Liberal Mennonite Colleges Embrace Homosexuality

I notice where many OP on this forum post links to news articles giving more detail what the writer wants to convey. What I am about to say comes as a result of reading news articles plus what church leaders and friends are saying in other communities. If any one wants you can google and find more info on the web.

The issue I am about to share has to do with the acceptance of homosexuality in the [liberal] Mennonite Church. Goshen College, Goshen, IN and Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, VA have come out in their support of accepting people in these relationships.

This position has stirred up strong reactions among concerned Mennonites and others in their communities. Mennonites are being marginalized, vilified by ignorant folks in these communities. Concerned Mennonites are horrified, grieved that their brethren (?) have wandered so far away from God. The only connection that exists between God-fearing Mennonites and the liberals is a common history. That is all.

Many concerned Mennoites are considering the removing of the name from their church signs. Some have already done so and more will in the time to come because we do not want to be identified with the apostate segment of Mennonites.

My personal distrust of these groups is that in time of persecution they would betray us to the enemy.

These things did not happen overnight but came about as a result of replacing the WORD with man's reasoning and preaching another Jesus that bears little resemblance to the Biblical one.

Just thought I would share this for your information, hoping to inform you that the stance of the liberal arm of this denomination does not characterize the concerned people therein. And....there are a lot of different Mennonite conferences that operate independantly of each other except in the rendering of humanitarian aid to the needy. We do fellowship with each other but there is no one human leader directing the affairs of each group.

As a side note...there was an incident last week in Ottawa, CA where some Mennonite youth were doing street ministry when a woman enraged with their stance on homosexuality attacked/stabbed one of the fellows that required medical attention. I suspect this will happen oftener in days to come.

God bless.

Sandra

Sandra, thanks. I personally have read of this movement within the Mennonites. It is heartbreaking in a sense but encouraging to know that true Mennonites are not following the spirit of the world here. There is a significant local population of Mennonites in my area, who I have great respect for. They also run a bakery here that is FABULOUS. :)

Yes, it makes us sick. If you would not know anybody there or who has been there it would be easier to dismiss it as, "that is just the way of the world" and leave it at that. Not so easily done otherwise.

Tim, glad you like those baked goods. Sometimes I think it is no accident the scriptures uses the analogy of bread to refer to something that feeds you well spiritually! :-)

Sandra

My niece and her husband built a house in the area where Mennonites live locally. Her husband's family always had a really good relationship with them, and the Mennonite church is like 5 minutes down the road. One day, the husband is getting ready to dig the footer for his house. Over a dozen Mennonite men pull up with shovels, picks, concrete tools and the works, u announced. He asked them what they were doing. They said, "You are a neighbor building a house. So we are building a house." They dug the footer in like a day, poured it, helped him get the house building started. He took his time and built the house without going into big debt, so the house raising wasn't all at once. But, they would often show up and help because they wanted to.

They get made fun of and looked down upon. I love em.

grieved that their brethren (?) have wandered so far away from God

They are so far from God, they are certainly not brethren in Christ. They embrace ungodly behavior that my pagan neighbors reject.

in time of persecution they would betray us to the enemy

For certain. They are ready to even now.

Both of these quotations don't apply just to Mennonites, but to a whole range of Christians and churches who used to stand with the truth of Christ, but no longer do. As said, it is not just a change of theology, but a change of spiritual allegiance. They are "against the Lord and against his Christ" and will be the first against us, against Christians, as soon as they have the chance. Some of them are doing it already, as far as they have ability.

We all know a body of people just do not wake up one morning and decide they will turn away from God but that it has been a process in the making for a long time. What shocks a body is how low they have sunk with no apparent remorse. The signs are there for the discerning but how many times do we sit up and take notice?

Some years ago The "Mennonite Quarterly Review" did an analysis of Mennonites in our community. When we moved here in 1959 the liberals got excited about it and thought we were here to change society through social/political activism. Guy Hershberger, Nelson Kauffman and others took an active interest in our church and advised us on how to proceed. Well...surprise! This was not on our agenda at all. It was on nobody's agenda.

Some years later a David Schwartz wrote an article detailing his take on Mennonites settling here, interviewing some who lived here briefly plus a few other locals, Mennonites and natives. It makes for interesting reading, I suppose, depending on your mindset...however, what discredits the work is a blatant lie[s] perpetrated therein. You take one lie and allow it to influence your perception of life here and how you view people and their motives.

I have tried to find a way to contact the writer but it was a no-go years ago when I tried it. In any case Goshen College - who put out the magazine - experienced a loss of confidence on my part.

Lies. A reputable historian will check out the allegations will he not? Or, did he make them up?

Lies. And this is just one serious error. Apparently this was/is how people like to think - creating their own reality to suit their philosophical bent. Now look where it took them.

Sad. Behooves one to face truth and let it do its work less we be drawn down the path of deception.

Sandra

Sandra,

I too am grieved by this latest rejection of God's authority by those colleges. From the perspective of someone who found unknown kindred in the annals of Anabaptism, this is a sad milestone in a long trend away from a Godly heritage. What else could we expect after decades of pursuing harmony with the social progressivism of the world? Instead, we need that simple devotion to God's Word and Spirit who transform the world from the inside, starting with me!

I am somewhat puzzled, though, by your reference to Guy Hershberger as a misguided liberal. I thought he was an advocate of personal discipleship to Christ and Biblical non-resistance - not the kind of political activism and non-violent resistance that Goshen College and MCUSA leadership now promote. I have a copy of his "Recovery of the Anabaptist Vision." One chapter is a reprint of Bender's Anabaptist Vision essay, which reads like a concise version of the The Kingdom the Turned the World Upside Down. If you can say more about your meaning of liberal, that may help me consider some subtle ways the church went wrong and how those of us who seek to be formed into a pure bride of Christ can find common ground with those who have sought to maintain that identity (by their separate discernment) for generations.

Burn4Him,

When Mennonites moved into this area back in 1959 this was viewed by the Mennonite church as a a means of bringing about justice for the blacks in this area. Am not sure but think the black/white population back then was 80/20 and it still is today.

Before too many years had elapsed Guy Hershberger, Nelson Kauffman and another fellow - do not recall his name - came down here to try to get our people to get involved in the political process, engage in social activism. Well...these guys did not take into account the fact that this type of 'ministry' was foreign to these people - had no interest in it. Social activism was not on our agenda, was not even on our minds. In time we hosted VBS for the black children, had a mission out in the boondocks for them. When the black churches saw what we were doing and its benefits they took interest and offered similar programs for their children and they quit coming to our mission church. Not all was lost, though - many friendships were forged and respect and love for each other followed.

Since our brotherhood was uninterested in social activism there was another family who took to it kindly and they got involved like Guy and et al advised. In time it ended in disaster. However, not all was lost - today we have a bi-racial family in our church and one could say that what helped was that the [black] dad appreciated this other family and so to have his wife and children become a part of our brotherhood was ok with him.

A lot of Mennonite thinkers started out well, but they got sidetracked somewhere along the line. (Nelson Kauffman's wife, Christmas Carol, was a prolific writer in the 1950-60s and deeply appreciated by many.) Why and how these things happened, I am not sure. I do know Goshen College had doctrinal issues years before and because of it was closed down for a period of time. These guys were associated with Goshen College during 1950-60s.

Does this make sense? All I know is that people can start out well but go off the rails in time.. My generation did it big time and for most of these I was and still am shocked, wondering how it could have happened.

From my perspective in MS and in talking with others from different communities I am learning the devil seems to be working overtime to bring about conflict, apostasy in many different forms - he has accelerated the process. It is scarey. I do not know of any one church that has not been effected in one way or another. This reality behooves one to stay close to the LORD.

Did I answer your question?

Sandra