A struggle among conservative Mennonites today is whether to legislate good actions and intend for it to become what people want to do, or to put up with some diversity and below-standard actions with the intent of helping the person change the desires of their heart so that the outside actions will change. This is a major controversy which has been near the heart of many church splits and been the cause of many disdainful glances and L.D.N.’s (Look Down Nose).
One side tries to cause right living. They feel there is no excuse for doing what is wrong. They feel that the person should first and foremost be committed to submitting to the church and God and that if they are, they will submit and eventually learn to appreciate what they are now being required to do. They tend to have a large set of standards for the church which they hope will create unity and a clear presentation of what it means to be an obedient follower of Christ.
The other side feels that requiring good actions does not truly change people’s hearts and that it will probably make a bunch of hypocrites who are doing right only because of social pressure. They prefer to put those things which are wrong, but are done by the person without guilt, under the grace of God and work to call that person to change through a change of heart. They tend to have fewer rules and seek to cause their members to do right by accountability and dialogue.
So, which is right? Which is more like what Christ intends for his church? I have decided to which side I lean. I have tried here to present a balanced view of both. I believe that I see the purposes and desires of both. I appreciate to a greater or lesser degree both sides. If you feel that your side has been misrepresented, please let me know so that my understanding may be broadened. If you do not respond with any corrections, I will assume that my overview is correct according to all my readers. : )
4 responses so far ↓
dbh // September 25, 2006 at 2:36 am
Good Overview. Legislation sometimes does change or help to change people’s hearts, as seen in anti-discrimination legislation in the sixties. The practice of allowing blacks to integrate w/ whites eventually resulted in something which before was a taboo–using the same bathroom as a white, to become a normal thing for most people. However, I don’t know if this makes sense for a church.
Duane // September 27, 2006 at 2:48 am
Mat 23:25-26 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
These are the words of the one who is the head of the church.
Javan // September 28, 2006 at 1:57 am
Yeah, good overview. But are you sure that for all your balance, your bias has not come through? The use of the word legislate, the inclusion of the weaknesses of the one way and not of the other are all indicative here. Not that that is bad in any way, don’t misunderstand me. But then again, you may be doing that on purpose….who am I to know?
musicoflife // September 28, 2006 at 2:56 am
Javan, I did not try those things, but it is hard to write unbiasedly about a subject which one feels deeply about, and about which one does not fully understand how the one side can feel as they do, and not let any bias come through. I do think though that the side for which I supposedly mentioned no weaknesses, is accused of having weaknesses by the other side. The very fact that they allow improper actions, sometimes for a very long time, is a problem to many people on the other side. The fact that they allow sin, which they know about, to contine, is not acceptable. Sometimes this is a problem.
Even though I have a bias, I do have to consider carefully the effect of doing on being. There is a connection here which freedom loving Americans, like normal fallen , do not like to see. We like to think that I should only do what I feel like doing inside. I should not have to coerce myself to do something I am not.