Dunker Journal

THOMAS F. MADDEN TELLS US America’s Days Aren’t Numbered. Well, they are, but just not in the way that the liberal doomsayers tell us.

SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS:

How does homosexuality glorify God?

How does it reflect the glory of Christ and the image of His love for His bride, the Church?

How does it honor the intention of God and Christ’s own words (and affirmed by Annual Conference 1983) that marriage is for one man and one woman?

I don’t think it does, and I have not seen any pro-homosexual writing that indicates such.

JOHN O’SULLIVAN HAS a moving speech on Lady Margaret Thatcher posted over at Imprimis (the monthly speech digest of Hillsdale College).

IS IT TRUE, as I have been hearing in some quarters, that the “forbearance” idea being floated for the Annual Conference is actually an admission by liberal-minded folks that they are a small minority in the Church of the Brethren, and want “forbearance” so that they might continue to work at promoting their unBiblical views?

Forbearance is useful on trifling matters; the forbearance wanted by the liberals is that they can continue to undermine the Scriptural standards of theology and morality with impunity. Homosexuality, God as “mother,” and Spongian and Borgian theology aren’t disputable, and are not appropriate matters for forbearance.

UPDATE: I don’t think that is in question at all. Otherwise, why importune for forbearance?

It should be noted that most, if not all, issues dealt with before the last 75 years or so, were matters of application of Scriptural principles, not issues of essential faith and morals. While I might agree that to us today, some matters of those times might be “trifling,” it is true that when the Brethren were contending on those “smaller” issues, they stayed away from questioning the authority of the Scriptures. In fact, the authority of the Scriptures was so great in their minds that they wanted to be quite sure they were applying it properly.

ONE OF THE COMMON THEMES of our time is the lack of regard for any kind of authority. In the political realm, the New York Court of Appeals have determined that Eliot Spitzer, the recently fallen governor (and prior Attorney General) had no authority to pursue and prosecute the pay arrangements of the director of the New York Stock Exchange. Yet Spitzer determined to “rein in” various aspects of the corporate world, because he believed it necessary–but without authority to do so. Governments routinely exceed their authority in limiting liberties that once were common. The Amish have discovered that local governments become quite dictatorial when it comes to common liberties. One could recite examples of other politicians acting without authority on the same level.

In the religious world, we have instance after instance of religious figures doing things without authority to do so. We have people arguing that homosexuality is okay–without any authority other than their say so. We have people contending for changes in essential theology and practice–without Biblical authority to do so. We have folks demanding “re-imagining” of the Christian faith–though they have no authority to do any such thing.

On the other hand, we see religious authorities abdicating their authority because of their contravention of historical, Biblical standards. The recent GAFCON conference in Jerusalem (of Anglican leaders from around the world) has rightly decided to re-establish Biblical authority in the Anglican Church, precisely because Canterbury and the Anglican incarnations in North America have steadfastly rejected Biblical authority. In the Unted States, Anglican congregations have been recognized as valid and continuing expressions of that particular faith by secular courts.

There are many parallels to the establishment of the independence of the American states in the 1770s. The British government had abdicated its authority through exceeding it, and in violating the essential rights of Englishmen as understood since the Magna Carta. Therefore, the American colonists, as Englishmen, reasserted the historical, conservative position in opposition to the radical restrictions placed on them by the British crown. It was, as one political observer has written, “a conservative revolution.”

We are seeing the same thing in the religious realm. True Christians are reasserting and declaring anew basic Biblical authority, and rejecting those who usurp that authority. It is good to remember for such basic assertions that we will be called intolerant, narrow, bigoted, troublemakers, lacking “forbearance,” and so on. I suspect that means we are on the right track. The prophets of Baal wanted Elijah to be inclusive, forbearing, and uphold an “open spirit.” But, thank God, he did not give in to them.

We are seeing even the re-writing of Church history in a way that minimizes or eliminates the importance of steadfast Christians in maintaining the essentials of the faith. By the lights of one observer, since the 1880s the Church of the Brethren has been on an unbroken liberal march, with which conservatives have acquiesced or at least accommodated with grace. Yet a careful reading of our history will show that such a direction among the Brethren is grossly exaggerated, and Carl Bowman’s research shows that the Church of the Brethren is a conservative, evangelical denomination. And it is no thanks to many on the other side who heavily criticized those who have championed Biblical faith in the Church of the Brethren, and did not show “forbearance” when the shoe was on the other foot. (In this regard, read “The BBI Story.”)

CHURCHES OF THE BRETHREN THAT ARE IN NEED of pastors are listed here.

NEWSLINE REPORTS on our friends from Hammond Avenue Church in Waterloo, Iowa:

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Hammond Avenue Brethren Church in Waterloo, Iowa, is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2008. On January 1, 1993, Waterloo City Church of the Brethren and First Brethren Church of Waterloo merged to form a new congregation. Both congregations share historical roots dating to the arrival of the first Brethren in Black Hawk County, Iowa, in 1856. The church continues its dual affiliation with the Church of the Brethren and the Brethren Church (headquartered in Ashland, Ohio), parent denominations of the two former congregations. Hammond Avenue Brethren Church and White Dale Brethren Church in Terra Alta, W.Va,,
are the only two congregations dually affiliated with both Brethren groups who will jointly celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Brethren movement in Richmond, Va, this summer, reports pastor Ronald W.
Waters.

MY FRIEND, THE LIBERAL

My pastor friend Harry, down the road, is a liberal. Harry does not identify himself as a liberal. To Harry, labels like “liberal” or “evangelical” are divisive. Harry asks, “Why can’t we all just be Christians?” Harry evidently is not aware that such talk, where distinctions are blurred in the name of inclusiveness, is the talk of liberals.

If he must live by a label, Harry prefers “middle-of-the-road.” Harry votes with the majority at the district board of which he is a member. He does not understand why anyone would criticize the denominational Sunday School materials, or want to attend an institution other than the Church of the Brethren seminary, or be upset with the Brotherhood’s General Board. He is not sure, at the present time, that the church is ready for the ordination of practicing homosexuals, but, as he argues, he is “open” and his mind could be changed.

In short, Harry is “middle-of-the-road” because his point of reference is the limited, liberal, mainline world. He is quite oblivious to the greater part of Christianity–fundamental, evangelical, pentecostal–which exists quite unrelated to Harry’s training and denominational experience.

Harry is suspicious of hard edges. Talk about original sin, and substitutionary atonement, and hell, sounds harsh to him. His sermons are essays about God-in-general, faith-in-general, and doing better. The exception is when Harry comes home from a preacher’s conference. Then he gets prophetic and talks on saving the whales or expresses deep concerns about United States foreign policy.

Consistent with his desire to be always relevant, Harry experiments with whatever is in style at the moment, whether it be spiritual formation, or liturgical dance, or defense of the environment, or Native American spirituality. He works hard to make sure his language is always “inclusive.”

On the district’s Ministry Commission, Harry is more concerned about whether candidates for ordination know how to think, than in what they believe. Faithfulness (to Harry) means loyalty to the denomination rather than to the God of historic Christianity. Doctrinal standards are not of great concern to Harry. When he rails, it is not against unbelief, but against rigidity and intolerance, as in the view that the Bible is the written Word of God and that salvation is only in Jesus Christ. If his congregation is sometimes disappointed in him, it is because of their undue conservativism and their lack of enlightenment.

Harry represents some Church of the Brethren pastors, trained in the Church of the Brethren seminary, and buying the official Council of Churches approach to Christianity. Harry is a liberal.

Brethren Alive 2008 is coming and the registration deadline is even sooner!

The dates are July 25-27, 2008 on the campus of Elizabethtown College, in Elizabethtown, PA. Registrations must be in by June 25, 2008.

The cost is a very reasonable $50.00 per person for those staying on campus, with children ages 5-15 at $25.00, and children under 5 are free. Those staying elsewhere will have no charge, although we ask that you register so we can plan properly. Freewill offerings will be lifted on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

More information on Brethren Alive 2008:

Our purpose is to gather a national convention of Anabaptist oriented evangelical Brethren to celebrate our life in Christ and encourage one another to spiritual growth and faithfulness.

The main worship services will explore the theme of “Three Hundred Years and Beyond,” with a focus on the three hundred year anniversary of the Church of the Brethren. We will celebrate the past, look at ways to serve in the present, and anticipate the future of the Church of the Brethren.

The workshops on Saturday morning will focus on various aspects of church life.

This event is planned with all ages and the entire family in mind. Activities for children and youth will be planned, along with biblical instruction on a number of different subjects and in a variety of settings. The design of the weekend is to provide a wholesome, physically invigorating, and spiritually enriching time
together. Dress for the conference is casual, but we ask that principles of modesty be observed.

Hundreds attended the four previous Brethren Alive conventions, held in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006.
See all the information on the BRF Website.

ISN’T IT INTERESTING that the Amish are the ones trying to preserve basic liberty in our “Sweet Land of Liberty.”

On a related note, whenever the Fort Wayne morning fishwrap prints the “Declaration of Independence” every July, it leaves out the bill of particulars. I think this is because if people understood the particulars, they would see unbelievable parallels to our situation in 2008. People love liberty in the abstract, but cannot stand it in the concrete.

THE 56th ANNUAL Church of the Brethren Camp Meeting program came in the mail yesterday. The theme this year is “To Be Like Him.” Bro. Merv Keller, pastor of the Lewiston Church of the Brethren, Lewiston, Maine, will be the main speaker. James Kent, of the Welsh Run congregation in Mid-Atlantic District, and Samuel Cassel, of the White Oak congregation in Atlantic Northeast District, will also have speaking responsibilities. Once again, the Rhodes Grove campground/conference center will host the camp meeting.

The dates are August 23-31, 2008.  For a copy of the program, contact Bro. John Shelly, 7535 Talhelm Road, Chambersburg, PA 17202.

MR. OBAMA MIGHT NOT be so quick to take troops out of Iraq.

Mr. Obama said that “if there would be a Democratic administration, it will not take any irresponsible, reckless, sudden decisions or action to endanger your gains, your achievements, your stability or security. Whatever decision he will reach will be made through close consultation with the Iraqi government and U.S. military commanders in the field.”

“My friends,” welcome to the next hundred years.

THE WASHINGTON CITY Church of the Brethren has been added to the pulpit vacancy list.

MANCHESTER LIBRARY TO PRESENT “Amish Traditions.” Looks like an interesting presentation if you’re in the Manchester area.

THERE ARE NOW THIRTEEN VOLUMES in the Brethren New Testament Commentary series. This includes the new volumes on Galatians and on Hebrews.

This commentary series features a number of volumes covering all of the New Testament books. There are be reliable expositions of the Bible text, a careful analysis of key words, easy outlines to follow, and helpful material to aid serious Bible students. The explanations are written from a conservative evangelical Brethren and Anabaptist point of view. The goal is to expound the Bible text accurately, and to produce a readable explanation of God’s truth.

Each volume can be especially useful for pastors, Sunday School teachers, and lay persons. The writers aim for thoroughness, clarity, and loyalty to the Anabaptist/Pietist values. The meaning of the Greek text (both for those who know Greek and those who don’t), will be part of the exposition when necessary.

The Brethren New Testament Commentary sponsored by Brethren Revival Fellowship, will simply take the biblical text as it is, and give the exposition along with applications for everyday life. All who have been asked to write the commentaries in this series agree that the message of God’s Word in its original documents was given without error, and that nothing more is necessary for spiritual growth.

Brethren Revival Fellowship is a renewal movement within the Church of the Brethren which aims to proclaim and preserve biblical values for living today. It believes the Bible is the infallible Word of God, the final authority for belief and practice, and that to personally accept Jesus Christ as Savior is the only means of salvation.

They are available here.

JOHN TIERNEY WRITES, in The New York Times,

… the current forecasts of energy and food disasters sound just like the ones made during the 1970s. Similar apocalyptic forecasts were made in the 1940s (in books like “Our Plundered Planet”) and in other eras by prophets following in Malthus’ tradition. These prophets have always claimed to be seeing the big picture, but they ignore thousands of years of history during which the prices of natural resources fell and the wellbeing of humans improved.

THE 35th ANNUAL BRETHREN BIBLE INSTITUTE WILL BE July 21-25, 2008 on the campus of Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Eight courses will be taught. Continuing Education Units are available for ordained Brethren ministers, and some courses may apply toward District training programs for licensed ministers. More information here.

VOTERS IN IRELAND DECIDE to remain Irish.

I would never think of going to a White House function in jeans and a golf shirt, and in the same vein I wouldn’t go to worship the King of the universe in similar clothes. Salesmen “dress up” as a mark of respect to their customers, and it is a mark of respect to the Lord and to the church, as well.  It is a special occasion (to be prized and treasured) for us to gather with God’s people for worship. It is not an ordinary thing that we do.

As far as expense, a good suit of clothes (or a tailored dress) is less expensive in the long run than trying to change our fashion all the time. Properly cared for, good clothes will last for years and years. When I was a boy, we generally had three kinds of clothes: Sunday church clothes (worn only to church and important school functions–like school pictures or awards nights), school clothes (sometimes older church clothes, and worn only to school and somewhat important functions, like youth meetings–they were changed the minute we got home), and everyday clothes (for everything else).  And we were told to comb our hair, tuck our shirts in, and pull our trousers up–not only as a matter of looking presentable, but also as a show of respect to others who had to look at us. Part of the incivility today is that people think nothing of leaving their shirts untucked, pants sagging, and having dirty clothes on when they are out and about.  Even when we didn’t always have the best clothes to wear, my mom made sure that when I went out, my clothes were clean.

We need to think about who and what we represent as Christians.

WHAT IF THE EVANGELICALS WROTE a manifesto and nobody cared?

WHY Two Guys who Should be Emergent, Aren’t.

THE DANGEROUS vulnerability of discontentment:

Every teaching that denies Christ’s divine glory begins by praising Him, and denies that it is a denial.

Every teaching that denies God’s grace starts by praising it, and denies that it is a denial.

Every teaching that denies God’s word starts by praising it, and denies that it is a denial.

THREAT OF WORLD AIDS PANDEMIC among heterosexuals is over. It was always overhyped, and people who honored Biblical standards of morality (chastity before marriage, fidelity in marriage, with one man and one woman together for life) were not at all “threatened” by AIDS.

TODAY, JUNE 8, is the 68th anniversary of my parents’ wedding in 1940. Fred & Fern Myers were married in Accident, Maryland, at the home of Brethren minister Arthur Scrogum, and honeymooned in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Two years later they established their home in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, where they lived together until my father’s accidental death in 1991. This is the first year since 1940 that neither one was able to commemorate the anniversary.

SOMETIMES I’M ASKED if I have heard someone I critique in person, on the mistaken assumption that I need to hear them in person to make a valid critique. Well, here’s a review of a recent presentation by Brian McLaren in Goshen, Indiana, by someone who was there. The reality of the in-person conference is more appalling than what we read in McLaren’s books. Read the whole collection.

[via Eric Smith at What We Have Here Is, who calls it "The Trainwreck Known As Brian McLaren's Theology"]

WHAT IS IT with photographers these days? Are they really all terrorists, or does everyone just think they are?

Our sympathies go out to the family of Henry Hunsberger, longtime minister and elder-in-charge of the Welsh Run Church of the Brethren, near Mercersburg, PA (Mid-Atlantic District). Here is his obituary.
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Mr. C. Henry Hunsberger, 79, of 11911 Welsh Run Road, Mercersburg, PA died May 26, 2008 in the emergency room of the Chambersburg Hospital, Chambersburg, PA.

Born September 30, 1928 in Hagerstown, MD he was a son of the late Clarence and Hazel Secrest Hunsberger.

Mr. Hunsberger was a 1946 graduate of the former Mercersburg High school. He furthered his education at the former Shippensburg State Teachers College. He taught for five years at the former Union School located near Mercersburg.

For many years he was employed by the former Fry Coal & Stone Co. and later by Agronomy Inc. both of Mercersburg.

He was a member of the Welsh Run Church of the Brethren, Mercersburg. He was called to the ordained ministry in 1950. He served Welsh Run as a minister for 57 years and as elder in charge for 25 years. He was instrumental in the start of the Vacation Bible School program. He was a moderator for Mid-Atlantic District Conference and actively involved in the district church board. He was also a moderator for many churches.

He was a member of First National Bank of Mercersburg Board of Directors from 1969 to 2005.

Surviving are his wife, Martha Grossnickle Hunsberger, whom he married December 26, 1952. Two daughters, Ellen L. (Mrs. Leon) Yoder and Lois Ann (Mrs. Roger) Glessner both of Mercersburg. Two sons, Charles H. (husband of Sandra K.) Hunsberger of Mercersburg and Kevin G. (husband of Amy) Hunsberger of Greencastle, PA. Eight grandchildren, Meredith, Matthew, and Derrick Yoder, Bethany Gardner, Michelle Bumbaugh, Ryan Hunsberger, and Benjamin and Joel Glessner and six great-grandchildren. A sister, Dorothy (Mrs. A. Paul) Martin of Mercersburg. Three brothers, Edward (husband of Naomi) Hunsberger of St. Thomas, PA and Eugene (husband of Daris) Hunsberger and Harold (husband of Lynn) Hunsberger both of Mercersburg. Also surviving are aunts, nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death in 1965 by an infant daughter, Gloria Jean Hunsberger.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. June 1, 2008 in Welsh Run Church of the Brethren with Reverends Leon Yoder, William Spangler, and James Kent officiating. Private burial in the adjoining church cemetery will be held at the convenience of the family.

There will be no viewing; however the family will receive friends one hour prior to the services Sunday in the church.

The family requests the omission of flowers. Contributions may be made to Joy El Ministries, 3741 Joy El Drive, Greencastle, PA 17225.

Arrangements are by Lininger-Fries Funeral Home Inc., Mercersburg.

DO YOU EAT AT SUBWAY?  It’s running a contest right now that specifically excludes homeschoolers. Mike Smith, head of Home School Legal Defense Association, has written a letter. When I went to Subway’s website to register my own protest, I found this as a popup on their contact page:

Every Sandwich Tells a Story Contest

We at SUBWAY restaurants place a high value on education, regardless of the setting, and have initiated a number of programs and promotions aimed at educating our youth in the areas of health and fitness.
We sincerely apologize to anyone who feels excluded by our current essay contest. Our intention was to provide an opportunity for traditional schools, many of which we know have trouble affording athletic equipment, to win equipment. Parents who home school their children make a tremendous commitment which we greatly respect, and can provide a terrific education. Our intent was certainly not to exclude home schooled children from the opportunity to win prizes and benefit from better access to fitness equipment.
To address the inadvertent limitation of our current contest and provide an opportunity for even more kids to improve their fitness, we will soon create an additional contest in which home schooled students will be encouraged to participate. When the kids win, everyone wins!

$5,000 is not that much when it comes to athletic equipment (have you priced a softball glove and bat lately?).

THE FRIEND FAMILY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA will have its biennial gathering in Lancaster, Ohio, from June 13-15.

THE SPECTER OF 666.