Comments on: “Painholders” are Christians who heroically nurture discernment rather than splitting, says seminary dean /now/news/2014/painholders-are-christians-who-heroically-nurture-discernment-rather-than-splitting-says-seminary-dean/ News from the 91¶ÌÊÓƵ community. Tue, 11 Mar 2014 19:59:35 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 By: Lisa Schirch /now/news/2014/painholders-are-christians-who-heroically-nurture-discernment-rather-than-splitting-says-seminary-dean/#comment-81040 Thu, 27 Feb 2014 15:53:47 +0000 http://emu.edu/now/news/?p=19376#comment-81040 This is a brilliant and prophetic essay. When the followers of Jakob Amman and Hans Reist disagreed about the nature of shunning and whether it included just not sharing communion together or complete social shunning, the resulting Anabaptist groups excommunicated each other. One said, “if even one hair on my head wanted to reconcile, I would pluck it out.” And these were our pacifist ancestors who believed in peace in a time of war.

Surely Anabaptists can do better. “Painholders” and “conflict transformers” are surely Anabaptist leaders who are willing to take risks to follow their moral compass.

I do wish theological leaders would challenge the basis of shunning and splitting… I don’t see Jesus doing this in the Bible. .

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