community just paying attention to each other, and caring for each other, there will be redemption and restoration. The care and concern is more than just physical and relational; it's spiritual. I can't stop mulling over all that. And it keeps finding its way into all my conversations, and my imaginations. Can It Be Applied In Other Ways? Here in Berlin, a friend and I picked up a conversation from last year, about his desire to establish something where foster families and single moms can live in community, supporting each other. I've explored similar conversations with a lady in Florida who refers to "orphans and "widows" as people of any age and stage that have no other family. In both conversations, the desire is the same: to create community where there is mutuality of care and concern, centered around and inspired by our love for Jesus which proves itself in love for each other. We would all do well to memorize James 1:27, "Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world." If we expand that to include anyone who is disadvantaged by a lack of family, I would include some divorcees in that, as well as foster kids. In our X242 network we definitely have "orphans and widows." A few days ago I was talking with a man here who is widowed. I described the things I was thinking about and he asked if such a community would be healthy for someone like him. He was asking it from a weak position, not a challenging position. He was wondering if there would be a place for an older single person like him. My answer is Yes, it would be healthy. Wonderful even. You might even say vital. And not just vital for people like him, but for others who get to care for and be cared for by people like him. We all need community. We all need to love others, just as much as we need to be loved by others. Where I Differ But as much as I'm intrigued by it, I need to say where I differ. Not really to correct them, but just to keep my words from saying something I don't intend. The Bruderhof believe that the early church lived communally with a common purse, and so they do the same. They point to Acts 2:44 and 4:32 as their inspiration: "All the believers were together and had everything in common," and "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had." And so the Bruderhof has chosen to live without any personal possessions, but rather, to have a common purse where all income goes into the pot, and all needs are paid for from the same pot. They do it willingly, with a voluntary lifelong pledge. I'm just as inspired by those passages. In fact, that's why I wanted to experience their radical application of that. But when I read those passages I also see in Acts 2:45 and 4:34-35 that the believers "sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need," and "there were no needy persons among them, for from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need." And so we still see ownership, but also a need-inspired generosity where those possessions are disposed of as necessary to meet the needs of the family. The early church lived as family, giving very generously to meet people's needs, but retaining their personal property. That said, I don't believe what the Bruderhof has chosen is bad. In fact, I think it's good. But it's not required. I don't personally feel called to it but I do respect it. And I am inspired by the radical nature of their commitment to each other. What Might It Mean for X242? In my conversations this week I've been listening to what God would say. Again, I am not feeling led to join the Bruderhof, but I do believe they have something to teach us. And so I can't help but imagine what God might call us to in our simpler way of being church. Is there an opportunity for some of us to live that out in more intentional community than just weekly meetings in people's homes? Is there such a place in our X242 way of thinking and living that would have room for such a community? Not Bruderhof, but Bruderhof-ish. And certainly not that it would be the only way to do X242, but just a way to do it. I'm curious if it inspires anyone else's imaginations like it does mine? Or perhaps it invokes fear or concern? Anyone? Prayers Thank you for your prayers. Tomorrow we leave Berlin, and go to St Marys, Ohio to connect with friends there for a few days. Then we spend a week in Shipshewana, Indiana, before making our way over to Easton, Kansas. Thank you everyone for you prayers! God is answering with inspired conversations every day, all along the way. Amen!
4 Comments
Jan Solomon
7/8/2024 09:42:24 pm
It has been a joy to watch the students of Sarasota Christian School from the old days grow and teach this old lady new truths.
Reply
Roger Shenk
7/18/2024 10:35:44 pm
Thanks "Mrs. Solomon." :)
Reply
Jenn
7/10/2024 05:15:35 am
I hate that the question has to be asked, because you’ve done a good job raising me to love others without condition. I appreciate the thoughtfulness, self awareness and conclusion ultimately leading to unity in Christ ❤️
Reply
Roger Shenk
7/18/2024 10:35:13 pm
thanks Jenn.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorRoger Shenk is the pastor of X242, a network of microchurches. Archives
August 2024
Categories |