In the revival of conservative politics and theonomic ethics, the danger is that evangelicals eager to see all things made new will capitulate to theological formulations that are more akin to Anabaptist rituals in practice and worship.
But the return to proper rituals and rightly dividing of the Law-Word does not mean a return to a Victorian past but a movement to a vibrant future. We incorporate past habits, styles, and paradigms by rightly absorbing them into our new world; adapting the parapet to protection around the pool (Deut. 22:8).
The Schleitheim Confession of Anabaptist religion should not be a model for those in the Reformed tradition seeking this cultural and political reformation. The attempt to disassociate from the world by forming isolated colonies leaves the church unprepared and naked before our enemies. Instead of providing a strong refuge for people, it serves as an escape world.
James Jordan’s emphasis on historical movement from land to sea; or land to metropolis is the right one. We are called to engage/be with/in the presence of/ the polis. Yet, many have adopted a neo-anabaptist paradigm. Chestertonian localism is good only insofar as the locale becomes the center of ecclesial life rather than an attempt to hide. As Peter Leithart observes: “Jesus doesn’t call us to be copers. We aren’t survivalists. We aren’t to beat a retreat. “
Generally, this plays out in the evangelical tendency towards externalized practices that differentiate Christians from unbelievers, other Christians, and Christians even within our tribes. I am describing a theological formulation that is not content with basic biblical imperatives but rather delves into extra layers of differentiation.
Under worship, this may play out in tendencies against instrumentation or excessive emphasis on preaching to the detriment of the liturgy (identifying liturgical practices as too Roman Catholic; pitting word against sacrament) and a fundamental pursuit of novelty in worship patterns identifying the structure as too cumbersome.
Anabaptism–theologically and historically–is a distancing from good, material things, despising the gifts of God in technology, industry, plentifulness, & McDonald’s (I Tim. 6:17). The solution is not to look different for the sake of looking different but to act differently for the sake of changing society’s rituals.
For an additional follow-up, see my post.
