This is a place where we will be posting prayer updates, interesting links, and various other things relating to our time in Ouagadougou.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
1. Why the Anabaptist/Mennonite perspective can be a tough fit in the Burkina Faso Church – New Discussion Series:
This article marks what I hope will be a change in how this blog is used.Up until now, this blog has given news and personal updates, sometimes posting pictures and interesting videos.Such posts have solicited little feedback from blog readers.This isn’t a criticism of the blog’s readers, but rather of the blog.Perhaps the blog has not been provocative enough.However, my intention is not to be provocative for the sake of provoking, but rather to have conversation with people who might know a little something about the issues with which we struggle here in West Africa.We need your input.Those especially who know a little something about the MennoniteChurch or Anabaptist church history – we would love to hear your point of view.I would love to see this blog become more of a place for dialogue than simply a place to read and look.
Part of our job description in Burkina Faso is to provide an Anabaptist/Mennonite perspective on Biblical teachings to a new church in Ouagadougou.This has sometimes been a frustrating task in some ways.I’ll explain why below.I have been wondering about characteristics of “place” and “culture” that cause one to either be welcoming or unwelcoming of Anabaptist principles.Here I will propose some reasons why the Christian church in Burkina Faso is a tough audience for Anabaptist teachings.
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The reasons I propose here may be applicable to other African countries as well.In Burkina Faso, these reasons stem from the values of the BurkinaChurch (including all denominations).I will be focussing on the values of the EvangelicalChurch, which is the mainstream Protestant church in Burkina Faso.I can think of at least 5 reasons that make Anabaptism a difficult fit for the Burkina FasoChurch today.Today, we look at church unity.
1. Church Unity vs. Denominational Gifts
Putting the word “versus” or vs. in the title here is oversimplifying and only for discussion sake in order to juxtapose two perspectives.It isn’t as if these two cannot go together.
In the Evangelical community in Burkina Faso, church unity is extremely important.Denominations are considered the “devils work”.These denominations are a reality, but an unwanted one.Many in our church are very sensitive about talking about the history of a denomination or the gifts thereof because of experiences with “denominational expansion” in the past.Certain denominations have, in the past, become neo-colonialists seeking to expand their denominational territory, and claiming that unless one is from their denomination, one is not fully Christian.
More recently, the majority of the Evangelical community has been against such approaches and actively speaks against it.This is an important step for the church in Burkina Faso.Christ brings unity to his body.Many good things are happening in this regard.
Enter the Mennonites with their subversive history – ana-baptist, anti-church/state, anti-mansion-o’er-the-hilltop theology.(Anabaptist refers to the history of the people who were against the baptism of infants, and so re-baptized people upon their confession of faith in Christ – for more, see links below.)Mennonites often define themselves in juxtaposition to other traditions – i.e. what we are not: we are not Catholics, but not completely Protestants either; we are against war, against injustice.Our whole history is based on subverting (or else running away from) corrupting systems of power.I see the Mennonite perspective as an invaluable gift to the Christian community.However, in the Burkina Church scene, emphasis on denominational “gifts” sounds a lot like the promotion of a denomination over and above another, and thus is discouraged – in fact, denominations themselves are of the devil.
So how does one respond?We believe that Anabaptism has a unique and paramount perspective to offer the church here.But how does one talk of Anabaptism without coming across as superior to other beliefs or values within the Christian community?Here is a good question even for “western” Mennonites?Do we see ourselves as somehow “better” than other church groups?How important is church unity for the Anabaptist community?How do Mennonites work for ecumenical unity?
Stay tuned for the next article: The Holy Spirit emphasis vs. Jesus’ life as normative
Not superior but different. I have an ice cream theology which I like. It goes like this: virtually everyone likes ice cream. In the world of an ice cream shop it is ice cream which is the important thing. Differences come out when people enter the shop and start talking about which ice cream they like the best. There is where the various differences emerge. While I personally feel that an orange sherbert/vanilla ice cream blend is the best it is not to say that other flavours are not worthy of being in the ice cream store. Would the store be as wondrous a place if there were only one flavour of ice cream offered? No. While I prefer my Mennonite flavoured ice cream, I am glad that there is a Catholic flavoured type in the store and a Presbyterian one as well. The store benefits from their presence and casts a broader appeal for those who are in search of that which truly refreshes (it is the ice cream which is the thing). While I rejoice when someone joins the Mennonite church I am also quite pleased when someone gets confirmed in the Lutheran church. At least they are in the store and we can keep cool together. Just a quick rambling thought. Blessings, Harold Schilk Springridge Mennonite Church
Excellent questions. From my (limited) perspective of the Mennonite church here in Kinshasa, and that of the MB churches in Quebec, it seems that they don't have such an emphasis on Church unity as you do in Burkina Faso.
In any case, I wonder if we might best promote our "paramount" Anabaptist distinctives by leaving the label "Anabaptist" and "Mennonite" out of our discourse and rather argue for these distinctives as orthodox Christian theology applicable to all traditions. I don't see the benefit of calling them "Anabaptist". I'm not a theologian so this is kind of a feeble layman's answer to your question -- perhaps there are good reasons to keep the labels.
We look forward to reading the next articles on this subjet. This one has already provoked some conversation around our dinner table! We are thinking in parallel about the Mennonite Church in the DRCongo.
These are very important questions. As a Mennonite working with a Non-Mennonite organization, I do agree with John's comments about presenting our Mennonite Theology as Orthodox. Our organization is beginning to see the importance of peace and reconciliation as part of development work. We now have a regional "Justice" coordinator and our home office leaders are considering what ways they will integrate peace and reconciliation into our overall strategy. This is just to say that even churches not from the traditional peace churches are recognizing the importance of Mennonite Peace Theology. Secondly, I think there is a cultural reason why the Burkina church searches for unity in the denominations. African culture emphasizes unity and conformity. Their worldview emphasizes the community over the individual: ie community of churches over individual denominations. If you look at the Church in Niger, denominational splits have really hurt the church and it's witness. These Burkina Christians are wisely trying to evade that kind of tension within the body of Christ. Lastly, in the Sahel, where the protestant churches are a minority in comparison to the Muslims, the church realizes that unity is essential for their lives and witness among Muslims. As Muslim Background believers, they could also hold on to the Muslim value of Uman, the conformity of the religious community, and bring some of those values into their new community of faith.
3 comments:
Not superior but different. I have an ice cream theology which I like. It goes like this: virtually everyone likes ice cream. In the world of an ice cream shop it is ice cream which is the important thing. Differences come out when people enter the shop and start talking about which ice cream they like the best. There is where the various differences emerge. While I personally feel that an orange sherbert/vanilla ice cream blend is the best it is not to say that other flavours are not worthy of being in the ice cream store. Would the store be as wondrous a place if there were only one flavour of ice cream offered? No. While I prefer my Mennonite flavoured ice cream, I am glad that there is a Catholic flavoured type in the store and a Presbyterian one as well. The store benefits from their presence and casts a broader appeal for those who are in search of that which truly refreshes (it is the ice cream which is the thing). While I rejoice when someone joins the Mennonite church I am also quite pleased when someone gets confirmed in the Lutheran church. At least they are in the store and we can keep cool together.
Just a quick rambling thought.
Blessings,
Harold Schilk
Springridge Mennonite Church
Excellent questions. From my (limited) perspective of the Mennonite church here in Kinshasa, and that of the MB churches in Quebec, it seems that they don't have such an emphasis on Church unity as you do in Burkina Faso.
In any case, I wonder if we might best promote our "paramount" Anabaptist distinctives by leaving the label "Anabaptist" and "Mennonite" out of our discourse and rather argue for these distinctives as orthodox Christian theology applicable to all traditions. I don't see the benefit of calling them "Anabaptist". I'm not a theologian so this is kind of a feeble layman's answer to your question -- perhaps there are good reasons to keep the labels.
We look forward to reading the next articles on this subjet. This one has already provoked some conversation around our dinner table! We are thinking in parallel about the Mennonite Church in the DRCongo.
-John
These are very important questions. As a Mennonite working with a Non-Mennonite organization, I do agree with John's comments about presenting our Mennonite Theology as Orthodox. Our organization is beginning to see the importance of peace and reconciliation as part of development work. We now have a regional "Justice" coordinator and our home office leaders are considering what ways they will integrate peace and reconciliation into our overall strategy. This is just to say that even churches not from the traditional peace churches are recognizing the importance of Mennonite Peace Theology.
Secondly, I think there is a cultural reason why the Burkina church searches for unity in the denominations. African culture emphasizes unity and conformity. Their worldview emphasizes the community over the individual: ie community of churches over individual denominations.
If you look at the Church in Niger, denominational splits have really hurt the church and it's witness. These Burkina Christians are wisely trying to evade that kind of tension within the body of Christ.
Lastly, in the Sahel, where the protestant churches are a minority in comparison to the Muslims, the church realizes that unity is essential for their lives and witness among Muslims. As Muslim Background believers, they could also hold on to the Muslim value of Uman, the conformity of the religious community, and bring some of those values into their new community of faith.
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