Mennonite
Church
USA
Newsletter of Peace and Justice Support Network, Mennonite Church USA
Peace and Justice
Support Network
DoveTales
September 2012
Do we trade freedom in Christ for illusions?
by Jason Boone
O
ver the past six months, I’ve spent significant
I’ve been exploring most recently what the freetime in my spiritual life reflecting on what
dom found in Jesus means for peacemakers and for
freedom found in Jesus means for peacemakMennonite Church USA as a peace church in the world
ers. I didn’t plan this direction, but lately the books
today, especially in a national election year. Followers of
and Scriptures I read, the communities I engage in, the
Jesus, and especially Anabaptists, realize our allegiance is
encounters I have, all lead back to this idea, as if the
to Jesus alone. But the powers and principalities of our
Spirit is saying, “This is important! Pay attention!”
own system entreat us to subordinate that allegiance to
I began by looking at my own attitudes about freepartisan politics.
dom and how it impacts my actions. I believe, like the
The party or system we align with, no matter how
Apostle Paul writes, that we have freedom in Jesus, a
noble its goals, engages us in its pursuit and struggle for
freedom that transcends biological, cultural and social
power. This pursuit encourages us to view those who
constraints. And I believe we’ve been given this freedom
hold opposing views as enemies to be defeated, not as
so we can engage in the mission of Jesus—loving God
neighbors to be loved. It breeds the lie that God can
and loving our neighbor in radical,
be contained in a political ideology. It
transforming ways.
propagates the idea that victory lies in
Perhaps there will always
Unfortunately, I see in my life a
control. The freedom we have in Christ
be policy differences among
pattern of trading that freedom for
is limited when we allow the divisions
believers, but if the process
different forms of imprisonment. I
and false gods of politics to order our
itself is to be transformed,
trade the freedom to love my neighbor
lives.
it must start with each
for the perverse pleasure of judging
When the unity we have in the body
person refusing to follow
my neighbor. I trade the creative freeof Christ is disrupted by ideologies, our
the standard tactics.
dom of nonviolence for the brutal lie
energy goes to defending and attacking
of the efficacy of violence in its many
artificial fronts in a political war and
forms. I trade my freedom to work for justice for the
not bearing witness to the love of Jesus. The true church,
comfort of believing the problems are too big for me to
not the religious imposter that has done so much damimpact. Jesus has given me enormous freedom, but I lock
age in the name of Jesus, has the freedom to allow for
myself in a cell of narcissism, often because behind those
difference without division. This witness and example is
locked doors is the illusion of control.
needed in all aspects of life, but especially in politics.
Thankfully, Jesus comes to me behind my locked
God’s mission includes establishing justice for all
doors, much as he came to the disciples when they locked
people. Participating and speaking into the political arena
themselves in the upper room after his death, to bring his
can be an important element of that mission. We can parpeace and the Holy Spirit, releasing me back into freedom,
ticipate in our political system and remain peacemakers as
back into the world, and back into the work of reconciliwe do so. If we approach the political system in the freeation. This is good news! I hope to continue growing as a
dom of Jesus, we can operate in it without compromising
disciple of Jesus, but I know that despite my best efforts,
our allegiance. In fact, the participation of followers of
I’ll continue to need Jesus to release me into freedom.
Jesus is the only thing that can transform the system into
▲
Continued
Freedom in Christ…
Continued from page 1
something salutatory for all people it represents and exists
to serve.
Everyone must let their own conscience guide them in
their political decisions, even as we continue to give and
receive counsel about the best path. Some will determine
that not participating in any fashion is the best way to
be faithful to Jesus. My own conscience leads me to participate, but I do so while keeping a careful watch on my
heart. If I feel anger or judgment toward whoever may be
on the “other side” of my views or candidates, this is a
warning. I’m in danger of trading the freedom of love for
the joyless pursuit of winning an argument. Then I pray
for Jesus to free me, once again, back to the mission of
reconciliation and love.
Much like the deception that one has to engage in war
to end war, the idea that fear and anger can transform a
system of fear and anger is the lie that perpetuates our
political climate. The outcomes of the system reflect the
inputs into the system. Perhaps there will always be policy
differences among believers, but if the process itself is to
be transformed, it must start with each person refusing
to follow the standard tactics. What if we took the freedom of loving our enemies into policy debates? What if
we determined not to harbor anger into our hearts, even
as we engage as much or as little as we feel led? What if
we treated everyone who disagrees with our views as we
would like to be treated—with consideration, respect and
love? Only then could we be truly hopeful that our political system can contribute to God’s mission.
As someone who was not born into the Mennonite
Church, I can testify that it is a light to others. It embodies
a hope that what Jesus taught and lived is true—that peace
is possible, God is merciful, and we are invited to freely
experience both in loving community with others. If we
hold fast to these truths, as individuals and as a church,
we can transform even the basest systems into means of
justice and freedom.
Jason Boone
Coordinating Minister
Peace and Justice Support Network
Mennonite
Church
USA
Peace and Justice
Support Network
Invitation to Phoenix
Convention 2013
by Hannah Heinzekehr
I
t may seem hard to believe, but the biennial Mennonite
Church USA convention is only one year away. Next year,
from July 1-6, 2013, we are hoping that 6,000+ Mennonites
will gather in Phoenix, Ariz., to worship, to learn and to witness.
Committees are already in place to work on
planning worship, seminars and workshops,
and special events.
The theme for convention 2013 is
“Citizens of God’s Kingdom: Healed in Hope/
Phoenix
Ciudadanos del Reino de Dios: Sanados
Convention
por la Esperanza.” We want to ask what it
Center
means to commit our primary allegiance
July 1-6, 2013
to God’s kingdom and work, and how that
shapes the ways that we live and work in
the world. This gathering will not just be
“convention as usual,” but will offer many
opportunities for engaging and learning
more about anti-racism initiatives, national immigration policies,
the ways immigration stories are interwoven into our own
history as Anabaptists and Christians, and life in Arizona.
Some activities that are being planned include:
• Daily opportunities for convention participants to visit the
Arizona/Mexico border.
• Intentional opportunities to connect with minority-owned
businesses and business people throughout Phoenix.
• Morning prayer circles, led by the Peace and Justice Support
Network, outside the county jail.
• A one-mile prayer walk throughout the city.
• Many different four-hour learning experiences, with
speakers and resources from across the church and country.
• A traveling choir, who will visit key locations throughout
Phoenix to share music as a witness to God’s justice and peace.
And this list is sure to continue growing.
We hope that many of you who are connected with the
Peace and Justice Support Network will consider joining us
for six days in Phoenix. It will take many volunteer hands and
feet to bring these experiences together, so if you feel called
toward engaging any of these forms of witness, please get in
touch with us by e-mailing convention@mennoniteusa.org
or jasonb@mennoniteusa.org. You can also stay up-to-date
with the latest public witness updates at our website: www.
MennoCon.com. Registration for Phoenix 2013 will begin in
early December. Hope to see you all there!
Hannah Heinzekehr, Convention Planning Coordinator
DoveTales is a publication created by the Peace and Justice Support Network of Mennonite Church USA to resource individuals and
congregations in their pursuit of Christian peacemaking and justice seeking. Ideas, articles and reports can be submitted to the editor.
PJSN leadership team: Melonie Buller, Dave Hockman-Wert, Charletta Erb, Betsy Headrick McCrae, Saulo Padilla, Sean Park, Wilma
Redbird, Jim Roynon. Editor: Jason Boone, coordinating minister for the Peace and Justice Support Network, PO Box 370, Elkhart, IN
46515-0370; 1-866-866-2872, ext. 23065; Peace@MennoniteUSA.org. Copy editor: Karen Hallis Ritchie. Designer: Cynthia Friesen
Coyle. PJSN website: www.MennoniteUSA.org/peace. Opinions expressed in DoveTales are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the official positions of Mennonite Church USA or the Peace and Justice Support Network.
Discerning Together: Elections
PeaceSigns is the free, electronic magazine of the Peace
and Justice Support Network. Berry Freisen recently contributed this piece that applies a thoughtful analysis of
how to approach the upcoming election as an opportunity
to engage in mission. How is your community discerning
together ways to follow Jesus in the upcoming election?
SWOT Analysis
By Berry Freisen
ver 35 years of work for five private nonprofits, I
became convinced of the importance of mission to
organizational effectiveness. When effective leadership is at the helm, “mission” is always front and center.
Given that experience, I find it easy to embrace the
missional emphasis of Mennonite Church USA. Although
a network of congregations and local conferences may be
distinguishable in many ways from a nonprofit, I see little
difference in the critical role that mission should play in
shaping identity and forms of engagement.
Let’s carry that analogy a step further to the way nonprofits make plans and set objectives. In my experience, a
SWOT analysis is frequently the tool of choice. That is:
O
• What internal Strengths give us particular advantages
in the current context?
• What internal Weaknesses particularly disadvantage us?
• What external Opportunities are within our reach,
given our mission and our identity?
• What external Threats put our mission at special risk?
I find it useful to use this same analysis to develop
promising options by which Mennonite Church USA (and
its member conferences and their member congregations)
can be missional. Let’s give it a try.
Our mission: Communicate the way of Jesus as a goodnews alternative in our time and place.
Our urgent question: How will we carry out this mission
in 2012, which is an election year?
Our internal weaknesses: (a) Voting, lobbying government,
and protesting government actions all are acceptable practices among Mennonite Church USA-related organizations.
But we have virtually no history of speaking a prophetic
word into what is the preeminent ritual of our nation’s
political life: the election of a president. (b) Many of us can
not imagine what we could say about national leadership
that would be a positive witness to Jesus Christ. (c) We are
preoccupied by declining budgets and sexuality issues.
External opportunities: (a) The bipartisan commitment
of Republican and Democratic politicians to dominate the
world, protect Wall Street financial interests, and ignore
the rule of law has been revealed. (b) The larger Christian
communions are not speaking into this crisis; there is a
vacuum of leadership. (c) Among Christians, there is growing interest in Anabaptism and what socially-engaged
Anabaptists are saying.
External threats: (a) The list of Muslim nations where the
U.S. government has engaged in killing people has now
grown to seven: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Libya,
Yemen, and Somalia. Syria will soon be the eighth. This
continuous, expanding war against Muslim peoples is the
new normal; few Americans are upset by it. (b) Torture,
off-shore prisons, indefinite detention, assassination
squads, presidential kill lists, and drone attacks on civilians have also become part of the new reality. Pride in such
practices has become a sign of presidential leadership; few
Americans are upset by it. (c) Most American people—and
many of us within Mennonite Church USA congregations—now believe the best way to minimize violence and
move toward peace in the world is for the U.S. military to
achieve and maintain total spectrum dominance.
Our options: Ask organizations related to Mennonite
Church USA (congregations and conferences) to: (a) Provide
guidance to us as individuals with regard to our participation in this election; this is necessary to stop the erosion of
our moral scruples while living in a war-like culture. (b) Call
for a church-wide boycott of this election because it does
not offer us a choice that will reduce U.S. violence against
Muslims; this will serve as a teachable moment for us within
Mennonite Church USA while also bearing witness to others who become aware of this action. (c) Call for a national
boycott of this election because it does not offer us a choice
that will reduce U.S. violence against Muslims; this will give
substance to our claim that Jesus is Lord while eroding the
moral legitimacy of the current political system in the USA.
Continued
▲
Our internal strengths: (a) We are diverse politically.
(b) Whether Republican or Democrat, we have been
humbled by our disappointments in the administrations of
George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Thus, in contrast to
most election years when many of us were eager to tout
the benefits of one party or the other, now our hearts are
especially open to confession and seeking another way.
(c) We value social engagement and the prophetic tradition.
DoveTales
NON-PROFIT
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO.7
SOUTH BEND,
INDIANA
DoveTales
Peace and Justice Support Network
Mennonite Mission Network
PO Box 370
Elkhart, IN 46515-0370
Discerning together
Continued from page 3
Agreeing and
disagreeing
in love
Commitments for Mennonites
in Times of Disagreement
“Making every effort to maintain the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
(Ephesians 4:3), as both individual
members and the body of Christ,
we pledge that we shall:
Accept conflict
Affirm hope
Commit to prayer
Obviously, the exercise could
play out differently and other
options could be generated. But I
expect it will lead you to options
that call for some form of public
engagement by Mennonite Church
USA-related organizations.
In other words, our congregations, conferences, and national
leaders will see this election as an
opportunity for mission.
IN ACTION
Questions for your community:
Go to the other
In the spirit of humility
Be quick to listen
Be slow to judge
Be willing to negotiate
IN LIFE
What options do you see resulting
from a SWOT analysis?
How can you, your congregation, and leaders treat this election
as an opportunity for mission?
Be steadfast in love
Be open to mediation
Trust the community
Be the Body of Christ
Share your reflections on the Peace and
Justice Support Network Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/PJSNMennoniteUSA.
IN THOUGHT
Peace and Justice Support
Network is a partnership
with Mennonite Church
USA and Mennonite
Mission Network. Its
mandate is to strengthen
Mennonite Church USA’s
commitment to peace
and justice by equipping
persons across the church
called to this ministry,
and by encouraging the
church to embody and
communicate Christ’s
reconciling way.
Take advantage of
all PJSN freebies:
See peace.mennolink.org/
getinvolved.
NON-PROFIT
US POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO.7
SOUTH BEND,
INDIANA
DoveTales
Peace and Justice Support Network
Mennonite Mission Network
PO Box 370
Elkhart, IN 46515-0370
Discerning together
Continued from page 3
Obviously, the exercise could play out differently and
other options could be generated. But I expect it will lead
you to options that call for some form of public engagement by Mennonite Church USA-related organizations.
In other words, our congregations, conferences, and
national leaders will see this election as an opportunity for
mission.
Agreeing and
disagreeing
in love
Commitments for Mennonites
in Times of Disagreement
“Making every effort to maintain the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
(Ephesians 4:3), as both individual
members and the body of Christ,
we pledge that we shall:
IN THOUGHT
Accept conflict
Affirm hope
Commit to prayer
IN ACTION
Go to the other
In the spirit of humility
Be quick to listen
Be slow to judge
Be willing to negotiate
IN LIFE
Be steadfast in love
Be open to mediation
Trust the community
Be the Body of Christ
Questions for your community:
• What options do you see resulting from a SWOT
analysis?
• How can you, your congregation, and leaders treat this
election as an opportunity for mission?
Share your reflections on the Peace and Justice Support Network
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/PJSNMennoniteUSA.
Peace and Justice Support
Network is a partnership with
Mennonite Church USA and
Mennonite Mission Network.
Take advantage of
all PJSN freebies:
See peace.mennolink.org/
getinvolved.