finding my way

This blog came into being over my personal disappointment in the church in the west – ‘where on Earth is the church that Jesus built?’. I don’t believe that what we have in Christianity today is representative of his motivation, or of him. I end the blog introduction with “For me, the Way of Jesus is opposed to Christianity as it exists today.”

Over recent years, I have disavowed the Protestant label, the Fundamentalist label, and most recently the Christian label. I don’t regret those decisions, and am persistently pursuing the real church.

I may (or not) have mentioned in a past blog my spiritual affiliation with the Anabaptists. I noticed them a couple decades ago, and had an immediate affinity with them. Last year they came to my attention again. I am more than ever finding myself in their spiritual genealogy.

The following are the “core convictions” as laid out by the Anabaptist Network, and represent the result of learning the history and principles they embraced in the face of severe persecution at the hands of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism both, beginning in the 15th century. They are also found in the recent book, The Naked Anabaptist by Stuart Murray. When I read these I penned “WOW! That's me!” in the margin. I list them for your consideration, and maybe your “WOW!”.

1. Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer and Lord. He is the source of our life, the central reference point for our faith and lifestyle, for our understanding of church and our engagement with society. We are committed to following Jesus as well as worshipping him.

2. Jesus is the focal point of God’s revelation. We are committed to a Jesus-centred approach to the Bible, and to the community of faith as the primary context in which we read the Bible and discern and apply its implications for discipleship.

3. Western culture is slowly emerging from the Christendom era when church and state jointly presided over a society in which almost all were assumed to be Christian. Whatever its positive contributions on values and institutions, Christendom seriously distorted the gospel, marginalised Jesus, and has left the churches ill-equipped for mission in a post-Christendom culture. As we reflect on this, we are committed to learning from the experience and perspectives of movements such as Anabaptism that rejected standard Christendom assumptions and pursued alternative ways of thinking and behaving.

4. The frequent association of the church with status, wealth and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness. We are committed to exploring ways of being good news to the poor, powerless and persecuted, aware that such discipleship may attract opposition, resulting in suffering and sometimes ultimately martyrdom.

5. Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountability and multi-voiced worship. As we eat together, sharing bread and wine, we sustain hope as we seek God’s kingdom together. We are committed to nurturing and developing such churches, in which young and old are valued, leadership is consultative, roles are related to gifts rather than gender and baptism is for believers.

6. Spirituality and economics are inter-connected. In an individualist and consumerist culture and in a world where economic injustice is rife, we are committed to finding ways of living simply, sharing generously, caring for creation, and working for justice.

7. Peace is at the heart of the gospel. As followers of Jesus in a divided and violent world, we are committed to finding non-violent alternatives and to learning how to make peace between individuals, within and among churches, in society, and between nations.

This i think is where I hang my spiritual hat.

shalom