Book Review: Against The Wind

Against The Wind is the biography of Eberhard Arnold, the primary founder of the Hutterite group known the Bruderhof. Against the Wind is available without charge from Plough Publishing in e-reader or PDF format here, something I appreciate. The Bruderhof are an Anabaptist group modeled in large part on the Hutterites. They are an outworking of the study of Eberhard Arnold, a brilliant German theologian from the later 19th/early 20th century. Against the Wind tells the fascinating story of this man who was equal parts servant, theologian and visionary.

Eberhard Arnold was a German theologian who took the rare step of taking his theological study and putting it into practice. Born in 1883, he lived in a tumultuous time for Germany, from the turn of the century to the first World War and the early days of the rise of Nazism. Coming from an educated family of privilege and social standing he eventually died as the leader of a group that practiced community of goods and rarely had much to eat. While he benefitted enormously from the educational opportunities afforded him by his upbringing and always seemed to value education, as he grew and matured he seemed to shed much of what the world considers important for a Christ-centered life. During his life he got to know many other famous theologians from Karl Barth to Dietrich Bonhoefffer and had a marked impact of theological life in Germany. He is one of the most important theologians you have never heard of. Maybe Eric Metaxes can do a bio on him!

Arnold was not a man without flaws and I appreciate that while this is definitely a friendly biography, areas where Arnold made mistakes are not glossed over. Notably Eberhard was caught up in German enthusiasm and nationalism in the run up to and during the first World War. Yet coming out of that horrific war on the other side, Arnold’s views radicalized quite seriously as applied to nationalism and militarism and he became what can only be described as a Christian pacifist in the later years of his life, something that would put him at odds with the rising power of National Socialism in Germany under Adolf Hitler in the 1930’s. He tried to reach out to Hitler and used respectful language that seems jarring to us today although we have the “benefit” of knowing the full horror of the Nazi regime but I think it was done out of a respect for civilian authority and not any sort of adminration for Hitler. I also get the impression that Eberhard was prone to being faddish, that something new and exciting would catch his attention, but through it all he kept his eyes on the cross.

I think Eberhard understood the inherent dangers of a radical life, not dangers to life or property although those certainly are true, but spiritual dangers. A radical life of community can brings its own subtle but dangerous challenges, challenges like legalism, divisiveness and even pride. Arnold knew and said what should be obvious, not every Christian is called to the sort of total community that is practiced by the Brudherhof, Hutterities and other Christian groups, although all Christians are called to community of some sort. Some of his spiritual progeny have slipped into apathy and isoloationism or a belief that their way of life is the only proper one for Christians but that certainly was not something that Arnold taugt. As I said earlier, unlike many theologians Eberhard Arnold was not a man content to talk and write about the Christian life, he lived it right up until his death. For anyone interested in Anabaptism, in community, in radical church life I can recommend Against the Wind without hesitation. In a day and age when a pretty mild book about being “Radical” causes a huge storm of controversy, it is instructive to see what an actual radical life of discipleship looks like. I also believe that the principles of a community that depends on and supports one another are going to be priceless in the days to come in the post-Christendom era. We have much to learn from the Anabaptists!

Against the Wind only covers the life of Eberhard Arnold, so you miss much of the history of the Bruderhof as they flee Germany when Europe descended into war, leaving for England and then having to leave England because of distrust (Germans living in England in the middle of World War II were looked at with some suspicion apparently), moving to Paraguay and eventually relocating to America in the 1950’s. You can learn more about their history from their webpage. It is an interesting story to say the least.

Religious persecution is not just something that happens "over there"

We all know that our brothers and sisters are persecuted around the world. The case of Youcef Nadarkhani, sentenced to death by the despotic regime of Iran, is a stark reminder that persecution is going on right now and that our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world are suffering daily. They need and demand our prayer. Lest we pull a muscle patting ourselves on the back for how free we are here and how glad we are not live "there", it is worth a reminder that America has not always lived up to her lofty rhetoric about religious freedom and tolerance. I am not talking about the faux persecution that people toss about, normally as a callous ploy to gain political support. Not having a monument with the Ten Commandments on it on public land is not "persecution". There has been persecution in this country, real persecution, and it rarely gets much mention.

As I was reading Guy Hershberger's War, Peace, and Nonresistance the other night I was reminded of the events of World War I. We are often told the story of the Japanese internment camps in World War II but there was a great deal of less publicized persecution going on in World War I. While there was widespread persecution against American citizens who for religious reasons who unwilling to militarily support the war effort in World War , one event stands out: the imprisonment and torture of Jacob Wipf and Joseph, Michael, and David Hofer.

These four men, Hutterites from South Dakota, were conscripted into the Army to fight a foolish war but refused to serve because of their religious convictions, convictions protected under the First Amendment. In response these men were imprisoned and kept in horrific conditions, malnourished and mistreated. After being transferred from Alcatraz to Leavenworth, they continued to be tortured which eventually led to the deaths of two of the men, Joseph and Michael Hofer. Even after the deaths of these two men, the other two men continued to be imprisoned although they were treated marginally better. They were eventually released. Fortunately the mistreatment and martyrdom of these men led to improved conditions for religious conscientious objectors in World War II but the fact remains, buried in the history of this country, that less than 100 years ago the government of the United States imprisoned and tortured four men, leading to the deaths of two of them, for standing by their religious convictions.

For a full treatment of the events of World War I and the imprisonment of Jacob Wipf and the Hofer brothers, check out this article from The Plough, Persecution in the Land of the Free.

Road Trip Review

I mentioned on Friday that we were going to Ohio on Saturday to visit a family I have been in touch with. I wanted to give you an update because it was a great time for us. We had a wonderful visit with Michael and Wanda Harris on Saturday. The Harris family are Hutterites and their style of life is simultaneously both fairly typical and very much not. Like my wife, Wanda is a keeper of the home and they homeschool their children. Michael works a “regular” job. Because they are not living in a traditional Hutterite colony, their lives are not quite the same as that of the colony they are affiliated with (Elmendorf Christian Community in Minnesota, which in turn is a little different in doctrine and practice from some of the older colonies further West). With farm prices through the roof thanks to dramatically higher commodity prices, creating a new and self-sufficient colony is an expensive proposition. So for now, the Harris family lives in a more or less traditional way but they way they view church and community is radically different from the norm.

If I can speak for them, it is clear that community is not a passing thing in the church for the Harris family. It is the thing. It is what unites us, gives us a witness to the unbelieving world and it is what God intends for us, both by human nature and in Scriptural example.

What I found enchanting and refreshing was that their children don’t have iPods or video games or even a TV. Yet they play with and find joy in simple play with blocks, something kids all used to be able to entertain themselves with until we decided as parents and as a society that kids needed every possible indulgence. We dutifully watch commercials and like sheep we shuffle off to the store to buy the latest, greatest toy for our kids on command. Even in my lifetime, when I was growing up we had pretty minimal exposure to television because as a child we lived before the advent of cable. So I spent a lot of time reading, playing outside, playing with friends. If I were growing up now, I would spend 100% of my free time in front of a computer and never step foot outside. When I remarked that we don’t sing together as a family, Michael asked what we do together as a family. The answer unfortunately is “not much”. We have plenty of ways to entertain ourselves individually, so it is easier for us all to “do our own thing” than to do things together as a family.

They had the biggest dining room table I have ever seen. Imagine a table with four adults, two on each end and fifteen children ages 16 and under around it! I was at one end of the table and Michael was at the other and it was a little hard to hear one another because we were so far away. It is a table that is designed for fellowship, in a home that welcomes people. You don’t need to “go to church” to have fellowship when you open your home to any and all.

I found it fascinating that for Michael, the way that the evangelical church lives is almost incomprehensible and unrecognizable. What we take for granted as “normal” is anything but for Hutterites. From our unquestioning support of war to the minimalist version of community we pass of as “church”, it is hard to imagine a model that is less recognizable for the more conservative Anabaptist groups. When we spoke about how we gather, even in a Plymouth Brethren assembly which is in and of itself pretty different from a traditional evangelical church, it doesn’t sound recognizable from the Scriptures to Hutterites.

So what does that mean for us as a family? Well, I am not sure yet. I know that it reinforced for us that we are missing out on both the loving witness to those outside of the church and the support that a Christian community provides to those in the church. That sort of community cannot be found in church membership or regular Sunday attendance. It can only be achieved by lives lived together, in a commitment to one another. Something Michael said really struck me. In a community like the Hutterites, people get mad at one another but because you are in community, you don’t stomp off and leave. You are committed to one another as a living community for the long haul and that means you don’t just go from Baptist church A to Baptist church B because you are in a snit about something. The solution to church hopping is not “church membership”, it is a committed community. I would have some concerns/questions about some matters of doctrine and I am not sold on some distinctives (like the manner of dress). I also know that the perfect community in perfect fellowship doesn’t exist on this side of the judgment. So we can either sit around and wait to die, slogging along in the morass of evangelicalism, or we can seek to do God’s will no matter how uncomfortable it makes us or what sacrifices it requires of us.

We are looking forward to spending more time with the Harris family and with others who seek a community with other believers beyond Sunday morning and see where God leads us.

Up next on my reading list

A far more specialized book: Hutterite Beginnings: Communitarian Experiments during the Reformation. The Hutterites have some issues but they and some of their offshoot groups in North America have a fascinating history of a radically different sort of Christian community. Should be an interesting read and I got it cheap (less than $3!).

All things in common

There are few passages in Scripture that make red-blooded American conservative Christians more twitchy than Acts 2: 44-45 and the companion passage Acts 4: 32-35:

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (Acts 2: 44-45)

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4: 32-35)

That….that is un-American! That sounds kind of Obamaish to me! Them early apostles were commie pinkos! I don't see this as a form of communism, given that the assembly of the church and the giving was all done voluntarily rather than under compulsion. It does raise a question for us, even today where many of us, even those of us of modest means, live lives of extravagance unimaginable by the New Testament church and many of our brothers around the world, of how we reconcile our lifestyle as the church with what we see in Acts. We can be awfully selective about what parts of Scripture we apply literally. People will die on the hill of Sunday morning church services but spend a lot of time looking at their shoes when it comes to passages like the ones above. We insist on a traditional model for deacons and assume that they are spoken on in Acts 6 but what about the daily distribution to the widows that is at the heart of Acts 6: 1-6?

The bigger question is: How do we live what we see in the Scriptures in our Christian lives ? This was a question I asked in a previous post: The Church and the New Testament model and while I think many of us agree on the principle, I am not sure we are as willing to look deeply into ourselves and see what we find because deep down we know we aren’t going to like it. If the New Testament example and command is authoritative for the church today as well as in the first century, how do we live that out?

I don’t think that putting a couple of bucks in the offering plate really is getting it done. I don’t think gathering with other Christians (that we agree with in doctrine and practice of course) a couple of hours a week is fulfilling the Christian life that God saw fit to record for us in Scripture (and did so undoubtedly for a purpose) is getting it done either. I am pretty sure that my lifestyle is not one that really is reflective of Scripture. We are getting much better at family devotional time. My wife covers her head. We are pretty faithful at gathering with the saints. We do a small amount of evangelization. We occasionally have other believers in our home. We educate our children at home in a Christ centered curriculum. Most of the time though, in our home and at work, we look an awful lot like the world and if you are a Christian and are honest with yourself, you probably do to. What is the lifestyle that Paul commended to his readers?

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thess 4: 9-12)

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. (2 Thess 3:10-12)

Yikes. Quiet and humble lives. Those are just a couple of the many Scriptures that extol the virtue of humble, quiet living. Are we as a family living this way? We own four or five TVs, more than a half dozen computers. We find so many ways that are banal and petty to fill our day. For all intents and purposes, outside of a few things we do that are more or less culturally acceptable expressions of being Christians, we live our lives in a way that is virtually indistinguishable from our pagan neighbors and in truth that is true for almost every Christian I know. The life of a Christian in the Bible is portrayed as a radical discipleship, a counter-cultural life and yet Christians (esp. in my home) embrace the world with both arms. We were talking about the Puritans and John Calvin yesterday and how prodigious their writings are. It seems incomprehensible to us but if you don’t fill your day with internet news, video games, Facebook, blogging and a million other things you have a lot more time for prayer, writing and meditating on the Word. When I read about people like the Hutterites (a group that has fascinated me for some time) and compare how they live with how most Christians live, I have a hard time making the case that, in spite of some flaws, they are not living a more faithful Christian life that most western Evangelicals. When the world looks at us, do they see disciples of Jesus Christ or do they see religious Americans? When you get the answer to that question, what do you do about it?

My spirit is deeply troubled this morning.