Ordinary and extraordinary

by Celeste Kennel-Shank

As far as I know, mine was the first believers baptism at the church in which I was raised. At our ELCA-affiliated, ecumenical congregation, most members had been baptized as infants. But, being of Mennonite heritage, my parents waited and let me decide for myself to be baptized. It was no more extraordinary than any other baptism...yet it was a day few of my 16th-century ancestors could have seen coming.

It is remarkable that the Lutheran World Federation's council approved a statement to be adopted at its July 2010 assembly, asking forgiveness "from God and from our Mennonite brothers and sisters" for the persecution of Anabaptists during the Radical Reformation of the 1500s, and especially for the theological support Lutheran reformers gave to that violent oppression.

At the same time, the statement made at the LWF council's meeting this week in Geneva is unsurprising given the day-to-day collaboration that already exists between many Lutherans and Mennonites. Congregations, denominations and service and relief agencies work together without much theological tension.

Internationally and in the States, Lutherans and Mennonites have been in dialogue for years. Especially noteworthy in their discussions is the question of how we educate believers about our churches' histories. The LWF council's statement asks for forgiveness for ignoring the history of persecuting Anabaptists for centuries, and "for all inappropriate, misleading and hurtful portraits of Anabaptists and Mennonites made by Lutheran authors, in both popular and scholarly forms, to the present day." Additionally, the global Lutheran body commits "to interpret[ing] the Lutheran Confessions in light of the jointly described history between Lutherans and Anabaptists," including the way those confessions are taught in seminaries and member churches.

The omission of Lutheran persecution of Anabaptists from Lutheran history can appear audacious to us Anabaptists. Yet we too like to cover our warts. We have at times taught our tradition's history without mentioning incidents such as the violent millenarian movement of the 1530s.

Also, martyrdom looms large in understanding our theology and history, and we have often failed to seek to understand why 16th-century Lutheran leaders acted as they did. As the LWF council affirms a consensus in "repudiating the use of the state’s power either to exclude or enforce particular religious beliefs," Mennonites should reflect on what we may need to give up to sincerely extend forgiveness.

Whatever the result of ongoing Lutheran-Mennonite dialogue, we can pray for new power from the Holy Spirit to face the hard work presented to us by today's global power dynamics. Christians in the global South often understand persecution far better than do most of us biological descendants of participants in European church battles long ago. At the Mennonite World Conference assembly in Paraguay this July, LWF general secretary Ishmael Noko embraced MWC president Danisa Ndlovu. Both men are from Zimbabwe, where government oppression and economic devastation have resulted in suffering scarcely imaginable by most North American Christians. The example of these two leaders points to the powerful potential when Christians are united in the face of injustice.

As we seek reconciliation within the body of Christ, we can remember how much we all need God's grace to live faithfully.

Celeste Kennel-Shank is a lay worship leader and preacher at Chicago Community Mennonite Church.