Correcting Mennonite Brethren Individualism: The Pertinence of Stanley Hauerwas’s Theology

Well, earlier this month I finally submitted my MCS thesis for binding. While the whole process pushed me in just about every way imaginable, I can truly say it was an extremely awarding project. The chance to explore the historical developments of my own religious heritage (Mennonite Brethren) in relation to a contemporary theologian has been an experience that will impact my life forever.

If you're interested, I've included the abstract to my thesis here and below is a link to the document itself for anyone brave enough to wade the waters of Mennonite Brethren history and the oftentimes refreshing yet frustrating Stanley Hauerwas.

Abstract

Individualism is a pervasive problem in Christian faith and practice in the twenty-first century, elevating the individual experience of faith at the expense of acknowledging the community-implications of Christian identity. Stanley Hauerwas, prominent Christian ethicist and theologian, provides a response to individualism that is both compelling and frustrating, offering an inspiring argument for the centrality of community in the Christian faith, but leaving to his readers the task of applying his ideas.

A contemporary North American denomination susceptible to individualism is the Mennonite Brethren. By emphasizing the individual nature of the Christian experience, the Mennonite Brethren movement has demonstrated a propensity towards individualistic interpretations of the Christian faith, both in its historical roots and North American assimilation. Considering their individualism, the Mennonite Brethren are an appropriate case study for assessing the applicability of Hauerwas’s theology.

This thesis examines the applicability of Stanley Hauerwas’s theology for responding to Mennonite Brethren individualism. Hauerwas’s project helps Mennonite Brethren identity by challenging them to rebalance their theology and practice away from individualism and towards a more community-oriented faith. Unfortunately, Hauerwas lacks practical and realistic solutions that could help envision Mennonite Brethren community in the twenty-first century. Ultimately, Hauerwas’s project is only partially valuable towards correcting Mennonite Brethren individualism.

MCS Thesis - David Warkentin

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Theses Academic Work

A Healthy Dose of Doubt

Doubt: a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something

Lately I’ve been wondering about the role and value of doubt in the Christian faith. Be it discussions with friends, thoughts on various theological issues, discussing life’s conundrums with my wife, or reading other blogs (see Ryan’s helpful thoughts here), the topic of doubt is constantly coming up. So I figured it was time to share some of my own perspectives…

It seems that today doubt has become an acceptable part of the Christian faith. For instance, much of Christianity (not all) accepts Mother Teresa’s doubt – her “crisis of faith” – as a further sign of her already profound expression of true faith. I tend to agree. Now, I am careful not to endorse doubt as the only or the primary expression of one’s religious exploration. The tendency to deconstruct all truth in our (post)modern context can lead to endless questioning without any real desire for answers. It exhibits itself more as pessimism towards all things “modern” than actually being a serious consideration of religious truth.

Despite this problem, I actually think a healthy dose of doubt exhibits religious vitality. For one, doubt pushes us take seriously the truth claims we so often take for granted. And considering that Christian beliefs can and should have a profound impact on how we live, doubting these beliefs reflects an acknowledgment of just how serious and life changing our understanding of truth can be.

Second, doubt is simply a reality of the human experience. Being a Christian isn’t reality-denying, as some perhaps have interpreted it to be. Rather, a Christian perspective on life attempts truth to the reality of human experience, doubt included. I think our attempts to live ‘Christianly’, for example, could translate far better into the brokenness of our world if Christians were willing to at least acknowledge the doubts many people have regarding the applicability of Christian principles in our world.

Finally, these signs for doubt as religious vitality reveal the ongoing necessity for humility in the Christian life, in particular humility regarding our ability to answer life’s bigger questions. While we may accept our own theologies and biblical interpretations as true (as individuals and communities), we must recognize the context from which these ideas come from and be willing to recognize areas in which human brokenness may or may not have ill-construed our interpretation of truth. From this position of humility, I believe, we acknowledge as Christians that our experience of truth is yet limited. From our humility, then, we place hope beyond ourselves for complete truth. Hope, however, amidst our doubt, never in denial of it.

Blessed Identity

In a recent sermon I delved into the meaning of the beatitudes throughout Scripture (“Blessed are…”). In particular, I examined how our view of what it means to be blessed is challenged by the statements of blessedness we encounter throughout the Bible. Typically, especially in our North American culture, we define our lives as blessed based on the circumstances we find ourselves in (e.g. $$$, family, health, friends, etc…). The problem, I suggested, is that this view of blessedness is limited to our own experience of what we think is blessing, whereas in the beatitudes of Scripture, blessedness is foremost a statement of our identity as the people of God. Christian living, then, requires us to accept identity as God’s people—an identity that in itself counts us blessed.

So when we read the beatitudes, instead of simply viewing the statements as rigorous ethical ideals for us to scramble towards attaining, they are actually a declaration of who we already are as the people of God. By realizing our blessed identity as the people of God, we don’t allow our circumstances to determine our blessedness, hopefully leading to an approach to everyday life that is informed by this blessed identity.

But is simply declaring our identity as “blessed” enough to actually live out that reality? Well, as I reflected on my message I came across the following:

If it acts like a duck (all the time), it's a duck. Doesn't matter if the duck thinks it's a dog, it's still a duck as far as the rest of us are concerned.

Authenticity, for me, is doing what you promise, not "being who you are".

That's because 'being' is too amorphous and we are notoriously bad at judging that. Internal vision is always blurry. Doing, on the other hand, is an act that can be seen by all.

As the Internet and a connected culture places a higher premium on authenticity (because if you're inconsistent, you're going to get caught) it's easy to confuse authentic behavior with an existential crisis. Are you really good enough, kind enough, generous enough and brave enough to be authentically a hero or leader?

Mother Theresa was filled with self doubt. But she was an authentic saint, because she always acted like one.

You could spend your time wondering if what you say you are is really you. Or you could just act like that all the time. That's good enough, thanks. Save the angst for later. (Seth Godin via Mike Todd)

So… it’s one thing to declare who we, and it’s quite another to actually live that identity out. In a way, the absence of action may in fact be the absence of identity altogether.

And so for someone who has spent considerable time and energy reflecting on the identity of the people of God, these challenging reflections push me to consider how identity requires a corresponding action in our world. Now, I’m not convinced we have to separate identity from action. How can we know how to act if we don’t know who are are? And yet how can we be authentic individuals without concrete action that represents who we are?

I conclude, then, that there needs to be a both/and reality of identity and action—an understanding that who we are requires concrete action consistent with that identity.

The problem, which I'd love to get some feedback on, is when we doubt who we as Christians can we still act faithfully even if we are unsure of what believe? Still working on that one...

Craig Cardiff

Recently I decided to take advantage of the latest iTunes wizardry and give the application “Genius” a try. For those who don’t know, Genius examines your music library and makes suggestions for new music based on that. Short story short, I came across the musician Craig Cardiff, an independent Canadian musician whose folk tunes, raw voice, and challenging lyrics can’t help but draw the listener in. In an extraordinary way, Cardiff manages to not only present his art, but presents a glimpse into reality through his music. In my opinion, any musician who can achieve that is worth my time.

I have his album Goodnight (Go Home) and can’t turn it off. Go to his website for a listen…

Discovery of Heaven

I recently completed Discovery of Heaven, by Harry Mulisch. The book is a philosophical/theological novel that covers some pretty major themes first in human relationships and modern culture, but then also in considering the role of the supernatural in a modern world that typically denies any supernatural reality.

The background of the novel has two angels in dialogue about a plan they have been working on—a plan that involves a final interaction with the increasingly self-sufficient modern world

What drew me into this novel was the story itself. The narrative begins by tracing the friendship of two men, one an astronomer (Max) and the other an academic-turned politician (Onno). Together they not only display a constant intellectual banter that challenges the reader to reflect on many different important themes, but they also experience several adventures (told in vivid and usually humorous form by Mulisch) that pull the reader along through all 700+ pages. And eventually, through a bizarre set of circumstances (influenced by the angels), these men end up raising a son, Quinten.

And it is Quinten who is ultimately the person whom the angels use for their final interaction with modern world. Experiencing a recurring dream throughout his childhood, Quinten realizes at a young age that he was born for a particular purpose, even if he doesn’t know what that purpose is. And so in his teen years, Quinten decides to travel to Italy on the quest to fulfill this purpose (Having recently traveled Italy, I especially appreciated Mulisch’s colorful descriptions of Italian architecture and culture). The narrative eventually takes Quinten to Rome where he uncovers the special purpose of his life, culminating in an event that signifies, essentially, the cutoff of supernatural interaction with the world and thus the completion of the angel’s plan.

What drew me into this novel was both Mulisch’s excellent descriptive writing and ability to weave a story. And while both characters and events are at times far-fetched, the truths that are represented make these situations somehow believable, if not for the simple fact the reader cannot help but see that the story presents much of what we experience in modern culture.

For someone who holds out hope that God still interacts in our world the end of the book was somewhat depressing. Yet the reality of humanity’s hardening towards supernatural interaction—whether that be through science, art, music, or otherwise—was a sobering reminder of how modern culture has come to see itself as the pinnacle of reality—sufficient unto itself.

In my opinion, any novel that walks the line between entertaining prose and profound themes related to the human experience is worth reading. With this criteria then, Discovery of Heaven is without a doubt a must-read.

Who's Change? Obama or America?

Well, the wait is over. The world now enters a new era in politics with the inauguration of Barack Obama.

The question now is if “change,” so celebrated throughout Obama’s campaign, will actually take place to the degree in which people expect. While I am optimistic that Obama will influence a degree of change in a variety of areas within America, the buzz that his presidency has created surrounding the office of the president and the role that office has in the well being of America is, in my opinion, as cause for concern. While it’s obviously too early to evaluate whether change will in fact be realized, the elevation of the president to a degree of savior-like status shifts the focus away from the only way I see America making positive changes: the American people must embrace change, not just embrace a president who preaches it.

Basically, Obama can only inspire change. Americans are the ones responsible for making that change happen. For example, I wonder if people really understand the personal impact of environmental sensitivity at a political level. Or how a shift in global policy will involve openness to other cultures that will need to redefine how Americans view national security. Or how a new perspective on the economy will necessarily involve redefining prosperity and God’s blessing. Essentially, are the American people, not just Barack Obama, willing to sacrifice an old way of living for a new perspective on American identity that seeks the wellbeing of all peoples, cultures, and ultimately the whole world?

And so I agree these comments from Obama’s inauguration speech:

“For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.”

I only hope the American people realize the personal responsibility they all have for making Obama’s celebrated “change” a reality.

We’ll see…

Movies Anyone?

Well, this time of year when award ceremonies grace our Sunday evening television sets, I can’t help but wish I had more time to go to the movies. Undoubtedly for marketing purposes, December and January produce many of the year’s best flicks just in time for publicity of the Golden Globes and Oscars. Unfortunately, life with a 3 ½ month-old doesn’t facilitate frequent movie-going. And so instead of offering reviews (I haven’t seen anything recently except James Bond, which was only ok) I simply offer a few movies I think (and have heard) would be worth watching. Here goes:

The Wrestler

A story about a washed up wrestler (Mickey Rourke) still hanging onto his career at the age of 50, what draws me to this film (besides the memory of my teenage years and watching WWF) is the struggle of individuals navigating their own brokenness presented in what appears to not gloss over the reality of pain in our world. Said to be a “complex meditation on addiction and eternal struggle,” this movie tops my list.

Doubt

I find myself drawn to films related to issues of morality, particularly stories that present the often turbulent and confusing process in which competing moralities are confronted with one another. Set in a New York Catholic school, the story pits a priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a nun (Meryl Streep) against one another in what appears to be a battle of character and conviction as the nun accuses the priest of sexual misconduct. From what I hear, there is no lack of discussion points from viewing this film.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

While a sucker for a quality romance (no, I’m not joking!), what interests me about this film is how they made it. In a story about a man who ages backwards (Brad Pitt), the filmmakers utilize their current technological prowess in what is supposed to be a believable presentation of an otherwise unbelievable story.

Anyway, feel free to offer other suggestions or comment on these (just don’t ruin anything please!). If you’re interested in good reviews, my favorite site is Rotten Tomatoes, which summarizes each film and compiles reviews from all over, using the idea of “fresh” or “rotten” to determine a movie’s quality. So far I have found it quite helpful and accurate. Another site where you can basically find details on any movie ever made is the Internet Movie Database.