Republicanism is Mennonite tradition
by Levi Miller, Scottdale, Pa.
At Laurelville Retreat Center meetings about four decades ago, a typical feature was an after-dinner story time.
One of Paul M. Lederach’s favorite stories was about the Quaker farmer who had a cow that kicked at milking time. In the story, the cow continued to kick the bucket, until finally the humble Quaker gave her a warning.
“OK, Bessie,” the gentle Quaker said, “I cannot think of a good reason for you to continue kicking me, and you know that I will not beat you. But I want you to know that if you kick me one more time, I will sell you to my Presbyterian neighbor, and he will beat the stuffing out of you.”
The roomful of people laughed vigorously, and I always suspected that the proverbial Quaker was probably a Mennonite.
I thought of that story again when I read the 2006 findings of Conrad Kanagy’s church membership profile in Road Signs for the Journey and how consistently our membership continues to honor a two-kingdom biblical ethic. According to Kanagy, 65 percent of Mennonite Church USA members are conscientious objectors to war, with only 20 percent open to entering the military. This is still a strong consensus position compared with other denominations. This percentage is down from 81 percent in 1972, but given all the other assimilation impulses during the past four decades, it is still different from other religious and Christian groups.
On the other hand, over half of Mennonite Church USA members are Republicans, and about two-thirds voted for Bush in the last elections. This is in continuity with earlier generations of Mennonites who showed, according to John Ruth in the Lancaster (Pa.) Mennonite Conference history, “an almost absolute Republican preference.”
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