Our Approach to the Bible
Our congregation at Joy Mennonite is a mix of cradle Mennonites and converts, with a majority of us being converts. For both groups, the unique community of Joy — with its focus on mutual aid, work for justice, and care for others and the Earth — has been more influential in their desire to join than its Anabaptist nature. Many of our converts are from evangelical backgrounds and are actively seeking to “de-evangelize” — to learn a different way of being Christian from those taught in previous church communities. Perhaps as a reflection of this, we are collectively less concerned about salvation from hell than we are about salvation from the crises of climate change, inequitable wealth distribution, racism, and militarism; we are more interested in manifesting the kingdom of God on earth than debating the afterlife.
Given the way we practice a priesthood of all believers, with all members being invited to address the congregation, we don’t necessarily have a single coherent approach to interpreting the Bible, as different people bring different perspectives, creating an eclectic theology. In recent years, liberation theology has been a prominent influence as we seek ways to acknowledge and address privilege in our interactions local and global. Other common threads in our conversations include Christian anarchism, sabbath economics, and restorative justice. In our discussions, we frequently find ourselves moving between what a particular scripture might have meant in the context of its time and place and what truth or value we can find in it today.