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Stanley Hauerwas and War Hyms
I never sing the National Anthem. I will stand at baseball games when it’s played or sung, because I don’t want to dishonor the people who are allegedly are being honored by the singing of it. But look, it’s a war hym, and Mennonites cannot innocently play it or sing it. It underwrites a nationalism that is simply antithetical to what it means to be a Christian.
–Stanley Hauerwas talking about the national anthem being played at Goshen College. Quote taken from this excellent interview.
Painting by Rein Nomm
That was an incredible interview with Hauerwas. I really appreciated his critique of the Mennonite community, as he roughly put it "pacifism only works if Jesus was resurrected."I've never heard him speak before, but enjoyed his candid speech. I really need to read some of his work.
Incredible interview indeed! I only heard Hauerwas one other time but he was way more candid in this interview. I too like his critique of Mennonites, I know a lot of social justice Mennonites who neglect a strong Christology. The thing I worry about with him, and all Mennonites/Amish, is the whole resident alien mentality. I am part of a suto-evangelical Mennonite missional community but I do know some old order Mennonites and Amish folk, and I just can't get on board with the whole separatist idea. I realize Hauerwas' theology is probably very sophisticated (I haven't read any) but I just worry when Christians start talking about separating themselves from culture. I agree with Tony Jones here and would say there is nothing but culture and would side with Andy Crouch when he says the way to change culture is to make more of it not to remove yourself from it.