Mennonite Weekly Review

There was a farmer, let’s call him Mr. B, who found a way to save money. Calculating the charge for disposing old batteries, Mr. B paid a bill he owed a mechanic by taking batteries. It was a “good” deal for the mechanic and for Mr. B. He dumped the batteries in his lagoon, which became poisoned. When Mr. B died, the farm’s new owner had to clean up the mess. (Some details of this story have been changed to protect identities.)

Jane Yoder-Short lives in Kalona, Iowa.

Is it anyone’s business what gets dumped in a private lagoon? Did Mr. B discuss this “good” deal with his Mennonite brothers and sisters? Should we even be talking about this?

Rugged individualism, entrenched in our society, tells us our personal actions are no one’s business. This becomes problematic when shady busi-ness deals begin to seem normal. Safety shortcuts, dishonest Wall Street manipulations and pyramid get-rich schemes can make battery dumping seem like nothing.

Have we in the church become too comfortable with individualism, with shady dealings and with a lack of accountability?

Shady deals are not new to the church. Remember Ananias and Sapphira and that time when dishonesty led to death? Misrepresenting deals and hiding things from the light of the faith community has always been a danger to church health.

Ananias and Sapphira were guilty of calculated deception. Maybe today calculated deception isn’t as much a problem as sliding into the world’s standards. We fool ourselves into thinking self-centeredness is OK.

In our corrupt narcissistic world it can be hard to see beyond self-interest. We need each other if we are going to say no to “good” deals that make messes. We need accountability more than we like to admit.

Accountability requires connectedness that comes from fellowship. Fellowship is more than chatting at potlucks. Fellowship is what brings trust. When we deceive ourselves and those around us, fellowship is undermined. When fellowship is rich, mutual concern grows.

I was recently reminded of a 1944 Mennonite meeting that centered on handling discipline related to differing ideas of nonconformity. Those gathered were at an impasse when Sanford Yoder rose up and said, “We’re having these problems because we don’t love each other any more. We no longer have fellowship with each other the way we used to. That’s why we can’t agree.” A time of prayer and confession followed, and agreement was reached.

We live in a divided world where people disagree on battery dumping, immigration, sexuality issues and church priorities. When fellowship is shallow we stay in our own corners chatting with those who think similarly about those whom we see as less holy.