The Long Road Here: My Influence from the Mennonites
Posted: Sunday, April 17, 2011
by Bruce Horst
WryteStuff
I've been pretty introspective lately. I've gone though a lot of changes in the past few years and I'm in a different place now than I've ever been. I'm not in a different place geo-location wise, of course, though that is something that Jean and I have considered changing, too. I don't really know the word for it, but for lack of better terms, I'm in a different place socially, spiritually, and emotionally.
I've been thinking about writing about how I've gotten to where I'm at so that others might be able to understand how I've arrived here. Maybe it will help some people understand who otherwise wouldn't. It's not really for everyone, but I'll post it publicly to keep myself motivated and honest.
To understand how I've arrived at my current position in life, it's necessary to understand where I began. I'm not trying to make a theological argument here, I'm merely describing religious roots.
The Horsts come from a long line of Mennonites. We're talking centuries-long. If you're not familiar with Mennonites, the Mennonites originated in 16th century Western Europe, primarily from Germany and Switzerland. Mennonites are Anabaptists, which mean they believe the literal interpretation of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (blessed are the poor in spirit, meek, merciful, peacemakers, etc.) This made Mennonites very unpopular with the ruling Christian denominations in those early centuries (1600's &1700's) and Mennonites were persecuted and killed by both Catholics and Baptists for their non-conforming beliefs.
In fact, the Anabaptists are the only centuries-old religious group which doesn't have a history of killing others for perceived 'heresy'. Anabaptists believe in Christian-pacifism, which dictates (at least it used to) that it's better to be killed than to kill, even in self-defense. They also don't believe in participation in worldly government, which includes voting in elections. Mennonites witnessed first hand what State-sponsored religion always ends up doing, which is killing their political enemies in the name of their god. This is what brought the Mennonites to America, much like the Puritans and Pilgrims. The Mennonites have a history of 'laying down their rights' much like the New Testament shows that Jesus and His followers often did, believing that if they gave up their worldly rights, then the greater good would be served, and they might even gain some spiritual benefit in the process.
Mennonites are often associated with the Amish. It wasn't long ago that it was common for Mennonites to dress like the Amish, with the men wearing black clothes and wide-brimmed hats, and the women in dresses and bonnets, or 'prayer coverings'. This practice of wearing black clothing originated in Western Europe as well. Peasants wore clothing made from pieces of un-dyed clo
“The Sermon on the Mount was not offensive to the worldly people, the 'ungodly' and the sinners. In fact it was music to their ears and made total sense to them.”
You can't fully describe Mennonites without talking about servanthood. Here again, Mennonites believe in the literal interpretation of Jesus' teaching that the greatest person in the Kingdom of God is the one who is the greatest servant. This is the 'upside-down Kingdom' as some have described it. If the Leader of this Kingdom served us all by making the ultimate sacrifice, then we, as citizens of this Heavenly Kingdom, should not be be served by others. On the contrary, we should be serving others. Indeed, from an early age I believed that our life on earth is to be lived serving 'the least of these', as Jesus said.
We can read Jesus' teachings about this type of humility immediately after the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus talked about loving those who hate you. He talked about not praying publicly, drawing attention to yourself. In fact he said to pray in complete privacy. He said not to let others see when you do good, because if others see you doing good, then that becomes your full reward. By laying down your rights for the better good, by doing good in secret, by doing good to others who don't deserve it, you are storing up treasures in Heaven.
This is foundational to being Mennonite, and these principles are part of my fundamental understanding of Christianity. I have to admit that writing these words gets my adrenaline pumping. I think these truths should be so evident to anyone who reads about the life of Jesus in the Bible, but in fact many who claim to understand the Bible as God's Word preach the exact opposite message. How could this be?
If you are a person who believes the literal interpretation of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and His subsequent teaching, there's probably a lot more that you understand as well. The Sermon on the Mount was not offensive to the worldly people, the 'ungodly' and the sinners. In fact it was music to their ears and made total sense to them. It was, however, patently offensive to the religious. You see that Jesus' opposition when he walked the earth was not from the ungodly, but he was vehemently opposed by the religious. The religious accused Jesus of being 'soft on sin', and sinning Himself. The religious hated Jesus because he hung out with the wrong people. The religious hated Jesus, in short, because He made them look greedy, self-centered and arrogant. The religious are the ones who convinced Pontius Pilot to crucify Jesus. This understanding has been part of the history of Mennonites, from what I can tell, almost from the beginning.
It sounds odd, but I think these principles have been in effect for so long among Mennonites that with their tightly-bound communities it's practically become somewhat of a genetic personality trait.
Even still, the Mennonites of today have changed quite a bit. As with most things that start with a love of God and turn to a list of rules, it became corrupt. Regardless, these are the beliefs that are part of my earliest memories. I'm no longer a Mennonite. Many would say that I'm no longer a Christian. I do, however, still believe in these principles. In the coming weeks I'd like to write about the effect these principles had on me while growing up.
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More commentsYou have become a very good writer. This enlightens me about facts I did not know and makes much sense. Nice article Bruce and thanks.
SteveThanks Steve.
I remember when I first read one of your early articles that you said you weren't much of a writer but no, you are a good writer, Bruce. How could you not be one ?
This is a very interesting source of life happening you share !Thanks Hilda. I really have to work at making sentences make sense, but I guess practice makes perfect!
I think religion is between a person and God. I feel no one has the right to decide if another is Christian or not. I know very little about the Mennonite Religion but I do think it is interesting to learn of other's beliefs. My ancestors were Quakers and as i learned about their teachings I began to better understand them as people even though I never met them.Couldn't agree with you more, Jill. Thanks for your comment.
Hi Bruce,It's fitting that such a good writer heads up SearchWarp.I know very little about the Mennonites past the fact that they were mainly German. Thank you for explaining them a bit.I will be looking forward to reading more in the coming weeks.I think I might have a somewhat Mennonite kind of view of life ... except I don't think I'd stand idly by if someone were trying to kill me. Seriously.I've made some changes in my inner life over the last three years that have cost me one long-time friend. I think that just might be one of the hardest parts of changing yourself. But I'm happier now and that is very important to me. And, as you said, you are more content now. Hooray!Hugs,DianneThanks Dianne. Definitely the hardest part about change is losing friends, and family. There's nothing else like being true to yourself, though, so I think it's got to be worth it.
As a Christian I have never really understood that much about the Mennonites and this article really explained it in detail. I admit that many Christians today give Christianity a bad name and, unfortunately, that is the way it has been throughout history. More wars have been fought in the name of "religion" than any other reason. When people approach me about some "Christian" who has done something to shame Christians everywhere I always say the same thing, what the Bible says. We are to stay focused and keep our eyes on Jesus, not on man, because man will let you down every time. I agree 100% that most religions begin with a love of God and it all eventually becomes more about the rules than about God. Thanks for the very insightful article.Thanks Kerri. That is a key point of the article, I'm glad you found it!
Servanthood is the most important trait one must develop to attain the 'Kingdom of God' as you put it and this is so true to every faith which speaks about attaining oneness with God. This is not just pure religious faith, but the core essence of spiritualism too. What the Mennonites preached was basic humility and curbing the "pride" of the ego. Very nice that you brought a different and essential perspective of spiritualism which exists in Christianity.Thanks DM, I agree. As I understand it, the physical world says that a person should be in control of those around him. The spiritual world says that a person should serve those around him. This is spelled out clearly in the Bible, but I don't see it happening very often, which has led me to where I am today.
Honesty will get you what you are looking to find. Peace of mind. There are troubling thoughts in your heart. I can sense this from your blog.Yes, rules can get in the way. I once explained the law to my sister. It is the Spirit of God which God placed within us which allows us to keep the laws of His that we do keep.Of course we also break His laws, but this is due to weakness, not enjoyment. So, in serving others we feel joy. But there is a difference between service and slavery.Good deeds are placed before us by God each day. When we see a need, if we can fill the need great. If we cannot, we simply acknowledge it, and say a small prayer in our heart. God hears our prayer and will do what we could not do. He may use another person, or simply do it Himself. Again, He may just leave the need unmet at tiimes due to its need to be fulfilled in its proper season.We for our part simply need to stay alert to those things God places in our path. We must remember that the enemy can also put things in our path to make us feel bad because we saw a need we could not meet, and make us feel ashamed. But this is the enemy not God.God simply allows a certain interaction which will cause others to see Him through us. That's the long and short of it. But I understand where you are coming from. There is much that the organized Church has done to corrupt much of what Jesus said. But we can only be responsible for ourselves and pray for those in authority over the Church to wake up to where they lack.This does not mean we are not to mention things that need to be addressed. It simply means that it is up to them to allow God's Spirit to change their hearts and minds in the right direction. We need not feel that we have failed if they refuse to adhere to sound doctrine or advice.this is their call and only they can obey or disobey. God love you.Thanks Jesus. I'm only troubled because honesty has become a wall between myself and some others, but I think honesty must be a priority.
Amazing writing style and amazing content, Bruce! Like always. Always love reading your articles, they're not just informative, but also entertaining!
Interesting perspective that distinguishes "spirituality" as a system of values from "religion" that requires blind faith. Something that most of us in this generation would find it easier to relate to.
Inspirational as well as informative. Thank you for writing and sharing the history of the Mennonites. Happy Easter!
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