“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3:20-21)
The Confession says, “The church is the spiritual, social, and political body that gives its allegiance to God alone. “ When it comes to matters of allegiance, while we support governmental institutions that help all people in the nation and around the world live lives in shalom, if the government and God’s laws/mission conflict, we will support and follow God’s laws/mission to the point of civil disobedience to the point of giving up our lives in order to be faithful to God.
The Confession commentary on this article of faith says, “The language of the church as “holy nation” may be unfamiliar. Often, we have spiritualized the political language of the New Testament, forgetting that kingdom, Lord, and even the Greek word for church (literally, “assembly” or “town meeting”) are political words. Political here refers to any structuring of group relationships. Understanding the church as nation can make clearer its relationship to the nations of the world.” This speaks to the concept of “in but not of.” We are a nation of believers of God who co-habit amongst others who have chosen not to follow God. We believe following God is a faith choice made out of the desire to emulate Christ. True faith can not come about because of the threat of violence.
The Confession commentary section goes on to say, “Before the fourth century, about the time of the Roman emperor Constantine, most Christians thought of themselves as God’s nation, made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers, living among the nations, yet strangers among them (1 Peter 2:11-17; Hebrews 11:13-16). When Christianity became the state religion, the emperor came to be seen as the protector of the faith (even by violence). Church membership was no longer voluntary. Mission efforts were primarily directed toward people outside the empire. Even now, in places where Christianity is no longer the state religion, the government is often seen as the defender of religion, and the church is expected to support government policies.“
But that causes problems when the agenda of the government conflicts with the God’s church as it is understood by those believers. What to do? Mennonites believe you MUST follow God faithfully. It is, however, the interpretation of what faithful following looks like that causes divisions and splits. The concept of society can be substitute for government in terms of following and allowing society to dictate what the populace does, thinks, says etc.
Under the Roman emperor Constantine, Christianity became accepted, and beyond that, expected. But when any religion is accepted by the “state” it tends to lose its distinctiveness and “edge”. Christianity was no exception. As new strains of Christian faith have arisen and established their uniqueness, people have flocked to that faith and become fervent believers. When it is fully accepted, variations tend to emerge and what was crisp and clear becomes murky and fuzzy. It has been said by many that the Mennonite faith has kept its distinctive edges such that it is neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant, but a “Third Way.” (Ah ha! You say!) But from the inside the Mennonite faith is no longer the “avant garde” that it once was. It is my hope that through the commenting and blogging on the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective you will see what its distinctiveness is/was. And perhaps it will cause you to think and ponder on your faith.
May you gentle reader set yourself apart from the whims and wishes of the world nations and instead dedicate yourself to God’s nation of faith. Selah!
