Preservings #19 December 2001.PMD

-being the Magazine/Journal of the Hanover Steinbach Historical Society Inc. Preservings $10.00 No. 19, December, 2001 “A people who have not the pride to record their own history will not long have the virtues to make their history worth recording; and no people who are indifferent to their past need hope to make their future great.” — Jan Gleysteen Mennonite Theology In his feature essay, J. Denny Weaver has leaders such as Ältester Klaas Reimer (1770- written that “Theology has never been more cru- 1837), Ältester Abraham Friesen (1782-1849), cial to the future of Mennonites as faithful Prediger Heinrich Balzer (1800-46), Ältester Anabaptists than at this moment.” Since the Gerhard Wiebe (1827-1900) and Ältester Church Councils of the third century, Johann Wiebe (1837-1905), to conclude that Christendom (what our great-grandparents re- “Developing a theology specifically shaped by ferred to as the “Christentum der Welt”) has the non-violence of Jesus is not a fundamental separated theology and ethics. departure from previous Anabaptist and Men- Professor Weaver points out that in the past, nonite theologizing.” religious culture (also referred to as ethnicity) Some samples of Weaver’s observations re- “has `saved’ many generations of Anabaptists garding our local faith heroes: “[Klaas] Reimer [Mennonites] as a peace church, and continues also used terminology reminiscent of Christus to have meaning, religious and otherwise, for Victor, the atonement motif that depicts Jesus’ many people...” and should not be maligned. saving work in terms of victory of or a defeat of “Mennonites [had a] visible ethnicity that re- the devil.” “[Gerhard] Wiebe’s description of the minded us...that Jesus was our norm for eth- death of Jesus might be said to echo the element ics.” of victory from the Christus Victor atonement On the other hand, “...throughout Menno- motif.” “[Ältester Johann Wiebe’s] “...comments nite history, when Mennonites have become cul- about the blood of Jesus being an offering for turally assimilated, they have also lost their com- sin...certainly locate Wiebe in the historic satis- mitment to nonviolence and ultimately their iden- faction school of images.” John Holdeman “...con- tity.” Consequently, “...theology has become a sidered [premillennialism]...a gross contradiction primary tool for defining who we are as a com- for Christians to accept war in the present while munity of faith,” especially for assimilated Men- arguing that Jesus’s teachings about nonresis- nonites. tance belonged to a future kingdom.” J. Denny Weaver, Bluffton College, Ohio. Author Weaver argues rather effectively that the cur- Weaver concludes that “Mennonites and of Becoming Anabaptist (1987), Keeping Salva- rent post-modern era, far from being something Amish [leaders]...understood and talked about tion Ethical (1997), Anabaptism in the face of to be feared, is an opportunity for Mennonites atonement in terms of...some version of Postmodernity (2000), and The Nonviolent and others who include the ethical teachings of Anselmian, satisfaction atonement doctrine.” At Atonement (Eerdmans, 2001). Weaver’s published Jesus in their Christian faith, to place their be- the same time, “...all of [the Mennonite writers works rank him as a major scholar of contempo- liefs alongside the creeds of Christendom with studied]....added to or changed the emphasis in rary religion. With his insightful exposition of a equal credibility. some way so that discipleship and following Christ-centered theology, Weaver continues in the footsteps of his father-in-law Bishop J. C. Wenger Weaver analyses the writings of Dutch Jesus were visible....If we now develop a theol- as a gifted Bible teacher and contributor to the Bishop Peter Jansz Twisk (1565-1636), as well ogy specifically shaped by nonviolent disciple- Christian faith. Photo - Pres., No. 18, page 54. as Kleine Gemeinde, Bergthaler and Old Colony ship, we are simply being more explicit and going further in a direction already visible in evil....Developing a theology that makes explicit these earlier writers.” the nonviolence of Jesus involves a discussion Mennonites and other Gospel-centric believ- about who Jesus is and what it means to be a Inside This Issue ers can validate their faith through living a faith Christian.” embodying the teachings of Jesus. “Ethics and Such a theology, Weaver suggests, Feature stories .............................. 3-47 theology are two versions--one written and one “....shaped by the nonviolence of Jesus...thus President’s Report ............................ 49 lived--of the story of Jesus.” “John Howard challenges both the direct violence of war Yoder said that we testify to the truth of Jesus and...the systemic violence of economic and co- Editorial ...................................... 50-56 by living like Jesus did....” lonial exploitation....The peace church should Letters ........................................ 58-62 In the place of the violence accommodating pose an explicit challenge or alternative to the News ........................................ 63-83 theology of Christendom, Weaver, suggests “...a religious nationalism.” theology that is actually a reading of the Bible’s All believers whether Mennonites or other- Articles ..................................... 85-105 narratives in Revelations and the Gospels...and wise will be inspired by Weaver’s insightful Material Culture ..................... 106-123 a narrative Christus Victor for an atonement and poignant analysis and observations regard- motif....that displays the reign of God in non- ing a theology acknowledging fully the life and Book Reviews ........................ 124-136 violent confrontation of and triumph over teachings of Jesus Christ. The Editor. Preservings Introduction - Feature story “Mennonite Theology” Without particular planning in that direction, mote one to the exclusion of others as the only “church age”. Such a teaching of course is di- this issue of Preservings has become our first recognized way to salvation is a grievous perver- rectly contrary to the fundamental notion of Chris- major theological issue. Important articles on sion of the Gospel. tians as being those who followed or imitated “Conversion and the rebirth,” by the editor, “As- Protestant Fundamentalists have been exceed- Christ and His teachings. As such surance of Salvation,” by Bishop J. C. Wenger, ingly zealous in carrying out their interpretation dispensationalism is regarded by some observ- “Mission work and the Anabaptists,” by Joseph of the Great Commission, particularly in attack- ers as an Anti-Christian teaching as it denies the Stoll, Senior editor of Pathway Publications, ing other Christian confessions to convert to their efficacy of the life and teaching of Christ in the “Confessions of a Hutterite Convert,” by Robert religious culture. But they have typically forgot- present time. Rhodes, and “The Kingdom of God and the ten the last reported instructions of Jesus, namely, In 1999 Professor Walter Klaassen published Endtimes,” by Oxford scholar Walter Klaassen, to teach them “...to observe all things I have com- a major work, Armageddon and the Peaceable are anchored with a major paper by J. Denny manded you,” Matt 28:20. Kingdom (Harold Press, 1999), 281 pages, in Weaver, Professor of Religion, Bluffton College, Mennonites who have abandoned Gospel- which he outlines the historical origins of the Ohio, on “Anabaptist Theology in Face of centric faith and converted themselves to Protes- Darbyite Scofieldian apostasy and presents Bib- Postmodernity.” tant Fundamentalism have enthusiastically joined lical teaching on the topic of the 1000 year reign Although implicit from the very first epistles in the crusade of that religious culture of impos- of Christ, the millennium. In his article “The King- and tracts of the Reformation-era, the developing its “truth” upon the entire world. Their par- dom of God and the Endtime”, Walter has sum- ment of a Mennonite theology--in the sense of a ticular mission in this hyper-modernist project marized parts of the book for Preservings read- scholarly articulated expression, is a relatively has been to convert all other Mennonites to their ers. Hopefully it will assist Mennonites to better recent project. way of thinking. As one strategy to this end, they understand their heritage of faith and perhaps In examining and utilizing the writings of 19th have treasured the myth that they were merely even those who have converted themselves to century Mennonite leaders, J. Denny Weaver has engaged in returning people to the core values of alien religious cultures will be able to recognize avoided the error of many of arching over 400 Reformation Anabaptism. where they went astray. years of history and using only Reformation roots Joseph Stoll, senior editor of Pathway Publi- Undoubtedly among the most tragic and dra- to inform the discussion of a Mennonite theol- cations, Aylmer, Ontario, has compiled a much matic chapters in the history of Christianity is the ogy. This, of course, is helpful to some 300,000 needed paper on “Mission Work and the story of Mennonite persecution and suffering in Hutterites, Amish, Old Order and Conservative Anabaptists”. He explains why the Protestant Soviet Russia. Lawyer and historian Colin Mennonites, whose biblical communities and ex- mission movement has found little acceptance Neufeldt, Edmonton, has made another important istential Christian living remained faithful to this among Amish, Mennonites and other Christians contribution

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