Book Recommendation

A Brethren Witness for the 21st Century by Brian H. Moore

For a few years now, I have been enjoying my conversations with Brian H. Moore, pastor of the St. James Brethren Church in St. James, Maryland. We share a common faith heritage which has grown into a friendship over the past couple of years. We have known the very real and practical love of God from Brian and his wife, Amanda through their friendship as well as their hospitality. They openned their home to us for a few months when we returned from Ireland needing a place to live, and we are grateful for the witness of their lives.

I care a great deal about the church, and I am concerned about the gap that exists between church culture and the rest of the world. Particularly, I have been interested in conversation regarding how the Brethren, people of the Anabaptist/Pietist tradition, can have a positive witness in these changing times. As the chasm between church and culture widens, what does the life and witness of the local Brethren congregation look like? Do we carry a unique message that resonates with the needs of post-modern society? Brian seeks to answer these questions in his new book A Brethren Witness for the 21st Century: A Search for Identity and Cultural Relevance. I am pleased to recommend his book to you.

In the first three chapters, Brian helps the reader to understand how Brethren thought and practice developed through the centuries by asking tough questions about our 20th century identity confusion and reflecting back on our origins in Germany and Colonial America. He clearly lays out the Brethren understanding of Scripture and authority as well as bringing to the reader an understanding of how anabaptism and pietism, persecution and war shaped the early Brethren.

In particular, chapters four through seven caught my curiosity as Brian explored four very distinct themes in Brethren thought that resonate with the post-modern society we find ourselves in. These themes include: authentic community, simplicity, peace, and the cost of following Christ.

Regarding Authentic Community: "No document, book or pamphlet can describe the Brethren; one must live the community experience in order to understand. A Brethren witness for the 21st century implies, then, an invitation: come walk with us. This is, if you please, our 'pre-evangelism', how we introduce people to Jesus Christ who lives in and through the community." (p.40). For the early Brethren, the church was not simply a gathering but a community. In our age of disconnectedness and isolation, the need for authentic community (not just a church service) is very real. Discipleship is not mere education but is an invitation for others to "do life with us" and be part of the community.

Regarding Simplicity: "...cutting out or cutting back will not, of itself, create the sense of wholeness or unification in life. One must also have a rationale behind the 'downsizing' of activity. True simplicity is about 'one thing'; what is the one thing one is seeking by attempting to streamline one's life? Is it simply to eliminate 'the sound and fury'? It could still signify nothing. The Brethren witness points to a purpose beyond one's self in seeking simplicity: 'Seek the Kingdom of God above all else...'" (p.49). Seeking simplicity simply to better one's own life is nothing radically new or different. The Brethren understanding of simplicity not only challenges the lifestyle of consummerism (of consuming and being consumed) but also disentangles our complications of Scripture, faith, and life.

Regarding Peace: "The Amish response [to the schoolhouse tragedy] is not indicative of how our justice system ought to operate. It is not indicative of how national policy ought to be formulated. It is, like Jesus' and Paul's teaching on the subject (e.g., MT 5:38-48; RO 12:19-21), a clear expression of personal ethics and personal responses. It is the way of peace in human relations. It is 'the better way taught by Jesus'...it is a call to live peaceably in a terrorized world." (p.58). It is not just nations who are at war. There is such an increase of interpersonal war and the loss of relationship that leads to increased isolation. Our witness for peace begins in our homes, our churches, and with our neighbors. Global peace gets the attention, but the need for restored relationships and loving your neighbor is stronger than ever.

Regarding the Cost of Discipleship: "We live in the 'comfort zone'. We assume that comfort is our right! If something makes us uncomfortable, we protest in some manner, perhaps silently by simply walking away, seeking some more comfortable place and experience. While our spiritual forebearers thought suffering was normal, we today consider it abnormal. Which do you think is a cultural value in contrast to a biblical value?" (p.63). I once heard Brian preach a sermon in which he identified comfort as "a god of the age". This god may be unknowingly worshipped in our churches, and our devotion to this god strips us of our desire or ability to follow Christ into the uncomfortable places, creating our bubble of comfort that keeps us isolated from the world around us. Brian goes on to say, "While the environment discourages suffering in any form, our heredity as Brethren, seeking to follow Christ, encourages us to be faithful in all things to the One who gave his all for us all."

I am delighted with Brian's offering, and I think it is a little jewel. If you are interested in getting a copy for yourself, they are available for $7. You can contact Brian directly at pastormo@myactv.net.