By G. D. Gehr August 10, 2016
I recently taught an elective
class in Sunday School that was part of a series on the Reformation. My assignment for this particular day was “The
Third Way: Anabaptism”. It is one of my favorite topics in large part
because Anabaptism has shaped who I am and how I think on so many levels.
I will try to refrain from going
into a detailed discussion of what Anabaptism is and how it came to be. I will simply say here that Anabaptism is
perhaps best found in the Mennonite and the Brethren traditions. As a general statement the Mennonites are
pure Anabaptists while the Brethren really began as Pietists who became so
heavily influenced by Anabaptism that they adopted it almost from their
beginning and merged it, if you will, with the teachings and practices of
Pietism, thus forming a rather unique and intriguing theological path.
As a pastor in the Church of the
Brethren and a student and disciple of this Anabaptist-Pietist tradition I hold
certain doctrines and values to be especially dear. These include, but are not limited to, the
following.
1. Free Will. The
believer chooses to follow Jesus by making a conscious, informed decision to do
so. Such a choice is personal,
voluntary, and willingly entered into without coercion. Likewise, all decisions and actions made by
an individual are his/her responsibility.
That is, neither God nor Satan make us do anything. We choose to act as we do and are held
accountable for our actions.
2. Believer’s Baptism, This is a
natural result of Free Will. Infant
baptism is not valid because the individual had no say in the matter. The New Testament is very clear that baptism
is entered into by persons who have heard the Word of God and choose to accept
it by being baptized.
3. A Literal Interpretation of, and a Total Commitment to the
Words, Teachings, and Example of Jesus.
Jesus is the highest expression of God.
In his flesh the Divine Being was revealed to us. He alone has lived the perfect life without
sin and thus is the model by which we set our hearts to follow.
4. Sanctity of human life. All
humans are created by God and in the image of God. While all are sinners yet all have redemptive
value. As followers of Jesus we are not
to judge others (Matthew 7:1 ff) but are called to respect life as a gift from
God.
5. Unconditional Love to all persons. Jesus instructs us to “love your neighbor as
yourself” and by his example that means everyone.
6. Nonviolence. Jesus
never once used violence, nor did he endorse its use. Rather he consistently taught his followers
to denounce all forms of violence and hatred in favor of committing ones’ self
to a life of peacemaking and reconciliation.
7. Separation From The World. By this it is meant that the body of
believers, also known as the Church, is called to live apart from the values,
the principles and the sinfulness of the non-believing world. We are to obey the laws of the land and pay
respect to civil authorities, but “our citizenship is in heaven. (Philippians
3:20)”. We are only transients, aliens
in this life who are merely passing through on our way to our true home, our
spiritual country, heaven (I Peter 2:11).
This includes the separation of Church and State, that is, the State
cannot dictate to the Church what it must believe or practice or support. But likewise the Church cannot seek to demand
that the State follow its value system, its morals or truth. More on this shortly.
This is a summary of the
convictions I have come to embrace and claim as my own. This list only offers a brief and superficial
introduction to the values and teachings of the Anabaptist movement. Much more needs to be said to flesh out these
ideas but hopefully they give you some insight into what makes me tick
theologically.
As much as I value these
principles and seek to guide my life according to them I must confess they do present
a problem at times. One way in which
they trouble me is in response to the current election process in the United
States. Which candidate should I vote
for? Which Party Platform bests embodies
my values and convictions? For that matter,
should the Christian even engage in the political process? For many, this last question will make no
sense at all. Of course, they will say,
the Christian must engage and take a part in the process. We must vote and make our values known at the
ballot box. It is our godly duty.
Is it? If we are strangers and aliens in this world
and our true citizenship is in heaven, then why should we become so identified
with the governments and the principalities of this life?
The early Anabaptists shunned
participation in the civil government, including the voting process. Many still do. That is not to say they had no opinion or
were unwilling to voice their views. It
was not uncommon for the Brethren and the Mennonites to witness to the world
concerning the Truth and promoting biblical values. During the days of the Revolutionary War a
Philadelphia printer named Christopher Sauer was deeply influenced by the
Brethren. His son, Christopher Sauer,
Jr. even joined the Brethren Church at Germantown. Father and son printed pamphlets and flyers
in opposition to the War based on the biblical teachings of Jesus and the New
Testament which they believed called for nonviolence and obedience to the king
(I Peter 2:13-14; Romans 13:1-5). The Sauers paid dearly for this at the hands
of the Revolutionary leaders including Benjamin Franklin, who confiscated
Sauer’s press, had them arrested, put in chains, and marched through the
streets of the city in disgrace. Isn’t
it interesting how a government that claimed all men are created equal and that
pronounced freedom of religion and freedom of speech should take such
outrageous measures against two men for voicing their religious opinions.
As the years went on, the
nation grew, the people prospered and the Church slowly assimilated into civil
society many in the Anabaptist community and elsewhere softened in their
understanding of the Church and State.
The spiritual sojourners and aliens became increasingly comfortable in
this land of opportunity. It began to
feel more and more like home. Gradually
it seemed many Church members were developing a sense of civic
responsibility. They began following
politics including casting their vote and eventually some began to run for
office themselves. As this evolution
unfolded the whole thing seemingly morphed into a very different animal all
together. Before long, Christians wanted
to impose their views on others by making laws that reflect what they perceived
to be biblical values and ideals. This
shift began outside the Anabaptist movement to be very sure. But over the course of some 240 years it drew
many Anabaptists into the stream as well.
Now I must make myself
very clear at this point. I am not
suggesting that the Christian should not vote or hold public office. I have voted on many occasions, though I have
often chosen not to vote also. But when
I vote I always try to be informed by my faith.
I vote on the issues, or so I like to think. I refuse to endorse any political party
because I have yet to find one that consistently harmonizes with my faith
convictions. Having said this I find
myself torn on certain issues.
For example, any
Presidential candidate is seeking to become the Commander-In-Chief of the armed
forces of the United States. If this
country is invaded, attacked, or otherwise compromised it will become their
duty to defend it with force, if necessary.
How am I to reconcile that with the life and teachings of my Master and
Lord, Jesus Christ? Honestly, I cannot. The New Testament clearly states that we are
to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), bless those who persecute you (Romans
12:14) & do not repay evil for evil (Romans 12:17).
Consider the Death
Penalty. I find myself unable to vote
for any candidate that seeks to enact or increase the use of the death
penalty. Such a position is in direct
violation of the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and the example of
Jesus who himself was executed yet forgave those who put him to death.
Now, let’s get even more
specific. What about abortion? It is no secret that the next President of
the United States will likely have the occasion to nominate anywhere from 1 to
5 Supreme Court Justices. This could
become crucial in swinging the pendulum from a Supreme Court that is closely
divided on overturning Roe v. Wade, to one that will be likely to have a strong
majority that will either be pro-life or pro-choice, depending on who wins the
election. Given my understanding of
theology through the lens of Anabaptism I tend to be pro-life. Abortion is not an option for me. Yet I cannot help but think that my faith
tradition also cherishes Free Will. I
recognize that very few citizens of this country share my faith tradition. In fact, many are not Christian at all. They either follow a very different religion
or they are simply secularists, choosing not to engage in religion. Is it fair for me to impose my values and
beliefs on others when I do not want them to tell me how I must think and live? If I really want to be objective about this I
am inclined to say no. As an alien, a
stranger passing through this life on my way home – to heaven – I find myself
in the role of a foreigner even though I may have a slip of paper that says I
am an American citizen. The thought that
has been eating away at me is this:
Shouldn’t I extend the option of Free Will to everyone, even as I wish
to claim it for myself? Is it possible
to be Pro-Choice with regard to my position for the country while personally
preserving my right to be
Pro-Life? If I demand our government
should overturn Roe v. Wade, and abortions should become illegal, am I not also
denying the right for a person to make that decision themselves? Would I maintain my integrity more by living
in a Pro-Choice country and bearing witness to my Pro-Life convictions,
encouraging people to choose to join
me as God draws them closer to him?
I sometimes wonder if we
confuse legislation with evangelism. We
think that we can legislate morality by passing laws that fall into harmony
with our perceived theological perspective.
If we succeed we have won a major victory for God. Or did we?
When a baby is baptized it may become wet, but is it a believer in
Christ? Has that infant’s reasoning, its
thought process, its commitment to God changed in any way during the 15 seconds
after it was ceremonially made wet as compared to what it was just moments
earlier? No! Neither can we expect that we will save souls
and bring people to Christ because the law of the land now reflects my way of thinking rather than yours.
What I am finding in this
election is that many Christians are becoming one-issue voters. They are so consumed with the desire to
overturn Roe v. Wade and thereby outlaw abortion that they are willing to
support the Republican Party’s candidate for President simply because the Party’s
platform contains a plank stating their intent on achieving this goal. OK, I get that. If you feel that strongly about it I can
respect your view even if I am not in total agreement with it. However, in voting for that candidate you are
also casting a vote in support of many other things as well. Things like religious intolerance that would
refuse to allow Muslims to immigrate legally into our country and would
establish surveillance on those who already live here. How do we reconcile that with our own desire
for religious freedom and the opportunity to worship as we see fit? Then too there is the stated intention to
carpet bomb suspected terrorists and any civilians near them, resulting in the loss
of untold human life including women, children, and men who may or may not be
associated with terrorism but will all be killed mercilessly just in case they
are. Can there possibly be anything
biblical about that? How about the many
documented lies and contradictions that have spewed forth from the mouth of the
Republican candidate and his entire camp over the course of this weary
campaign? What does Jesus say about
liars? James tells us that the devil is
the father of all lies. Are we willing
to align ourselves with such a candidate for the sake of imposing our Pro-Life
position on the rest of the nation?
The arrogance, the hatred,
the violent rhetoric, the distortions, the disdain for the Constitution of the
United States are all part of the package with this candidate and his
Party. Yet I read of persons who are
considered leaders in the evangelical church, men and women who are highly
respected and looked to for spiritual guidance enthusiastically supporting
Donald Trump and telling us that it is our moral duty to vote for him! Individuals like Dr. Wayne Grudem, Research
Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary. His endorsement can be found at http://m.townhall.com/columnists/waynegrudem/2016/07/28/why-voting-for-donald-trump-is-a-morally-good-choice-n2199564. To me, Grudem’s position is an embarrassment
to the Christian faith.
But Grudem is not
alone. Far too many otherwise respected
persons in the Church and out, including some of the highest ranking leaders in
the GOP, continue to declare their support for this volatile cannon that is
about to self-destruct. It is
inconceivable to me that Christian leaders who have studied the scriptures and
have walked the life of faith for so long can turn a blind eye to the endless
contradictions of Donald Trump and remain committed to casting a vote for
him. I can only conclude that their
obsession with the Pro-Life agenda has blinded them to everything else.
The fact that Republican
leaders such as Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Chris
Christie, Ben Carson and so many others remain unwavering in their support is
also mind boggling. What does it say
when former Republican Presidents George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush join
with former nominee Mitt Romney in going on record as not supporting this pipe
bomb? In a very real sense they have received
the highest insult from their own Party leadership who have heard their pleas
but ignore them anyway for political pragmatism. When this election is over, they will need to
ask themselves if it was truly worth it.
Once again I want to be
very clear that I am not endorsing any candidate for President. In fact, today I am feeling increasingly
comfortable in embracing my Anabaptist heritage and claiming my citizenship in
heaven where I have a Savior who is my head, my life, my all. I am not sure what that means by the time
November rolls around. But I will say
this, as I have said at times in the past, to decide not to vote for any
candidate is in itself a vote. It is a
vote of conscience; a vote of objection; a vote based on unconditional loyalty
to Jesus Christ that says I cannot support candidates that so contradict my
overall value system and faith foundation.
Perhaps. Or perhaps not. I have an awful lot of praying and thinking
to do during the next 2 months or so.
Note: I welcome your thoughts and comments. Please feel free to respond in constructive conversation in the hope that we might all grow in Grace and Truth.