just an apprentice

the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Mennonite/Orthodox Dialogue...




















We had a good afternoon at Annunciation for the Mennonite/Orthodox dialogue. You can download the paper I presented here. It is not perfect, but it is an iteration of how Anabaptists read and interpret the Bible. I think the part on how authority is expressed in the Mennonite (and more broadly the Protestant/Evangelical stream) is particularly important to understanding the contemporary situation in Western Christianity.

How is the way of Christ revealed? And what value (authority) do we give to the Apostolic "mindset" that is represented in Tradition as a way we discern Biblical faithfulness to Christ? I suggest, that what we tend to see expressed in the modern approach to Scripture, particularly in American Christianity, is an individualistic engagement with the Gospel--private, subjective interpretation, un-accountable to a broader (Apostolic) mindset through which the Christ of Scriptures is crystallized and expressed. Grenz and Franke offer this critique. I included this critique in the paper, but skipped over it in my presentation, because of time constraints.

I'm thinking about starting another blog that is a forum for ongoing converstation between Anabaptism and Orthodoxy. Stay tuned.

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5 Comments:

  • At 6:47 PM , Blogger Mimi said...

    Congratulations. I am glad it went well. I'm on the other side of the diaglogue from you, but not that familiar with the Anabaptist beliefs, so look forward to reading it.

     
  • At 8:47 AM , Blogger Ira said...

    Brian, It went great yesterday. You gave very helpful material. Blessings.

     
  • At 4:37 PM , Blogger Gecko Girl said...

    Thanks for all the work and preparation you put into this. I am grateful for the opportunity to hear and talk about these kinds of things because I feel it helps me better understand where I am at in my faith journey and why.

    There is also something very, very helpful about hearing points of view from the voices themselves rather than just reading about them or hearing someone else explain them. There were a few instances where you would explain a view of Anabaptism and I felt like saying, "now stop there and let Fr. D. respond to what you just said." Compare and contrast really helps me process things too. Both Fr. Alex and Fr. D. do such a great job explaining their faith in terms that engage our Anabaptist understanding. Thank you and Ira for introducing us to them!

     
  • At 8:31 PM , Blogger Brian Miller said...

    Dawn,
    I am so glad you and Chris, (and some other Mennonites) were at the dialogue on Saturday.

    I like your idea of more back and forth exchanges. That is a little bit more what our monthly meetings are like. Less people. More informal. These are open to anyone...so let me know if you are interested. I think our next meeting is March 22, 12 noon at Annunciation. You would be welcome to join us.

     
  • At 8:31 PM , Blogger Brian Miller said...

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