By David C. Cramer, IMS Managing Editor

ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) — Jewish and Mennonite leaders and scholars gathered May 8–10 in Elkhart, Indiana, for in-depth conversations on Scripture, faith and theology at a symposium hosted by Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS).

Titled “Jews and Mennonites: Reading the Bible after the Holocaust,” the event brought together eight rabbis and Jewish scholars and 14 Mennonite pastors and scholars seeking to grow in mutual understanding, build relationships and counter antisemitism together.

“This symposium broke new ground in Mennonite-Jewish dialogue with compelling content, relationship building and frank discussions,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee’s Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. “Even as we learned more about one another, there was no avoidance of the most challenging issues.” 

The event was the second in a series of planned gatherings following the adoption of the resolution Seeking Peace in Israel and Palestine by the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) Delegate Assembly in July 2017 in Orlando, Florida. One of the commitments named in the resolution is to “seek deeper relationships with Jewish communities and actively oppose antisemitism.” 

A first conference, “Mennonites and the Holocaust,” was held March 16–17, 2018, at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, and resulted in the 2021 publication of the volume European Mennonites and the Holocaust by the University of Toronto Press in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Discussions are underway about potential future gatherings. 

Jackie Wyse-Rhodes, PhD, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at AMBS, appreciated being able to strategize with rabbis and Jewish scholars at the symposium about ways to avoid anti-Jewish readings of Scripture. 

“I have no doubt that this remarkable symposium will serve as a touchstone for AMBS going forward as we pursue and prioritize interreligious dialogue,” she reflected. “What we learned in our three days together is already helping us develop additional strategies for training our students to call out and condemn latent and overt antisemitism in some streams of Christian biblical interpretation and in our communities.”

Rabbi David Sandmel, PhD, Chair of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, expressed hope that Mennonites would continue the work that took place at the symposium.

“It is heartening that some in the Mennonite Church are seriously addressing these important and difficult matters, and especially that they have chosen to do so in a dialogic process with representatives of the Jewish community,” he said. “The biggest challenge is ensuring that the fruits of these discussions are disseminated and come to inform the daily life of the entire Mennonite community.”

Building understanding through dialogue

Amy-Jill Levine, PhD, opened the symposium with a public plenary address in AMBS’s Chapel of the Sermon on the Mount, titled “Misunderstanding Judaism Means Misunderstanding Jesus and Paul.” Levine is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford (Connecticut) International University for Religion and Peace and Professor Emerita at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. 

In her address, Levine presented reasons why church sermons and teachings continue to perpetuate antisemitic impressions and discussed common mistakes Christian preachers and teachers can make out of a lack of understanding of the Jewish contexts of Jesus and Paul. She encouraged Mennonites to profess a “high Christology” where Jesus’ uniqueness is expressed for Christians in terms of his divine identity more than in terms of his ethical teachings, which can be found throughout various Jewish sources as well. She told the Christians in attendance that they “need not make Judaism look bad in order to make Jesus look good.”

Later that day, John Kampen, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor at Methodist Theological School in (Delaware) Ohio, presented a lecture to symposium participants titled “Neighbors, Strangers and Tragic Consequences: Background to Jewish-Mennonite Dialogue.” In addition to tracing the relationship between Jews and Mennonites from the 16th century to the present, Kampen referenced a meeting held in the fall of 1980 at AMBS, “The Shalom Consultation of Jewish and Christian Pacifists.” He recalled giving the opening address, titled “Preface to Dialogue.”

“This symposium on the AMBS campus now 43 years later means that I no longer have to give that address. The dialogue has begun,” he stated.

The remainder of the symposium addressed major topics for dialogue between Jews and Mennonites and provided multiple opportunities for small-group conversations. Sarah Tanzer, PhD, Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, and Ted Hiebert, PhD, Francis A. McGaw Professor of Old Testament Emeritus at McCormick, led a discussion on the Law versus grace/faith based on a course they have co-taught, “Biblical Foundations of Jewish and Christian Difference.” They invited participants to read passages from Galatians 2 and 3, Deuteronomy 6 and 30, and rabbinic literature from the fourth and fifth centuries CE and to consider how and why Paul polarized the Law and faith (noting that he was writing to Gentile Christ-believers, not to or about Jews). They also discussed the roles that Torah, or the Law, played for the writers of Deuteronomy and the rabbinic interpreters.

Kampen and Sandmel led a session on universalism and particularism. Participants read a variety of texts of significance to Jews and Mennonites and discussed their commonalities and differences. They explored how — contrary to the Enlightenment stereotype of Judaism as “particular” and Christianity as “universal” — both traditions have forms of particularism in service of universal blessings on humankind and all creation. 

John D. Roth, PhD, Project Director of MennoMedia’s “Anabaptism at 500” initiative that is producing the Anabaptist Community Bible, appreciated the opportunity to study Scripture with rabbis and Jewish scholars. 

“The symposium was deeply illuminating and educational for me,” he stated. “The gathering was both an opportunity to learn to know rabbis and Jewish scholars on a personal level and also to be reminded again of the Jewish context of the New Testament and the various ways that Christian interpretations of the New Testament can easily slip into antisemitism.”

Barbie Fischer, MA, Executive Director of Restorative Encounters in the Philadelphia area, moderated a panel on Jewish and Mennonite expectations for the future of religion in North America and beyond. Panelists included Rabbi Jamie Gibson, MHL, DD, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Sinai in Pittsburgh and Rabbi Jason Edelstein Endowed Chair in Catholic Jewish Dialogue at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania; Rabbi Yehiel Poupko, Rabbinic Scholar at the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago; Mary Schertz, PhD, Professor Emerita of New Testament at AMBS; and Drew Strait, PhD, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at AMBS. 

Fischer, who participated in the symposium as a Jewish Mennonite, reflected, “As someone raised in the Anabaptist tradition with Jewish heritage who found a home in the Mennonite Church, this symposium was the first time I have ever felt there was true hope that I could be wholly accepted as a Jewish Mennonite. My biggest joy in being interfaith is the complexity and beauty my Jewish heritage brings to understanding Christianity and Christian Scripture.”

Another symposium participant, Matthew Thiessen, PhD, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, noted, “I’ve devoted my academic life to more accurately and charitably portraying Judaism and seeking to place both Jesus and Paul within ancient Judaism, not against it. This symposium, though, is the first time I’ve been in an explicitly religious context where the goal was for Jews and Christians to have conversations that would lead to better understanding one another.”

The symposium concluded with a gathering for reflection and a discussion about future conversation topics for Jews and Mennonites moderated by Andy Brubacher Kaethler, PhD, Associate Professor of Christian Formation and Culture and Associate Director of the Institute of Mennonite Studies (IMS) at AMBS. Participants identified the need for further attention to such topics as messianic Judaism; Mennonite and Jewish understandings of Israel, Zionism and the land; what Mennonites and Jews can do to combat the resurgence of antisemitism in the United States and beyond; how Mennonites can reckon with their history of involvement in Nazism; and how to include more Black, Indigenous and other People of Color in conversations between Jews and Mennonites.

“The issues discussed in this symposium have direct implications for pastors and congregational life,” noted Joel Miller, MDiv, Pastor of Columbus (Ohio) Mennonite Church. “Understanding Jewish readings of Scripture, the significance of Israel for Jewish peoplehood, and ways Jews are engaging their local communities helps us be better Mennonites.”

Lisa Schirch, PhD, Richard G. Starmann Sr. Professor of the Practice of Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, said that her experiences at the symposium are informing a study guide she is writing with Kathy Kern of Community Peacemaker Teams to help Mennonites understand their own history of antisemitism and their unique role in the Holocaust.

Rabbi Max Weiss, Rabbi of Oak Park Temple B’nai Abraham Zion in Oak Park, Illinois, expressed his gratitude for the event. 

“It was one of the most well run groups of its type that I have had the opportunity to be part of,” he said. “We had the opportunity to have meaningful conversations in groups and most importantly at shared meals that went beyond surface discussions, enabling us to engage across our differences and look for areas of shared experience.”

The symposium was organized by a planning committee composed of Brubacher Kaethler, Kampen, Fischer and Tanzer; AMBS MDiv student Isaiah Friesen served as event coordinator. IMS sponsored the event, with supporting funds from the Faith Formation Collaborative (formerly the Center for Faith Formation and Culture) at AMBS, MC USA and the Schowalter Foundation. Participation in the symposium was by invitation, and no recordings were made in order to allow for free discussion among participants. 

Symposium participants

Jewish participants 

• Rabbi Reni Dickman, Executive Director of the Chicago Board of Rabbis and Senior Jewish Educator at the Jewish United Fund
• Rabbi Jamie Gibson, MHL, DD, Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Sinai in Pittsburgh and Rabbi Jason Edelstein Endowed Chair in Catholic Jewish Dialogue at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
• Amy-Jill Levine, PhD, Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford (Connecticut) International University for Religion and Peace and Professor Emerita at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee
• Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee’s Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, Teaneck, New Jersey
• Rabbi Yehiel Poupko, Rabbinic Scholar at the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
• Rabbi David Sandmel, PhD, Chair of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, Portland, Maine
• Sarah Tanzer, PhD, Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago
• Rabbi Max Weiss, Rabbi of Oak Park Temple B’nai Abraham Zion in Oak Park, Illinois

Mennonite participants

• Malinda Elizabeth Berry, PhD, Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics and Director of the Faith Formation Collaborative at AMBS
• Barbie Fischer, MA, Executive Director of Restorative Encounters in the Philadelphia area
• Ted Hiebert, PhD, Francis A. McGaw Professor of Old Testament at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago
• Mark Jantzen, PhD, Professor of History at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas
• Andy Brubacher Kaethler, PhD, Associate Professor of Christian Formation and Culture and Associate Director of the Institute of Mennonite Studies at AMBS
• John Kampen, PhD, Distinguished Research Professor at Methodist Theological School in (Delaware) Ohio
• Paul Keim, PhD, Student Services Coordinator and Core Adjunct Faculty member at AMBS and Professor of Bible, Religion and Philosophy at Goshen (Indiana) College
• Joel Miller, MDiv, Pastor of Columbus (Ohio) Mennonite Church
• John D. Roth, PhD, Project Director of MennoMedia’s “Anabaptism at 500” initiative, Goshen, Indiana
• Mary Schertz, PhD, Professor Emerita of New Testament at AMBS
• Lisa Schirch, PhD, Richard G. Starmann Sr. Professor of the Practice of Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana
• Drew Strait, PhD, Assistant Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at AMBS
• Matthew Thiessen, PhD, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario
• Jackie Wyse-Rhodes, PhD, Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at AMBS

Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs — all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God’s reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu

Tonia Martin is planning a Healthy Boundaries Training 201 on June 3, in South Texas. It will be held at New Life Christian Center in San Benito from 10:00 am-3 pm with a break for lunch at a local BBQ. Please bring your books from the last session.

Regarding the Affiliation of SCMC with MC USA

to be considered at our 2023 Summer Assembly,

July 21-23 at Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church in Harper, KS.

After focused listening to the constituency of South Central Mennonite Conference (SCMC) it seems clear that the majority of SCMC congregations no longer find affiliation with Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) to be helpful, desired, or consistent with our core beliefs and practices.

Therefore, the Network Leadership Team (NLT) recommends the following:

Resolved that:

1. SCMC will begin a process of dis-associating from MC USA to be completed on or before October 31, 2024.

2. SCMC will facilitate the process of finding and opting into another Anabaptist / Mennonite conference, network or organization by providing resources and assistance beginning immediately and will complete that process by October of 2024.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
A Resolution to Dis-Associate from MC USA will be considered
at the South Central Mennonite Conference (SCMC) Assembly in July 2023. -The Proposed Resolution is attached.
-Introductory information and responses to some frequently asked questions are below.
-We encourage you read this material carefully and prayerfully.
-If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please contact Phil Rosenberger; SCMC
Network Chair at: Email: phila.rosenberger@gmail.com Phone: 505-236-9219.
Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Why?
   a. As we are all aware, there has been increasing tension within our conference with
   respect to our relationship with MC USA. The Network Leadership Team (NLT) has
   spent considerable time listening to the concerns, suggestions and recommendations
   from a broad swath of our conference members. This listening included many
   personal contacts as well as comments by church representative at our Assembly last
   summer, an email survey last fall, four Regional Discernment Meetings in January and
   a recent request for comment that was sent to all SCMC pastors and a few other
   leaders. In response to this listening and discernment a resolution to withdraw from
   MC USA and seek a new Mennonite / Anabaptist affiliation for all of our churches
   will be proposed at our Summer Assembly in July of 2023.
2. Can we still be Mennonites?
   a. Yes. There are numerous other Mennonite / Anabaptist organizations that we may
   choose to affiliate with. We have had some preliminary conversations with several
   of them, and we anticipate that those conversations will continue and expand in
   the coming months.
3. Can we still participate in related agencies?
   a. Yes. MCC, MMN, MDS, Everence, etc… welcome the participation of non MC USA
   churches.
4. Can we still participate in the Corinthian Plan?
   a. Yes. Everence has a grandfather clause that allows churches who have been
   involved in the Corinthian Plan to continue participation even if they leave MC USA.
5. Where will we derive our 501(c)(3) Status?
   a. SCMC is in the process of getting 501(c)(3) status which will serve as vehicle
   through which all member churches can derive their status.
6. What will happen to our pastors’ credentials?
   a. Nothing will change. Membership in MC USA is a “derived membership” and
   credentials are only held by conferences, not by the denomination.
7. What will happen to our MennoData information?
   a. MennoData is a recordkeeping database operated by MC USA. If we dis-associate
   from MC USA, we would be removed from that database. However, since it is the
   Conference and not the denomination that holds both congregational membership
   and pastoral credentials, SCMC has its own records of member congregations and
   pastoral files. We will continue to keep records and files as we currently do. Should
   a congregation choose to withdraw from SCMC and affiliate with another
   organization, copies of congregational and/or pastoral files will be forwarded upon
   request from the organization with whom they have affiliated.
8. How will we decide on a new affiliation?
   a. Conference leadership will initiate a decision-making process by
   providing information and facilitating conversations regarding SCMC future
   affiliation(s). It is our hope and prayer that most of our churches will find
   agreement regarding a common future affiliation.
9. What percent approval will this resolution require in order to pass?
   a. A 2/3 majority of voting delegates is needed for approval in accordance with our
   Constitution.
   I’m sure that there will be other questions. Please feel free to contact me.
   Phil Rosenberger
   SCMC Network Chai

From beginning to end, the Bible reminds us that we are made in God’s image and that God’s table has room for us all. But how do we introduce and talk about the Bible with children and parents—at a time when biblical literacy feels like it’s at an all-time low?

Simply put, families need helps, practical tools, and easy resources to engage or reengage in the biblical story. The Peace Table is a new Bible storybook for children, families, and Sunday school programs coming soon from our Shine curriculum team.

The Peace Table is a comprehensive family storybook Bible that makes God’s presence and peace real to children and families, and we invite you to join us at a webinar at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 8, to learn more about it. Make sure the Sunday school teachers and those responsible for faith formation in your congregation know about this exciting webinar and plan to attend. Register here to attend!

Documentary premiere. What Happened at Benham West: African American Stories of Community, Displacement and Hope will premiere Friday, May 19, at the Crystal Ballroom at the Lerner Theatre at 410 South Main Street, Elkhart, Indiana. The film features stories of life in Elkhart’s predominantly African American Benham West neighborhood and documents the process of the city’s eventual clearing of the neighborhood. Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is hosting the launch event. There is no charge to attend, but space is limited to 300 participants, and registration by May 12 is recommended to reserve a seat: benhamwestproject.com
 
Seeking a Digital Marketing Manager. Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, is accepting applications for this 0.75 FTE position to start as soon as possible. The person in this role will serve as a member of the AMBS Marketing and Communications Team, contributing to the concept, development and production of marketing and communications projects. Primary responsibilities include managing the seminary’s website and overseeing social media strategy and implementation, digital marketing and database management, and video production. See the full job description: ambs.edu/jobs
 
Grow your skills in offering spiritual direction! With a focus on practice-based learning, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary’s Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction offers a curriculum and supervised program to prepare you to become a spiritual director or to strengthen the spiritual direction aspects of your ministry. You can complete the 21-credit-hour certificate part time in two years, either fully online or with a combination of distance-friendly and campus-based courses. ambs.edu/certificate

ELKHART, Indiana (Mennonite Education Agency) – The Hispanic Ministries seminary program of the Mennonite Education Agency (MEA) was recently awarded a $9,000 grant from The Schowalter Foundation.

This grant will enable the Seminario Bíblico Anabautista Hispano (SeBAH) to offer an online continuing education course this September entitled, “The Journey of the Bible in the Spanish Language.” The course is designed for Spanish-speaking Anabaptist Mennonites.

Marco Güete, director of MEA’s Hispanic Ministries programs, is thrilled with this award. “It is a privilege to bring this course to Spanish speakers in the Anabaptist Mennonite Church,” he said. “The course will offer a historical resource of great value that will enrich the students’ knowledge of the scriptures. This project would not have been possible without the support of The Schowalter Foundation.”

Arlan R. Yoder, president of The Schowalter Foundation, echoed Güete’s remarks. “The Schowalter Foundation Board was pleased to support this project that will provide important and relevant biblical teaching resources for the benefit of many people within the Hispanic Mennonite churches,” he said.    

Carlos Martínez García will be the instructor and wrote the textbook for the course. He credits Casiodoro de Reina and Cipriano de Valera, Protestant reformers who played important roles in the translation of the Bible into Spanish in the 16^th century. A member of the Mennonite Church of Mexico, Martínez García is a founding member and researcher at the Centro de Estudios del Protestantismo Mexicano (the Center for the Study of Mexican Protestantism) and is a lecturer and author. He prefers to be known simply as “a reader who writes.”

The course will include six weeks of interactive, online instruction via video conferencing with written resource material, videos, and graphics. The Schowalter grant endowed the production of Martínez García’s textbook, “Brevísma Historia del Extenso Viaje de la Biblia Hacia el Idioma Español,” (Brief History of the Bible’s Extensive Journey in the Spanish Language), and a series of 24 videos.

Mennonite Education Agency is headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana, and is the education agency of Mennonite Church USA, the largest Mennonite denomination in the United States. By partnering with schools and educational programs and helping them flourish, MEA works to strengthen Mennonite Church USA through education. To learn more about MEA’s mission and work, visit www.MennoniteEducation.org.

The Schowalter Foundation was established in 1954 from the estate of Jacob A. Schowalter, a Mennonite from Newton, Kansas. The Foundation supports initiatives that follow the Mennonite convictions of service and missions, peacemaking and social concerns, and other programs and projects carried out by Mennonite Church USA and the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, as well as Mennonite higher education institutions. To learn more about the life and legacy of Jacob A. Schowalter and The Schowalter Foundation’s mission and grants, visit www.schowalterfoundation.org/. 

The press release is attached and can also be found online at https://www.mennoniteeducation.org/news-events/news/.