Chaplain's Corner

Books are marvelous things. They can transport us to places we have never been, place us into situations we have never experienced and depending on the skills of the author, stir emotions from so deep within that we may wonder what is happening to us. There are times we are dependent on books to help us obtain at least a beginners understanding of times and places and cultures that we have no opportunity to experience. This was my experience this past winter when I read a wonderful little book titled, I am Hutterite written by Mary-Ann Kirkby, a woman whose family left Hutterite life when she was eleven years old.

As residents of the south eastern corner of Manitoba, we have encountered members of the Hutterite community on many occasions. We see them shopping in our communities, we may do business with members of this community; we may even have made friends and visited in their homes. Maybe as you read this you know the community intimately for you are a member of the community or you are among those who were formerly members but who have chosen to leave the group.

We have all heard judgments of their lifestyle, religious traditions and behavior. But whenever I hear judgments, I choose to lay them aside as it is impossible to really determine the accuracy of the judgment or the spirit from which it grows. One of the reasons I appreciated the book I am Hutterite is because it was written by a woman who grew up in the tradition, left the tradition, tried to divorce herself from her past and finally came to embrace her heritage with its positive and negative aspects. And if we are honest, whatever heritage we embrace, whatever religious tradition, whatever cultural roots, the impact of these have been both positive and negative, for everything in this world is imperfect and there is nothing that holds the capacity to only bless us.

I can remember an opportunity I had a number of years ago to sit with a Hutterite woman who was a patient in Bethesda Hospital. As I sat with her and asked my honest and sincere questions about her life, faith and culture she responded with wonderful graciousness and it was obvious that her experience as a Hutterite was a wonderful and deeply enriching experience. Her sincerity was so obvious that there was no hint of propagandizing in her responses; the simple disarming charm of her honesty helped me to begin to develop an appreciation for this group of people that live among us but yet quite separate from us.

As I read I am Hutterite there were parts of the Hutterite culture that are very appealing to me. I am, after all, a person who likes routine, order and security. These are certainly aspects of Hutterite life. My personality craves these things and I order my own personal life, as much as possible according to a regular routine and a set of habits that help quiet the anxieties that stir within me when things get crazy and routines fall apart. As I read I am Hutterite the fellowship of communal life held wonderful appeal. I am by nature an introvert, left to myself I can be quite content alone but I realize my need for social contact, the input of others and the fellowship of like minded people. The Hutterite way of life provides this in ample measure. As I read I am Hutterite I was drawn by the communal nature of life, the absence of personal property, the value of working together for the common good. I am a person with little personal ambition in terms of the acquisition of personal property and assets so this way of life is appealing to me.

Should I become a Hutterite? No, although the life and values of the culture hold appeal to me there is much about who I am that would rub with the culture. But can I appreciate these folks, their way of life, their values and culture. Certainly! On the other hand, if I poked around a bit, I am sure that some of the difficulties of Hutterite life that Mary-Anne Kirkby shared in her book would become apparent. This however would be true if I tried to inject myself into any other spirituality and culture. It is painfully obvious in the spiritual tradition I grew up in and still embrace. So instead of prejudice and judgment, I have chosen to live with an appreciation and respect for those who embrace a culture, religious tradition or lifestyle different than my own.

I began to learn this lesson when I was in high school. As a high school student I lived in a largely white eastern community. The number of African-American students in our high school of 3000 students was less than 50. Up until that time I had never had any interaction with people of African-American descent. My first year of high school I volunteered to be the locker mate with a fellow named Larry Jenkins, a black student. For the next three years we met at the locker throughout the day, learned to cooperate and share our locker and although there was some prejudice in my family against African-American folks, I learned that there was nothing to be afraid of, nothing to be critical of, nothing to justify the judgments that I heard for I chose to open my mind and heart and when I did I discovered that prejudice is most often fueled by fear misinformation and misunderstanding. Reading I am Hutterite was a good experience for as I read; a group that I was already curious about and interest in became just a little more real. The book opened the door so that I could peek into a way of life that was very, very different than my own but one worthy of respect and appreciation.

Being involved in interfaith spiritual care has led me on a journey that has helped me appreciate people who are different. Appreciation does not demand that I suspend my own beliefs or turn my back on a way of life that I have chosen, but it enables me to understand that mine is not the only way of life and that respect for others different than myself is the first step towards understanding and building bridges of acceptance. Such appreciation does not demand that I conclude that every faith tradition is true. I have and will remain committed to the central truths of the Christian Faith even though I recognize that people within Christendom live out and practice that faith in many ways. I have also learned that being a member or adherent of a particular expression of the Christian faith does not necessarily mean that true faith exits in that person’s heart.

True faith, life changing faith, faith that ushers a person into a personal relationship with God is different than simply affirming a creed, or being born and raised in a tradition. True faith is deeply personal; it involves a personal understanding of one’s own sinfulness. It involves a personal appreciation of all that God has done through Jesus to forgive our every sin and welcome one into His divine family. It involves a personal commitment to live in fellowship with God, allowing God to truly be our Father and Jesus our Savior, Master and Friend. There are those within every denomination and sect of the Christian Faith who have entered into this personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus, but there are also members of every denomination and sect of the Christian Faith who have never come into a personal, life changing relationship with God. For salvation is not a communal matter but a personal one and it is my hope that if you are reading this today that regardless what tradition, denomination or sect you may belong to, that you will believe on Jesus alone as the means by which our sins are forgiven and we are welcomed into God’s family.