Apart from the theological questions and pastoral issues, one of the most interesting questions to watch will be the use of media on both sides. Last year Pink Menno leveraged Twitter heavily to organize their gatherings. This year Pink Menno is back with a significant Twitter and Facebook presence. Last year following the mainline Mennonite updates was slow and rather hit-and-miss. This year the conference has a Facebook Page but no dedicated Twitter account (and no hash tag just yet).

For those who can't be in Pitts, consider how you can "Be a Bridge"! Visit our page http://bit.ly/mJs1Mt to see videos and upload your own.

9 June 2011 09:17 via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@pinkmenno

pink menno (L Yoder)

Pink Menno is actively engaging their constituency in real time allowing them to organize, respond, educate, and encourage in a way that the printed newsletter simply can’t. With smartphones and a demographic accustomed to getting, and responding to, news instantly, new media is a force-multiplier. The problem for the conservatives is insurmountable. The conservative contingent is generally of a demographic which wouldn’t know what to do with new media. Hamstrung with slow and uni-directional communication the conservatives simply lack the ability to rally forces to their cause or make their issues heard. There is no small irony here that new communications tools will very likely shape the future of a theological heritage founded in the wake of the printing press.

Whatever the intention or outcome of Jim Schrag’s (then Executive Director Mennonite Church USA) post-2009 conference letter there is a certain case-in-point here. Mr. Schrag seems to be attempting some damage control to the conservative parents:

Mr. Schrag seems to believe that the denomination’s role is to control the information youth receive. Indeed, this seems to be the mainline approach to the problem. If people don’t hear about the issue it is a non-issue. However, we know this is simply an untenable approach. No matter how the denomination tries to control the dissemination of literature and the wearing of the colour pink the youth will hear. Censorship hasn’t worked to suppress movements in the past and will only fuel fires now.

Now we wait and watch the combatants prepare for their war of communication and theology. It’s impossible to forget the damage done in previous battles. Let’s keep both sides in prayer and hope that a denomination famous for peace and reconciliation can find peaceful and healing ways to dialog.

Next post Hong Kong…

Rough intinerary is:

• Saturday-Sunday (14-15th): In Flight
• Monday-Tuesday (16-17th): Sight seeing
• Wednesday-Thursday (18-19th): Business
• Friday-Saturday (20-21st): Sight seeing
• Sunday (22nd): In Flight

During the trip I’ll have limited phone and email connectivity. Please watch Facebook, Twitter, and here for updates. Singapore is said to have good WiFi available so I should be able to make and receive calls via Google Voice but delays are likely – please leave a voice message.

John 4:1-42 is a well known Bible story where Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well. The interpretation often go along the lines of Jesus reaching out to those outside the Jewish mainstream and the universality of his message. The story was surely shocking, even scandalous. A Jewish man speaking to a woman alone who turns out to be living in sin. Her responses, of course, reveals her recognition of Jesus as the universal Messiah and the breaking down of political boundries.

As I was rereading the story for the 1000^th time the other day it struck me just how politically charged and current the story is today. Despite the backlash and debates, many Christians point to the American “Founding Fathers” as the role models of christian piety and patriotism. Many Christians consider it their duty to take up arms in the military and kill in the name of American freedom and democracy. Many more think nothing of saying the Pledge of Allegiance or singing the National Anthem. Even the Mennonite Goshen College sings the National Anthem (though there is currently much debate over the practice).

The classic engraving by John McRae of George Washington praying at Valley Forge helps define, for many, the notion of a “christian nation”. Some, like Natalie Nichols of Shades of Grace Ministries hold firmly to the belief that the American Founding Fathers were Christian and that Christianity defines America. Such notions then define national patriotism as not simply a civic duty but a religious duty. A Christian, then is justified to kill if it is under the auspices of the American government because the American government is ordained by God (Romans 13:1).

Let’s look a little more closely at the story in John. A pivotal point occurs in verse 12 where the woman invokes the Samaritan version of the Founding Fathers. When Jesus claims to be able to provide living water (υδωρ ζων) the woman take that as a challenge to her national pride. She invokes the Founding Father, Jacob, who built the well. The theme of nationalism is returned to in verse 20 where she again invokes the Founding Fathers who worshiped on “this mountain”. In this story Jesus clearly puts to rest any notions of geo-political patriotism and nationalism in his response ”…the hour is coming (ερχεται ωρα) when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” Paul got it. His interpretation of John 4 in Galatians 3:28 was “There is (ενι) no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female…” Note the verb change here from Jesus’ “will come” to Pauls “is”.

The nationalistic elements in John’s story are certainly not the only themes, nor are they the most important. They are, however there and are most often over looked. The woman’s response isn’t all that much different from the response of many well meaning American Christians who invoke Washington or some other Founding Father when challenged. The Samaritan woman wrongly attributed the gifts God gives (here in the form of water from the well) as coming from Jacob. We too, often atribute American freedoms, the Constitution, liberty, or patriotism to Jefferson or Lincoln or even military might. If we met Jesus at the well we might be set straight. It is God who provided her the water and it is God who provide us any liberties or freedom we might have. Nationalistic pride and patriotism is no more appropriate for the American Christian than it was for the Samaritan Jew.

[Note: The image of George Bush with Washington and Lincoln was found on several blogs. None of the blogs gave a proper attribution for the image. If anyone knows who created this image or has any information about copyright please contact me so I can properly attribute it.]

Milton wrapped an allegory of the failed Parliamentarian utopia that was the Commonwealth into an anti-trinitarian, pseudo Calvinist theology that leaves the reader pained and puzzled at best.

I would be lying to say I understood it. But now I’m reminded why the book has had some many great minds attack it from so many different angles. It’s not just a disagreement of Milton’s use (or abuse) of the English language. There are much more troubling issues to deal with.

Did Milton really side with Satan? Did he align the Commonwealth with the Satanic council and Cromwell with Satan? Was the Fall with Adam and Eve’s new knowledge of Good and evil really bad? Was the expulsion from Paradise with a new life in a predestined broken world an allegory of the post-Commonwealth world under the monarchy? Was Milton waiting for a new Cromwell as Adam and Eve wait for the Messiah in Book 12?

I certainly don’t know the answers to these questions after my little six week study. Maybe the opportunity will arise again to cycle back. Next time I will dig into the anti-trinitarian literature of the time. In particular, I would love to take some time reading the Racovian Catechism and Socinianism.

What book should we study next?