tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627470150628990050.post999464772664724301..comments2023-10-13T23:47:55.717+01:00Comments on A Quaker Stew: A is for AnabaptismStuart Mastershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02538248367297444238noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627470150628990050.post-36736532302062423732014-01-30T16:39:46.772+00:002014-01-30T16:39:46.772+00:00Thanks Wendrie! It is sad that the London Mennonit...Thanks Wendrie! It is sad that the London Mennonite Centre has gone but we are now seeing greater Mennonite/Anabaptist Network activity in other areas of the country including just over the road from Woodbrooke. The two groups were closer at the beginning of each movement but the links remain in a number of ways, especially in terms of peace witness. Stuart Mastershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02538248367297444238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627470150628990050.post-49179569710264375352014-01-29T22:18:41.852+00:002014-01-29T22:18:41.852+00:00Thanks for this Stuart. Having grown up near Anaba...Thanks for this Stuart. Having grown up near Anabaptists and then attended courses at the London Mennonite Centre I was aware of many similarities, but it was good to have such a thorough explanation.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04933117182907346621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627470150628990050.post-1020410076198386612014-01-11T11:03:18.130+00:002014-01-11T11:03:18.130+00:00Thanks Veronica! I think that it's worth notin...Thanks Veronica! I think that it's worth noting that the practice of 'disownment' in Quaker community did not usually go as far as 'shunning'. Disowned Friends were still able to attend worship (which was public) and would not have been ignored. What a disowned Friend could not do is take part in corporate discernment or represent the Society publicly. The desire was always for reconciliation (e.g. a Friend disowned for irresponsible financial/business dealings could be readmitted if those matters were put into good order and the individual accepted their error before the gathered community). Stuart Mastershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02538248367297444238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627470150628990050.post-51892376734854422562014-01-10T18:38:02.450+00:002014-01-10T18:38:02.450+00:00A very helpful and informative article Stuart. I, ...A very helpful and informative article Stuart. I, like Susan. was going to point out that the word 'ban' is nowhere used in Matthew 18, and that how Jesus treated tax collectors, sinners and Gentiles was to talk with them, eat with them and proclaim the Kingdom to them. I have been saying this for years and am thrilled to find someone else is saying it too! After all, the logical conclusion, if a member of your fellowship is not behaving like a Christian, is that they are not, in fact, a Christian. They therefore need evangelizing, not banning!<br />Veronica Zundelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248292370623296757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627470150628990050.post-39705549987573717822014-01-10T16:29:44.271+00:002014-01-10T16:29:44.271+00:00Thank you Susan that is very helpful. I suppose in...Thank you Susan that is very helpful. I suppose in the ancient world and in the 16th and 17th centuries, treating someone as a tax collector or as a gentile was very different from the way empire/the world treated outsiders/enemies in the final resort (i.e. often torture and execution). I think it is also right to point to the way that Jesus treated tax collectors and Samaritan (both of whom were despised within the culture of the time. Stuart. Stuart Mastershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02538248367297444238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1627470150628990050.post-60647163695828574742014-01-04T15:22:52.500+00:002014-01-04T15:22:52.500+00:00Writing as if from the conflictingstories blog is ...Writing as if from the conflictingstories blog is that is not yet published I’m particularly interested in C3 about handling conflict among Mennonites. And particularly interested that you say that point four in the Matthew 18 15-20 process, behaving with your opponent as if they were a tax collector or a gentile, has been interpreted by Mennonites as justifying banning or disowment. This may have been the case historically, or even still in some parts of the varied Mennonite ‘mosaic’ now, but my first encounter with a Mennonite view of this was in Chapter 9 of John Paul Lederach’s Journey toward Reconciliation. Here he points out that what Jesus actually did was speak friendlily to gentiles and sit down and eat with taxcollectors. So if we are trying to follow Jesus, but living with conflict with someone in an ongoing and possibly unresolvable disagreement, then nevertheless we should sit down with them and eat and be friendly. <br />The chapters on conflict in the church in this book have given me abiding satisfaction throughout the 15 years when I’ve been studying this subject. I’ve just got it out again and re-found stuff I immediately want to share – perhaps I’ll eventually get round to doing that on the livingwithconflict.net website. I understand that John Paul Lederach is coming to speak at a public conference at Bradford University at the beginning of May. As soon as I get full details I’ll post them on the events list on the website.<br />Susan RobsonSusan Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01543228671648285742noreply@blogger.com