The Gift Of Hope

by Johnny Kerr

I find that my Creator often speaks to me when I am engaged in the creative process. Photography has helped me to be more aware, to see metaphors everywhere. Those metaphors often become a conduit through which the Spirit speaks to me. Psalm 66 says, “All the earth worships You and sings praises to You.” I suppose practicing photography has helped me listen more attentively to these songs of praise, allowing creation to teach me about it’s Creator.

Initially, in capturing and reflecting on this image of a small boat grounded on dry land, I became stuck on the obvious imagery of an ark. But that seemed too obvious. I felt a nagging urge to spend time looking deeper for a more profound meaning. During my reflections, I found myself writing a haiku to help figure out what this image had to tell me. I am not a poet, and don’t typically attempt poetry, but I followed the impulse:

I dreamed of a boat

A captive, held from the sea

The rain comforts me

To some, this poem may sound dreary. But for me, it is an expression of hope. What I see and feel in this metaphor is the tension between my renewed identity in God’s covenant family versus my limited perception of the present age. On one hand, the Gospel says we are alive in Christ. He invites us into the fullness of life here and now. On the other hand, we still find ourselves in this fallen world, struggling with the difficult reality that, while God’s Kingdom is here, it has yet to become fully realized. Life can be pretty good. Yet we still face harsh realities like tragedy, disaster, and death.

In wrestling with that apparent contradiction, this image of a boat stranded on dry land began to really speak to me. We are, if you’ll indulge my metaphor, boats that were designed for water, sailing freely through a vast ocean, above the guiding sway of mighty waves. And yet, sometimes we might feel more like boats who are out of our element. stranded on dry land.

But, just when we are about to lose hope, the rain comes! We feel that life-giving water again! It’s not the fullness of the ocean we were made for, but it’s enough to stimulate our senses and remind us of what will one day be again. We are called out of despair and into hope.

The funny thing about hope is that we wouldn’t need it if all was well. We sense that things aren’t quite right with our current world, precisely because God created us for something better. We need hope because things are not as they should be. That’s why my poem has elements of despair in it. It’s okay to feel that tension, but we don’t want to live there. We need the lifeline that hope offers, but what we place our hope in matters. We might even go as far as saying that misplaced hope is what got us into our current predicament in the first place.

A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” The Gospel teaches us that God is good. Unfortunately, throughout history the church has picked up and taught some pictures of God that make His goodness difficult to accept.

Most Christians would agree, at least on an intellectual level, that God is good. But our practice doesn’t always align with our ideology. Many of us also carry pieces of the mixed-up narrative of an angry God kicking Adam and Eve out of the garden for breaking some seemingly arbitrary rule. Generations later, He is still so angry with humanity’s wickedness that He has to vent His wrath on someone, so God sends Jesus to take our place of punishment on the cross. Thank you, Jesus, for saving us from your angry Dad!

I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time finding hope in that story. Hasn’t the time come that we divorce ourselves from this ugly narrative and replace it with the good news that God is as good as Jesus reveals Him to be on the cross? Here’s another look at that story, this time through a Jesus-centered lens:

God created us out of love. He desired for us to experience His love first-hand, to share that love with His creation, and to love Him in return. He gave us freedom so that our loving relationship would be authentic; a mutual choice, not mindless or coerced. He only asked that we trust Him and His goodness (i.e., eat from the Tree of Life). But we allowed our picture of God to become sullied by deception. We misplaced our hope in the lie that we could know better than God (i.e., we ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil). We chose to see God as withholding some secret knowledge from us rather than trusting Him as the source of all good things. We gave away the power and fullness of life He had given us. Despite us having rejected Him, God continued to pursue a loving relationship with us, even to the point of entering into our humanity in the person of Jesus to overcome death, to save us from captivity by laying down His own life.

Not only does God recognize our need for hope, but He also gives us Himself to place our hope in. Jesus built us a bridge back to the Father using His own body. He offers us the opportunity to once again eat from the Tree of Life. We are, however, still faced with the unfortunate ramifications of our own rebellion. The good news is that Jesus is our manna in the desert, our living water in a seemingly impossible drought. He gives us the gift of hope.

I feel the painful realities of our fallen world, our separation from God, our stubbornness and habits of destruction. It hurts in a tangible way, and it takes me to some dark places at times. In our postmodern world, the idea of hope is often dismissed as a form of head-in-the-clouds self-foolery or Pollyanna naïveté. Our cultural narrative is that we just need to try harder, to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. But the attempt to be self-reliant is to continue choosing the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil instead of the Tree of Life. Instead, we need to entrust ourselves to the One who truly sustains life and is the source of all good things.

We desperately need hope. But what we place our hope in matters. We can’t put our hope in the ways of the world; in possessions, people or politics. We also can’t place our hope in a culturally misguided picture of who God is. Our hope is in a good, loving God who is actively working to reconcile His creation to Himself; a God who is still inviting us to partner with him in that loving relationship. We need to place our hope in The One who gives us the gift of hope, who can actually fulfill our hope. Our hope is in a God that looks like Jesus. Our hope is Jesus.

Not Created To Be Alone

by Johnny Kerr

In the Western world, America in particular, the notion of self-sufficiency has been idealized to a potentially unhealthy degree. We have countless examples of “self-made men” who overcame adversity and fought their way to wealth and influence. Professionals who work 50+ hour weeks—often sacrificing physical and mental health, personal leisure, social life and family—are lauded as hard workers committed to their careers. People who silently endure immense suffering are revered for their strength and perseverance in made-for-TV movies. The market for self-help books has been booming since the 1970’s. 

None of these things are inherently bad. But their emphasis has made our culture sick. Loneliness, depression and suicide rates are reporting at an all-time high. Although we live in relative abundance and security compared to much of the world, our model of individualism has significantly reduced our quality of life. Despite the vast potential for virtual connection via the world wide web and social media, many are experiencing real life in isolation. We have traded the benefits of community thriving for a romanticized caricature from a dime-store cowboy novel. We’ve become convinced that all we need is ourselves and some good old-fashioned grit.

The postmodern church has not been immune to these ills, even with a rich history of community going back to ancient Israel. We’ve become pretty good at using buzz words, pretending to be in community without really going all-in. Our church buildings have names like “fellowship hall” and our volunteer committees have names like “hospitality team.” Unfortunately, many times these efforts amount to little more than providing donuts and coffee for people to grab as they rush in before service starts, or a quick handshake during a worship invitation. When the service is over, many of us go home and live our separate lives until next Sunday.

Again, it’s not that fellowship halls, hospitality teams, donuts, and handshakes are bad things. But they are incomplete. They are lacking the wholeness we see exemplified in God’s desire for the nation of Israel, or the early church as recorded in the book of Acts (ex: Acts 2:42-47). Just as predators in the animal kingdom try to isolate potential prey from the heard to increase the chances of a kill, the Enemy knows that isolation weakens both the individual and the body. Our modern myths of self-reliance are hindering us from experiencing Heaven on Earth. We are missing out on the richness of life in God’s Kingdom which He has called us to usher in, here and now, together as His body of co-laborers.

Orthodoxy recognizes God as a triune being, a community of Father, Son and Spirit. From the very beginning of our creation account God reveals Himself as inherently relational. Genesis depicts God in the act of creating saying, “Let Usmake man in Our image…” (Genesis 1:26, emphasis added). Humanity’s need for relationship is immediately recognized (“It is not good for man to be alone.”) and fulfilled through Eve, a suitable co-laborer for Adam (Genesis 2:18-25).

In Exodus we see, laid out in excruciating detail, a list of guidelines given to help Israel navigate the conflicts that arise in community life (Exodus 20-23). Later, Jesus sums up that entire code of law with two simple, relational commands: love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:34-40). When Jesus began His ministry of reclaiming and establishing God’s Kingdom on Earth, one of His first actions was to build a community. He called the disciples together and began teaching and living life with them. Scripture is replete with themes of relationship, community and covenant.

God’s Kingdom is based on community relationship. Community is not possible without humility, vulnerability, a degree of transparency and accountability. It may feel like we are dying many small deaths as we rip ourselves out of conformity to the patterns of our modern world. It will be uncomfortable as we lean into vulnerability, allowing others to see who we are beneath the surface. It will get messy as we navigate the challenges and uncertainty of life together in community as God’s family.

Lest we swing the pendulum too far in the opposite direction, it is worth noting that, when implemented appropriately, boundaries are also a healthy part of communal living. Although vulnerability and transparency are necessary in a thriving community, they come with their own limitations. Researcher and author Brené Brown makes this important distinction:

“Oversharing is not vulnerability. In fact, it often results in disconnection, distrust, and disengagement.”

— Brené Brown

Vulnerability without boundaries is unhealthy. There are personal matters that are appropriate to share with a spouse or an accountability partner but should not be casually mentioned to a stranger as you shake hands over donuts in the foyer or fellowship hall. Some personal struggles might be appropriate to share with a small, closely knit home group but not with the whole church body (or on social media, for that matter!).

As the images accompanying this article playfully portray, there are things we can (and probably should) do on our own. A degree of independence is certainly healthy. However, there comes a point for all of us where we meet the limits of our physical ability, skill set, cultural perspective, spiritual maturity, etc. As I looked at the next number painted on the asphalt, spot number 5, I knew I had run out of limbs to continue this picture series on my own. Similarly, there are times in life when we need to rely on others in the larger church body to come alongside us and lend a hand. There should be no shame tied to needing and asking for help. We were not created to be alone. We need to do life in community.

Finally, as we begin to shed the Western notion of going it alone, don’t make the mistake of thinking about community only in terms of receiving. Receiving can be a great act of humility, and a great blessing. But giving, sacrificial giving, is also at the heart of Jesus. Live a life rooted in deep love for God and your neighbor. Take care of each other and be proactive instead of just reactive, always looking for opportunities to be ministers of reconciliation. 

When we look at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community, or Jean Vanier’s L’Arche communities we can see that God’s Kingdom is indeed established, and being established, on Earth. These are not merely lofty ideals or Utopian fantasies, but pictures of what it really looks like when Jesus is at the center of all that we do. Cultivating community with Christ at the center doesn’t guarantee perfection. It will still involve navigating conflict and pain, just as in family life. But it will also lead to flourishing, a richness and fullness that can only be experienced when we fulfill our roles as image bearers and ministers of reconciliation in God’s family.

The Beatitudes of Creativity

by Michael Denson

Blessed are

those who create and recreate and recreate until the unseen is seen.

Those whose agony is the birth of something new;

something different, something good and true.

Blessed is

the one who captures life in stone and iron.

The one who shapes and reshapes the world around us.

The builder of shelter and space.

Blessed are

those whose bodies fill space with extended arms and swift feet.

Those covered in international silhouette.

Those who personify the thoughts that remind us how to move and

feel and find our freedom.

Blessed are

those whose voices become notes, become harmonies, become ballads of a people.

Those who make noise that echo throughout our bodies, and deeper still,

And deeper still

Blessed are

those who shape lines and curves into words and stories.

Those who imagine fantastical worlds of beings and being.

Blessed are

those whose flickering frames reveal to us the wisdom of yesterday

and give us the wonder of tomorrow.

Blessed is

the one overcome by color and light; whose eyes dance around form and shadow.

The one who etches paper with wood and pressed stone.

Blessed are

The ones who mirror the image of the Maker.

Those who plunge hands deep into soil and find humanity.

Those who inhale life and breathe out beauty.

Ars Moriendi in the City of Angels (a meditation)

by E. Lundin

[God said:] For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.

-Gen. 3:19

[Jesus said:] Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

-Mt. 24:28

But God remembered Noah…

-Gen. 8:1a

Then the criminal said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

-Luke 23:42

I remember living in the City of Angels.

Old Los Angeles. Land of silver screen. Screenland. Hollywoodland. Mecca for dreamers.

Wide swaths of suburban housing inlaid with a webwork of sidewalks and dead asphalt. Skies disrupted by the constant rumble of jets entering and exiting hive-like LAX. The great ashen “Hollywood” sign presiding over things like the ghost of some dead avatar. Eighteen million dreamers gathered around that avatar. Eighteen million, approximately. Acting out their lives there. Dreams intersecting dreams…

When I lived there the thought of life and death happening on such a scale was unnerving.

Eighteen million. Approximately.

But it was the murders that really unsettled me.

At the time there was this killer driving around to 24-hour donut shops near Culver City, the so-called “Heart of Screenland.”

The killer would stop folks in the early morning hours with their donuts and end their dreams with a single shotgun blast. I forget how many people he killed exactly, but it was more than one.

Other murders happened in the city too. Each one made the city feel more and more forsaken to me. Like it had been abandoned by God. 

Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?

At night I’d sometimes stay up reading homicide reports online. I thought that by absorbing every hideous detail of every hideous act to occur in the city I’d suss out some greater kind of meaning in it all. As though God would be underneath all the dead bodies, laying out an elaborate groundwork that I could begin to comprehend. 

Of course, I didn’t find Him beneath the bodies. Not in any literal sense, anyway. I didn’t find anything. Only more dead. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about those reports. My dreams became tainted by their poison, so I’d end my nights walking the streets, aghast by the apparent emptiness and futility of everything.

I’d walk and walk until I came to this one hilltop neighborhood. From there I’d stare down at the City of Angels and shiver, scared by the thought of dying and being forgotten. Memento mori.

I’d circle around the empty cul-de-sac there at the top of the hill like some brooding vulture, smoking and wandering. I kept returning to the view of the city and its pulsating rhythm of lights and traffic. That “Hollywood” sign hovering in the distance…

Eighteen million local angels beneath me…

Lives wending their myriad courses through time’s vanishing landscape…

Life and death. Dreams flourishing. And expiring. 

Seeds rooted to the soil; seeds scorched among the rocks. 

On those nights I became a kind of urban mystic. Shuffling through the midnight streets of Screenland in my flannel shirts, like some hipster mendicant, listening idly to The Weeknd and waxing philosophical over a flask of expensive whiskey…

What could you do with death?

At the funeral of his young son, 19th-century pastor and theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher called those gathered at the grave to love mightily, ever mindful of the fact that those they love may soon be gone. For dust thou art, and to dust thou shall return.

Schleiermacher found conciliation in the fact that those we love are never lost. That they are preserved. Forever. In what he called “memory.” 

This thought has always struck me. A father saying this at the funeral of his child…

“Memory” is an interesting word. One often relegated to the same space as “fiction,” “fantasy,” and “dream.” “It was only a memory,” someone might say. Only a dream. Only.

But the truth is that anyone who has experienced trauma, or love, knows that memory is no fictive thing. It has a life. Memory can be physical and invasive. Moving up from the past, thrusting itself into the present.

A single memory can crumple you with the unnerving force of a concussive blast. 

What happens in memory can be visceral. Real. You feel it in the body. And the body responds. It’s possible for a person to die from the shock of memory.

God made human beings to be remembering creatures. He made them to wander about in time, remembering time as they moved through. And being made in His image, they were called to remember their God, even as He promised to remember them.

Yes. Our God is a God who remembers. And that Divine Memory has power. One that reveals God’s Truth to the world.

Christians rely on memory to process and to understand Truth. We know Jesus and the Resurrection of the dead, in part, because we remember them.

Did Jesus conquer death? Yes. We remember.

Is Jesus more than memory?

Certainly.

But He is also Memory. Memory of mind, of body, and of Spirit.

And in His death, Jesus is reshaping our memory to conform to His Divine Memory.

So that we might be transformed…

Into what?

Into a kingdom.

An Eternal Kingdom.

But isn’t death still a tragedy?

Yes. Emphatically. Yes.

If there’s one thing the Book of Job teaches us, it is that we should definitely doubt the goodness of death and of suffering. But in doubting we mustn’t lose sight of the whole picture. The greater story. That death is just a single moment in the midst of time’s elaborate unfolding. It is not time’s end. It is a piece, a single piece of Divine Memory.

Its power will not prevail.

Now as I look back on those nights in the City of Angels, I feel the presence of Jesus and His Divine Memory there. Presiding over everything. Experiencing it all. And preserving it.

He remembers everything. Every dead child. Every victim in every homicide report. Every light. Every vulture. Every jet rumbling through the Los Angeles sky.

Even amidst the city and its noises, amidst the donut shop shotgun blasts, and amidst the tragedy of it and every other heinous thing that has ever befallen this world. Every local angel. Those who live and die in this strange landscape called time. He remembers every dream whose moment has come. And gone. Eighteen million. Eighteen zillion. Name your number. He remembers them all.

Hey Schleiermacher, hey you City of Angels…

He remembers all of you.

Every single one.

Now, and Forever.
Amen.

3 Easter Poems

by Ross Bentley

Sonnet of the Cross

What causes God to want to die for man?

What moves Him to such passionate display?

That Christ Himself would orchestrate this plan?

That He'd endure the darkness of this day?

And who are we to warrant this kind grace?

Why should He show us any love at all?

Humanity who just spit in his face

His lowly creatures suddenly so tall

They stand o'er Him with clenched fists in rage

'Who hit you, Christ?!' they shout in mocking tones

And strike the whip across his bare rib cage

Thus ripping tender flesh off of His bones

With mad vengeance we nailed Him to that Tree

Incomparable Love's own destiny 

Silent Saturday

A dark despair has overtaken me

I've lost all valid reason to go on

I'm in a place I thought I'd never be

I simply can't believe the Master's gone.

He talked of Kingdom turning over kings

I had such promise built up in my mind

I didn't understand so many things

And in a darkened haze they're left behind

We argued who was greater, who was best

We spoke of things with such an arrogance

We thought that we were better than the rest

He cautioned us to serve when giv'n the chance

He said he'd suffer and that trials would come

He warned us we were drawing near the end

That we who loved Him would deny and run

Betrayers kiss his cheek and call Him 'friend'

Oh run I did until I could no more

And crumbled weeping, gasping for a breath

I rose and made my way back to my Lord

And watched in horror Him succumb to death

I can't stop thinking 'bout the loaves and fish

And treasures lost and found and sons restored

Was all of this to dissipate like mist?

Just dashing all my trust, and nothing more?

This dark despair may be my only friend

As I consider what is left for me

Where once a way now only lies an end

Then hopeful joy now faithless misery 

Hope Springs

Out of the darkest night this world has known

While souls resigned to sleep eternally

The seed of Life the Godhead previous sown

Has sprouted to a new reality

For Love had come to show a better way

And humbly Man's methods to defy

But soon enough His kindness we'd betray

And vi'lently demand Him crucified

He silently endured blasphemous calls

Man's blinding hatred swearing death's decree

He took upon Himself the sin of all

And bore those scars through death upon a tree

He plunged into Death's darkest catacombs

Securing for those gone a sweet release

And surfacing from far beneath the tombs

His pierced hand was clutching Hades' keys

The Son dispels all shadows on this morn

Where once we cowered in mortality

And Darkness' grip is vanquished by the Dawn

And Death is swallowed up in victory

Hope In Resurrection

by Lance Linderman

“The Church should be a resonant of hope, an alternative narrative that derives its power not from fear, but from resurrection.” —Gavin Linderman

It feels super silly to quote my brother at the top of my thoughts here, but it summarizes so well our current condition and potential. I like sentences like that. One doesn't have to look very far to see how true it is, too. Christians everywhere are turning to powers other than the power of the Spirit and we do this in every way imaginable. We tell stories of men making their homes in the bellies of whales, the dead being raised to life, talking donkeys, and virgin births and yet our worry prevails. Why? Why so much worry and fear? Could it be that our current system of church and our culture of ease and instant gratification have usurped our exercise of making viable the very power of God? My guess is that you might agree. If true, then we must wrestle with the fact that we have lost the ancient practice—the art of closing the mouths of hungry lions—and instead have grabbed onto something horribly subpar. Alarmingly, in the face of danger, we turn to our pistols and fists (could be a good band name, by the way) before our Rod and our Staff. Is the Spirit not enough?

I don't write this to cast guilt or shame, but instead to awaken our inner source of strength—to make tangible the power of God in our lives once again. In order to proceed, though, we must first call into question everything. We have to see how our locked doors, loaded guns, military might, dollar bills, isolation, drugs, alcohol, denial, anger, borders, theology of who's in or who's out, occupation, and having “nice things” have become our means of taking control in the face of fear rather than a reliance on God.

I like how David sings the words in Psalm 20:6-7: “I know the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven...Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.” David is free of his enemies' threat because he is wholly held in the protection of the Christ. This kind of song can be ours, too. Imagine for a moment a world where your bank account nears zero and rather than lighting your cat on fire, you give the rest away and sleep with ease knowing the Lord will provide. Imagine being attacked and seeing your attacker as someone you love deeply rather than being your enemy. How might you respond differently? Imagine renovating your spare room into a replica of a Motel 6 suite. You hang a vacancy sign on the window for the homeless and as a result, they take turns finding rest. Imagine serving those who take advantage of you and doing it with joy because you can't be taken advantage of while doing the Lord's dirty work.

When we realize that resurrection is real, suddenly we have the power to do the things that God has placed in our dreams. We no longer grind through life under the thumb of fear, but instead, we freaking levitate with love and everyone, every place, and every circumstance becomes fair game for resurrection, too.

A Rule Of Life And Learning How To Swim

by Gavin Linderman

The concept of the “rule of life” was formed within the early monastic communities. Most well known would be that of the Rule of Saint Benedict from the 6th century, which includes vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity. Often when thinking of rules, a person is tempted to assume traits of restriction, oppression, or some form of legalism. That is, doing something that you don’t want to or doing it for the wrong reasons. However, a rule of life is intended for freedom, not denial.

A rule of life is an ally to help shape and form a person or community into the vision of intimacy to which God calls them. In this framework, we can see that the “rule” really serves more as a guideline for flourishing. If one is to make their rule of life “honesty in speech, decisions, and being,” you can imagine how that would begin to shape each part of their life. The beauty of this life then becomes not the rule itself, but the way the rule creates space for greater intimacy with Jesus. Understanding it in this way protects us from legalism or making the disciplines that the rule requires the object of our affection instead of the life with Jesus it helps to create. 

Jesus really is our teacher and primary guide for flourishing. In fact, He has already given us many “rules of life.” Consider His command to “let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’ ” (Matt. 5:37). Submitting ourselves to such a guideline frees us from the trappings of commitments and promises that we can't really keep. But it’s more than that—it allows our word to truly be our word and we begin to live in a reality in which we don’t have to promise or create contracts. Here we can ensure that what we say is accomplished because we have become, in our freedom, the kind of people who always do what we say. In doing so, the “rule of life” has created the space for trust instead of the enslavement of distrust.

In the beginning, any “rule of life” will feel like voluntary restriction—but only temporarily, for ultimately the grace of God supersedes. Eventually what is always found is that the rule is no longer necessary—not because it's no longer a rule, but because it has become a way of being. Transformation has taken place through Jesus and the life He gives. This is the same reason Jesus can say, “I didn’t come to abolish the law but to fulfill it” (Matt. 5:17). It doesn’t have to serve as a guideline anymore, for you have become the guide because you have now been where Jesus has been Himself. It’s much like having a fence around your pool while your children are young. The fence serves as a guideline for a time so that they may flourish and not drown. But the intention is not to leave the fence there forever, but instead for your children to become the kind of people who no longer require the fence because they can now swim themselves

The First Question Jesus Asked

by Gavin Linderman

Turns out, Jesus wasn’t much of an answer man, but He did like questions—in fact, He loved them! He was the Question Master. 307 questions are recorded in the Gospels and only three answers from King Jesus. Only three answers from the One who had all the answers. AMAZING! Paul wrote, “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him” (Col. 2:3). “Hidden” is a good word. But still, why must it be hidden? Why not answer more?

Ironically, the answer to our question is found in a question. The first question Jesus asked also happens to be the first words spoken by Jesus in the book of John: “What is it that you seek?” Now, take a moment and reflect on how you would respond. What is it that you seek? Most of us, if we're being honest are simply seeking answers or solutions to whatever challenges or mysteries lie before us. But Jesus, in asking us what we seek, invites us into something different—a space where He is no longer reduced to our genie in a bottle. A place where He is asking the questions instead of us. It is here, in the examination of our desire that Jesus is able to guide us and give us the truth we really need—the truth that we really seek deep down. In this space of reflection, we are given the freedom to be exposed. Before, we came expecting answers—specifically, answers that allowed us to carry on as we were. Now we come expecting questions—specifically, questions that shape us and connect us to Jesus by creating the space for us and Him to gently navigate the jungle in our soul.

Jesus could—and sometimes does—answer our questions, but it is out of character for Him to give us something we can't be trusted with or aren’t ready to receive. To do so would be to give in to an inappropriate image of who He is. He is not our genie—He is our Lord. So in character with who He is as Lord, He leads and guides us in such a way that doesn’t disrupt the journey of transformation by wrecking it with answers. Eventually, we will get to a place where we can “ask and it will be given,” but that’s a place of intimacy and trust—not a place for genies and their masters. So, what is it that you seek?

A Shared Journey For Peace by Gavin Linderman

The famous Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God” has a more literal translation, “Stop your fighting, and know that I am God”. The entire Psalm 46 is littered with what God does in our trouble. It is an ancient call for what is ours in God, peace. “God our refuge and strength… the ever-present help in trouble …God is with us… we will not fall… He makes wars cease….He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, the Lord Almighty is with us… He is our fortress”, all we are asked to do is “stop fighting”. But we just can’t, can we?

“Choose your battles”, is something I hear a lot of these days. In a world full of conflict and in a society that seems to always be brimming with tension, what choices do we have? By the looks of things, at minimum we are guarded, at best wounded left feeling backed in a corner.  We live in the world of the teeter-totter. Ready to react because we don’t know how to respond. In some forms we celebrate the battle, in others we look for it, and for some we simply live in avoidance of it. But who is winning? What is winning? Perhaps, the war of words is not the answer. Its interesting that the easement of disagreement and argument seem to come quite natural to us and yet, they are not our nature. They are learned, practiced and entertained. Even more interesting is that we struggle to do what comes most natural to us, that which is most fundamentally our asset, to listen. 

I am a father of two kids with one on the way and I am relearning this for myself. My children were born unable to speak but they knew how to listen and when they did speak they could only mourn. Both are good. And yet, with my kids, I am quick to yell and argue but in doing so I loose their ears. And even if I yell load enough and look at them authoritatively enough, I can get their attention but it comes at a cost. For what they learn is how to battle, not how to live. I may even get the outcome I desire but it does not come through their desire but my force.  This is a loss not a victory. But the truth is, as it is with God, us fathers desire that our children will come to a place where they listen and make good decisions on their own. That they will, what we will intuitively.  This is the beautiful union of John 5:19, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” While our will and the will of our opponents might be quite different my hope here is for us to see that fighting is by nature enemy occupied territory. It is not our intended nature, so what are we to do about it? Here are three things that might take you off guard. 

A few considerations for a shared journey for peace.

1. Listening is Loving: Listening is the capacity to put aside our preoccupations in exchange for being present with the other. When we listen we build room to speak. In fact, I have found that when I hear a person out, they no longer want the last word but instead are now open to dialogue.  
2. Mourning is Understanding: Mourning allows us to feel. In mourning we cripple our tendency for judgment by acquainting ourselves with sorrow. We learn to rely on greater truths and in doing so are able to lie down our trivia in exchange for profound understanding. Morning disarms us from our fear that causes us to fight in the first place. 
3. Were In This Together: The best kind of love breaks down the “us verse them” mentality we live by. Love teaches us to see ourselves in those we don’t like to see. Some have suggested we dislike those most like us. Perhaps we really just dislike our selves. What if next time we find our self in dispute with someone we choose to look past the speck in the other person’s eye and instead pull the plank out of our own eye (Matthew 7:3)? In doing so, we might find the humility needed to listen and gain a friend. 

Personal Revelation by Gavin Linderman

It is good and wise from time to time to take note of the revelations that God has helped you see and piece together. This is not an exhaustive list, nor does it reflect the totality of the greater truth, my experience with God, or His revelations. It is simply a survey of epiphany in short form. I will make my best attempt to place these in chronological order and only list some majors as there are many minors that are far more personal.  The beauty that I wish to note in advance of this, “List,” is how obvious these have become. That is, I believe, the beautiful nature of God-speak. Thankfully, “The hearing ear and the seeing eye-- the LORD made them both.” (Proverbs 20:12)

1) “Seek and You Shall find,” does not mean when you find, stop seeking.

    Our appetite for endings should never outweigh further exploration. Our remedial culture and childhood games, God is certainly amongst and within, but also beyond the hide and seek.  “Permission to land,” so to speak, should only be granted on the 7th day or when its time to feast. Therefor, we become increasingly weary of the inflated life or any spirit of arrival. Such folk don’t need to wear shoes.  I would rather be lost and thirsty than in the illusion of foundness without need for living water. (Luke 11:9) 

2) “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands,”- really He does. 

    We sing it, but we do not believe it. At some point early on, I started singing this again.  It was given back to me amongst a glimpse of my own ornery spirit, unsettled by my lust for worry while the trees danced on in the storm. Concern and struggle always say they long for peace, but what they really love is more worry and less dancing. (John 14:27)

3) The Kingdom of God is already NOT yet

    Notice the NOT. For some time, I was always drawn to the mystery of the, “Yet,” and missed the, “NOT.” I loved to think about what would be one day, and never enjoyed what was, “Already.” The Kingdom of God is already. Say it out loud. The part that is, “Not yet,” does not have a place in the now, does it? Let us focus on the now, not the yet.  (Luke 17:20-21)

4) Truth is Truth

     Far too much of my focus and energy has been caught up in reserving the truth. An odd thing now, but it once was normative. I was concerned about, “Compromising the truth.” Is such a thing even possible? Certainly, there are half truths and lies, but truth has never spent a day compromised, or so Jesus tells me. Truth is truth no matter what, and no matter where you find it. (Philippians 4:8) 

5) My Bride is beautiful, not ugly. 

     You can tell if you are loved. Words are not the way we judge qualitative love. Instead, it is sensed in how we are cared for and how we place others appropriately in our attention and care. Jesus is masterful in his capacity to see the beauty in you, His bride. He does not find it ugly, and so we must see His bride as he sees it.  Catch your fire when it seeks to steel your capacity to see what Jesus sees as beautiful. Take care of your treasures and look for them in others too.  (1 John 3:18) 

The Election, Women, and Tangled by Kendall Linderman

There are three recurring themes in my life right now:

The election
Women in society
Disney's Tangled

Yes, Tangled. Any parent of a toddler girl can attest, fairytale Disney movies can consume all aspects of life. We sing the songs, listen to the songs in the car, buy the toys, watch the movie over, and over, and over again... 
Fortunately, the movie is quite delightful and I do not mind it, especially because it provides some empowering messages to my child. 

Last week, I listened to a podcast (as I frequently do when I workout at the gym) about Women. That seems like such a broad topic, how could they hone it down into an hour and a half single podcast? The hosts had a variety of friends and family join them and share their experiences of womanhood in America. Some specifically in the church, but even those stories reflected what transpires in the daily lives of Christian, other faiths, and non-religious females. One particular part that tore at my heart was when a guest eloquently spoke a poetic recount of her life in the female form, from birth to present- how she once ran naked and free in her body, loved, unashamed, perfect... and as she grew older, words of shame, angst, and male advantage took over her story. This is, unfortunately, a common narrative in (and dare I say) the majority of women in America. 
Not even three days after listening to the podcast, as I am still processing and mentally relishing in it, my Facebook feed and television were blowing up with leaked audio of Donald Trump. He was boasting his celebrity, and how that provides him a free pass to make advances on women without consent. He was speaking on the things that I literally had listened to days before: men taking advantage of women, belittling women, sexually abusing women... I was obviously disgusted by this, but not surprised at who it was coming from. He later, "Apologized," for his words, passing them as, "Locker room talk."

Now I feel like I must say before I go further: I am NOT for/against Donald Trump OR Hillary Clinton. 

While at the gym this morning, I walked into a conversation in, ironically, the locker room. Two female Trump supporters were having a conversation...
Gal 1: "Did you watch the debate Sunday night?"
Gal 2: "No, did you?"
Gal 1: "No. I cannot even stand to look at her. People are just going to be giving me a play by play on my Facebook feed anyway."
Gal 2: "Yes for sure."
Gal 1: "I really just hope something bad happens to Hillary, or something comes out so we can get rid of her."

Whoa. I stopped in my tracks, along with another gym goer, who made eye contact with me as we both mouthed, "Oh my gosh." We ended up having a side convo about natural supplements to absorb the shock about this women's desire to share her hate in a public place. I mean, good for her for having the balls to speak her mind, but dang. It really bit me. 
My mind was swirling with questions:
How, does a woman in suburban Arizona, have such hatred to a woman she has never met, will never meet, and has never done anything to her?  
What could Hillary Clinton have done to cause this woman to wish harm and ill will on her? 
How do these woman side with a political candidate when they do not educate themselves by watching the candidate speak? 

My mind wondered further.
Because I am in ministry, I sometimes find myself imagining what I would say to a stranger if I were in a discipling relationship with them. What would they do if they heard someone say those things about them, their friends, their children? How does God feel about you saying those things about His child? In this circus we call, "An election," the animosity and hatred has grown into a monster we cannot control. We have chosen a Republican candidate for President who is known for shaming women, insulting military families, mocking people with disabilities, and speaks in a manner similar to leaders that spawned communism and world wars. Why have we gone this route we must ask. 

So, back to Tangled. 
The main character, Rapunzel, is kidnapped as an infant because her hair has magical powers of healing and youth. At 18, she finds herself in a circumstance to leave her tower and see the, "Floating lights," that she has seen from her window her entire life. This is her dream. It is so innocent, and she is so naive since she has never left her tower due to the control of her kidnapper. She is taken to a bar where ruffians and thugs retire, and they try to take her guide for reward money. She bravely intervenes and exclaims, " Okay, I don't know where I am and I need him to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming about them my entire life! FIND YOUR HUMANITY! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?" The thugs then break into song about how they all have these sincere, lovely dreams instead of being these smelly, menacing men that do terrible things. 

So, a long story to get to my point...
I feel like we are all of these ruffians... we've been dealt some cruddy cards and we're all going down these hateful, ugly paths. We're doing and saying horrible things because that is who we're siding with. We're there because we're scared and angry. We think that these feelings make us strong. But in all actuality we all have the same dream: peace, love, to see the floating lights. 

When I see women hurting because they've been molested or humiliated by men, and then we have a man running for president who DOES THESE THINGS... When I hear people yearning for bad things to happen to someone simply because they are in the opposite political party... When I am observing this rat race we can the American Election...I just want to hit America over the head and say, FIND YOUR HUMANITY!!!! 

Where is our humanity? Have we forgotten what that is?  Mirriam-Webster defines humanity as, "The quality or state of being kind to other people or to animals/all people." ALL PEOPLE. Not just whites. Not just men. Not just able minds/bodied people. Not just Christians. 

Every. Single. Person.

So what do we do? Honestly, I have no idea. This whole democracy seems to be spiraling into a pit of destruction and despair. The very America that we want to be making great, seems to be imploding. Are you in the same boat as the locker room gals? I'll be the first to admit that I've had negative thoughts about political candidates, said bad things about them, heck, I carved a McCain/Palin pumpkin in '08 (two actually)... 
All I can really think to say is to look at yourself, not others, and see how that is reflecting what you really believe. Do I think Gal 1 at the gym wants physical harm to come to Hillary Clinton? I sure hope not, and I think she would feel remorse or sadness if that actually materialized. How are you reacting to this election? When you see that news feed pop up on your Facebook or newscast, what is your first feeling? Check yourself. People are chattering about the last question of the debate from Karl Becker. It was the final note to an otherwise depressing hour and a half. America latched onto that morsel of positive energy. We need more! 

I pray that we can all get it together as a nation and unite. Whoever we elect, we have to change as a society. We cannot be exuding such violence, hatred, anger... America has never had things 100% right. We are constantly evolving, learning, changing...Let us learn this one sooner rather than later. No matter who becomes our Commander in Chief, we can trust that the Father has us. Let us find our humanity, not just in the election, but all around us. 


Kendall Linderman

Part 1: The Bohemian Soul by Gavin Linderman

Online dating is weird. It’s probably a lot of things, but it is at least weird. That much is self-evident, or so my wondering ears tell me so. I sense the discomfort of the single. The sense of not knowing meets a fading hope. It's surely not like that for all, but at least for the many honest. And yet the single life, when done well, is a beautiful thing. Even worthy of aspiration, 1 Corinthians 7:8. No doubt, not all will aspire such a beautiful fidelity exclusively to the Lord. However, it must be noted that those who have, have found it to be good. 

 Our scriptures, as so often are, don’t flush out the full breath and weight of every topic under the sun, but it does give us a wonderful place to begin. For Paul, his desire is like that of the Lord's, that you, single or not, would be first, free from anxiety (1 Corinthians 7:32a). Perhaps this should be a prerequisite for dating, marriage, and yes, divorce too. Unfortunately, we have thought wrong about the second part of this passage: “An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord”. We have often taught that Paul is suggesting to the single that we should, “Have anxieties about the things of the Lord,” as if that’s a good thing. However, this is not what he says at all. He clearly states at the beginning of verse 32 that, “I want you to be free from anxiety.” He then says what is truly greater (again, single or not) that, “Undistracted devotion to the Lord,” in verse 35 should be our aim. I might add, our delight. Anxiety is many things, but, “Undistracted,” is not one of them. That is precisely his point; concern and worry distract you from the solitary soul. The paradox that snares us but not Paul is that we think the operation is to be either worried about pleasing a person for their affection, or else pleasing God for His affection. But for Paul AND Jesus, this is not an option. For them, and now for you, is to put aside the normalcy of anxiety, concern, or worry, and embrace the freedom of the undistracted bohemian soul that has fixed its eyes in solidarity to Jesus.

If I may press further, my amazement of the virtuous loner is to say that by your unconcern, your deponent is God and His rubbernecker is you. Your worship is complete, and the Soul of God raptures all that anxiety could not accomplish. You truly have all that you need and can now say, “I shall not want,” Psalms 23:1.  The allure of the endless swipes of illusion have lost their luster. They have become simply too cheap in comparison to the cross of singular fidelity. 

1 Corinthians 7:32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 33 But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. 35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

Unity of the Body by Tracey Bentley

   The importance of unity of the body to Jesus is on my heart. The reason for this is because of the journey God has taken us on through our lives in the church. Over the years Ross has been gifted in worship leading and we have been involved in planting many churches. As a result of being in church leadership we have seen a lot of conflict within churches, and the harm this has caused in individual lives as a result as well as to the witness of the church. Please take a moment to look at these scriptures with me and see if you see what I see.

    I should start with our savior Jesus displaying evident zeal  for the temple in John 1:17 (quoted from Ps.69:9) and Acts 7:48-51. I am amazed as I meditate on Jesus final prayer in the garden. The passion that our Savior has as He prays for believers before he is betrayed shows us His heart for unity. Jesus prays to the Father for us to be one; that we would have complete unity, for this is how His glory is displayed. (John 17:21-24) Paul instructs the church to have no divisions and have perfect unity in mind and thought. (I Cor.1:10) There are many other scriptural instructions on unity such as Romans 14:19, and 15:5-7 because it is so important to God. It seems to be that to not have unity dishonors our Lord. An Old Testament example of grumbling is found in Numbers 21:4-9 where the people grew impatient and spoke against God and against Moses. Is it impatience that drives our complaints? As a result they were stricken by snakes…gross. God provided a way for their healing by rising up a stick with an image that ultimately was a representation of Christ. Thank God that He, Jesus is the remedy for our sin and when we look to the cross we find redemption and reconciliation (John 3:14-15).

   Of course it is impossible to not have disagreements in the church but we have instruction about how to handle this. In Galatians 2:11 Paul confronts Peter to his face because he is wrong about an issue. We are responsible to restore each other when we go astray: we should not simply say you are wrong so I am leaving. (Galatians 5:13-15, 6:1-6) We are guaranteed to have disagreements as we see in Romans 14 we do not live for ourselves but for Christ.... why do you look down on your brother (v 10). To do this is modern day church consumerism. It is saying I haven’t found what I want here so I will go somewhere else.

   “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? .....Brothers, do not slander one another...(James 4:1,10)

    The ideal scenario when we have a disagreement with our body is that we would come together with the part of the body that you have the disagreement with as well as the leadership with the vision of the church and prayerfully discuss the issues that you have. If you are still in disagreement then all who are involved would prayerfully be in agreement that you should find a body of believers with whom you can live in unity with, because unity and Jesus glory are the priority. If we truly want to represent Christ to the world then this is how we should live together.“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” I Cor 13:13

With love, Tracey

Ministry of Reconciliation

Evangelical & Anabaptist Part 4 of 4

Our understanding of God comes from the Bible. We believe that Jesus calls
the people of the church to live in community (being), to serve God and
others (doing), and to communicate to the world that God reigns over
everything (telling). Our beliefs can be condensed into these three ideas.

MB¹s (Mennonite Brethren) seek to think and live biblically. We commit to
believing, studying, and obeying the Bible as our trustworthy and final
authority. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21). Our confession of faith
is a statement about what we believe the Bible has to say about living in
our world today. As a biblical people, we commit to resolving questions
about God and how we are to live by asking, ³What does the Bible say?² and
³How do we apply Scripture so that it guides how we live in today¹s world?²

We seek to allow the Bible itself to guide us in our understanding of God.
We believe we should always go to the Scriptures for answers to questions
about God, rather than to human systems such as systematic, Evangelical or
Anabaptist theologies. These may not accurately or adequately reflect a
biblical theology. We seek to avoid using any single verse in a way that
puts it above the rest of what the Bible says about a particular issue.
That is called proof-texting and can distort what the Bible means to say.

At the same time, we recognize the priority of Jesus¹ teaching. When we
read the Bible, we use Christ¹s teachings as the first ³lens² for reading
other scriptures. We want to know what Jesus said or taught about
something, believing that, as God in human form, we should look to Him first
for a correct understanding of Scripture. Our progression is to read the
Gospels through the lens of the Sermon on the Mount, the rest of the New
Testament through the lens of the Gospels, and the Old Testament through the
lens of the New Testament.

Our desire is to follow the pattern of the early church in answering
questions about their faith. As those early Christians discerned God¹s will
together at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, we gather to study God¹s Word
together and discern his will for us in our modern world. We don¹t
interpret the Bible in isolation. We do it within the community of faith.
The early church gathered together and evaluated the apostolic testimony of
Paul, Barnabas and Peter; so we gather together to discern the biblical text
and how its authority guides our lives. We try to interpret the Bible in
this way within a world-wide community of faith guided by the Holy Spirit.

Though our primary authority for faith and life is the Bible, we have also
been influenced by a number of different faithful Christ followers. When
our church formed in 1860, the first members expressed their agreement with
Menno Simons, a pastor and Christ follower of the 16th century. They were
also influenced by the Lutheran pietist movement with its emphasis on (1)
group Bible study, (2) warm Spirit-filled faith growing out of personal
conversion, (3) thoughtful spirituality nurtured by disciplined Bible study,
and (4) a desire and commitment to tell others about Jesus, his good news of
salvation and peace with God. MB¹s were also open to influences from the
larger evangelical church, especially Baptists who encouraged world missions
and helped the young MB church develop its congregational polity. This
openness to other evangelical churches continued in North America in the
twentieth century and still characterizes MB¹s today.

Even though we claim the Bible as our source of understanding about God, we
recognize that other Christians also claim that the Bible is the source of
their distinctive beliefs. Within our community¹s historical faith, we
guard against non-Biblical influences that might distort what we believe.
Two labels have been used to describe our community¹s understanding of
Scripture: Evangelical and Anabaptist. Both words have origins in
particular historical movements. Through the years these words have taken
on different meanings or associations depending on how our culture has
experienced them. Some find the labels positive and helpful. Others prefer
to avoid them. We use them to identify the biblical perspectives that we
affirm. Although their current meanings overlap to some degree, what
follows is a summary of what we have taken from each tradition ­ both
Evangelical and Anabaptist.

The word ³evangel² itself means gospel or good news. It relates to the Good
News of Jesus Christ. The following emphases of evangelical faith describe
some of the good news that we affirm. Individual Christians experience
spiritual birth through choosing to enter a trust-follow relationship with
Jesus Christ. (John 3:3; Acts 16:31; Matthew 16:24). This new status and
relationship with God is made possible through faith in Jesus¹
substitutionary death on the cross, and his victorious resurrection. (John
3:16-18; Romans 3:19-26; Ephesians 2:8-9). The authority for our
understanding of God is the Bible (2 Timothy 3:15-17). Maturity as a
Christ-follower is nurtured through relational and personal spiritual
disciplines (1 Timothy 4:8). The purpose of the church is to point people
to Jesus and to call others to join us in this new life he provides (Matthew
28:16-20; Acts 1:8). We believe that our purpose as God¹s church is to
engage our culture, transforming it as we pursue Christ¹s mission and
cooperate with other like-minded Christians.

We have also been influenced by the Anabaptist faith perspective. The word
³Anabaptist² was first used to describe 16th century reformers who insisted
on believers baptism rather than infant baptism (and emphasized the
separation of church and state). Like our forefathers in the faith, we
believe that God¹s people are made new in Jesus and are to grow as followers
and learners (disciples) of him (Mark 8:27-38; Matthew 5-7). Jesus
followers announce and publically celebrate their decision to join the
family of God by being baptized (Acts 8:34-38; Romans 10:9-10). We intend
to demonstrate faithfulness to God as we practice holy living and mutual
accountability (1 Peter 1:15-16; Matthew 18:15-20; Galatians 6:1-2), worship
together in community (Hebrews 10:25), and join with God to accomplish his
mission (Matthew 18:15-20; Matthew 9:37-38; 1 Corinthians 9:22). Our
authority comes from Scripture and is interpreted within the community of
believers as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit (Acts 15). Our mission comes
from Jesus¹ Great Commandment and his Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).
We are called to love our neighbors (Matthew 22:34-40), to make disciples
(Matthew 28:18-20), and to make peace through reconciliation with God,
ourselves, our enemies, and God¹s creation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Matthew
5:38-42). Our mission will almost always be counter-cultural because our
allegiance is to the Lord Jesus. The kingdom he proclaims puts us in
tension with the culture around us which often demands allegiance to other
people, governments and temporal values.

To sum up, we proclaim a biblical understanding of God that is both
³Evangelical² and ³Anabaptist.² We continually seek a biblical vision of
the work and mission of Jesus for individuals and for the world. Our
passionate commitment is to live as God¹s kingdom agents in the world,
anticipating the glorious day when God¹s kingdom is perfectly fulfilled.
Core Convictions
* We are a believer¹s church: to deal with our human sinfulness, we teach
conversion to new life through faith in Jesus Christ and practice baptism as
a public sign of personal commitment to Jesus as Savior and Lord.
* We are Bible-centered: we accept the Bible as the inspired and
authoritative word of God, seeking to obey its teaching, as illumined by the
Holy Spirit and interpreted in the Christian community.
* We emphasize discipleship: we seek to live as authentic followers of Jesus
in our daily lives, orienting our lives around Jesus¹ teaching and model.
* We value Christian fellowship: we believe the church is a biblical and
mutually loyal community that expresses itself in worship, fellowship,
accountability and witness.
* We are mission-minded: we share our faith by telling others about the
Good News of Jesus and serving others in our neighborhoods and around the
world, in obedience to Jesus¹ Great Commandment and to the Great Commission.
* We seek peace: we believe the Bible invites us to be at peace with God and
with others, even our enemies.
* We cultivate healthy relationships: we are committed to choices that
produce wholeness, healing, joy and peace in all relationships.

Anabaptism Part 3 of 4

1. A High View of the Bible.

While not worshipping the Bible itself, for that would be bibliolatry, Anabaptists accept “the Scriptures as the authoritative Word of God, and through the Holy Spirit…the infallible guide to lead men to faith in Christ and to guide them in the life of Christian discipleship. “Anabaptists insist that Christians must always be guided by the Word, which is to be collectively discerned, and by the Spirit.

2. Emphasis on the New Testament.

Since Christ is God’s supreme revelation, Anabaptists make a clear functional distinction between the equally inspired Old and New Testaments. We see an old and a new covenant. We read the Old from the perspective of the New and see the New as the fulfillment of the Old. Where the two differ, the New prevails, and thus Anabaptist ethics are derived primarily from the New Testament.

3. Emphasis on Jesus as central to all else.

Anabaptists derive their Christology directly from the Word and emphasize a deep commitment to take Jesus seriously in all of life. Such a view runs counter to notions that the commands of Jesus are too difficult for ordinary believers or that Jesus’ significance lies almost entirely in providing heavenly salvation. Rather, salvation of the soul is part of a larger transformation.

4. The necessity of a believers’ church.

Anabaptists believe that Christian conversion, while not necessarily sudden and traumatic, always involves a conscious decision. “Unless a person is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Believing that an infant can have no conscious, intelligent faith in Christ, Anabaptists baptize only those who have come to a personal, living faith. Voluntary baptism, together with a commitment to walk in the full newness of life and to strive for purity in the church, constitutes the basis of church membership.

5. The importance of discipleship.

Becoming a Christian involves not only belief in Christ but also discipleship. Faith is expressed in holy living. In Christ, salvation and ethics come together. Not only are we to be saved through Christ, but we are also to follow him daily in obedient living. Thus, for example, Anabaptists from the beginning renounced the oath. They determined to speak truth. “For them there could be no gradations of truth-telling.” Anabaptists continue to teach that salvation makes us followers of Jesus Christ and that he is the model for the way we are to live.

6. Insistence on a church without classes or divisions.

The church, the body of Christ, has only one head. While acknowledging functional diversity, Anabaptist believers set aside all racial, ethnic, class and sex distinctions because these are subsumed in the unity and equality of the body.

7. Belief in the church as a covenant community.

Corporate worship, mutual aid, fellowship and mutual accountability characterize this community. An individualistic or self centered Anabaptism is a contradiction in terms.

8. Separation from the world.

The community of the transformed belongs to the kingdom of God. It functions in the world but is radically separate from the world. The faithful pilgrim church sees the sinful world as an alien environment with thoroughly different ethics and goals. This principle includes separation of church and state. Therefore, Anabaptists reject all forms of civil religion, be it the traditional corpus Christianum or more recently developed forms of Christian nationalism.

9. The church as a visible counterculture.

As a united fellowship of believers every Anabaptist congregation models an alternate community. Such a covenant community functions as an authentic counterculture.

10. Belief that the gospel includes a commitment to the way of peace modelled by the Prince of Peace.

Here Anabaptists differ from many other Christians. Anabaptists believe that the peace position is not optional, not marginal, and not related mainly to the military. On the basis of Scripture, Anabaptists renounce violence in human relationships. We see peace and reconciliation – the way of love – as being at the heart of the Christian gospel. God gave his followers this ethic not as a point to ponder, but as a command to obey. It was costly for Jesus and it may also be costly for his followers. The way of peace is a way of life.

11. Commitment to servanthood.

Just as Christ came to be a servant to all, so Christians should also serve one another and others in the name of Christ. Thus, separation from a sinful world is balanced by a witness of practical assistance to a needy and hurting society.

12. Insistence on the church as a missionary church.

Anabaptists believe that Christ has commissioned the church to go into all the world and all of society and to make disciples of all people, baptizing them and teaching them to observe his commandments. The evangelistic imperative is given to all believers.These principles constitute the essence of Anabaptism. While each emphasis can be found elsewhere, the combination of all twelve constitutes the uniqueness of Anabaptism.

The Protestant Reformation had not gone far enough. The early Anabaptists, while diverse and far from perfect, committed themselves to nothing less than the restoration of the New Testament church. We, their heirs, have the privilege of reemphasizing these twelve principles, in word and deed, here and now.