This Church Has Joined the Movement. Have you?

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All it takes to be part of this movement is to listen when Jesus speaks to you. All it takes to be a Dunker Punk is to study, pray, and live lives enriched by Jesus and his love. If I can do it, you can do it!

Watch this video about one church that is getting excited about being a community full of Dunker Punks. Hopefully, you’ll see that being a Dunker Punk means you wont be alone on this journey. Think about how being a Dunker Punk could look in your life. Then create your own Dunker Punk profile, so Dunker Punks everywhere can see what you’re up to!

Do you have your own video of you and your church, youth group, or friends being Dunker Punks? Then tweet us, Facebook us, or email us, so the whole movement can see!

Jesus Makes it Easier to Do the Most Difficult Things

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It’s a hard question to wrestle with: Does being a Christian make life easier or more difficult?

Many would say it makes life easier. After all, as Christians we have the comfort of knowing Jesus. We have accepted his grace, and, when Jesus died for us on the cross, he lifted our burdens, be they of anguish, anger, or sin, from our shoulders and placed them on his own.

Others would say it makes life more difficult. As Christians, we are called to take the path less travelled. We have committed ourselves to living lives worthy of the calling that we have received. Anyone who has tried to love their enemy knows that that is not an easy thing to do. It is so much easier to approach our enemies with clenched fists than with open arms. But Christ has commissioned us to be ambassadors of his love.

As dunker punks, we should accept the truth of both of these viewpoints. First and foremost, as radical followers of Jesus, as servants of Jesus who obediently follow his example and disregard the influence of anything to the contrary, we must accept that this lifestyle is more challenging than any other lifestyle.

Remember our brothers and sisters of the EYN in Nigeria. Every day they experience tests and trials of their faith far more severe than anything we in the Church of the Brethren in the United States could even imagine. Yet again and again they make the difficult decision to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, to love their enemies and pursue a peaceful conclusion to their suffering.

“Pacifism” is not the same thing as “passivism.” Nonviolence is far more than just not being violent. It is an active, gut-wrenchingly difficult decision.

Or remember our spiritual ancestors, the original dunker punks. Those eight individuals stood up in the face of legal consequence, even of death, and decided that they must listen to Jesus. They decided that they had to live radical, nonconformist lives, that went against what their culture told them about how to live, and listened only to how Jesus told them to live.

At dunkerpunks.com, we talk a lot about peace and enemy-love, because that was an central aspect of Jesus’ teachings. But there are other steps we must take to truly follow Jesus. It’s not just the big things, like resisting acts of war, that we must do to be faithful followers of Jesus. To truly call ourselves dunker punks, we must live our everyday lives and make all of our decisions based on what Jesus would have us do.

Small gestures, like refusing to buy clothes made in sweatshops, like recycling and reducing our energy consumption, like going out of our way to feed the hungry, to clothe and shelter the homeless, to work towards the healing of the sick, and to love and work with those who have wronged us, or only shopping at stores that value the dignity of their employees more than their bottom-line, or better yet to consume less, so we have room to give more, or to pray earnestly and sincerely for a better world, and then listen to Jesus when he shows us how to make that world a reality, these are all radical decisions. And they are difficult.

Luckily, when we find the clarity to follow Jesus by studying and praying, these decisions become easier. Remember the Sermon on the Mount? If we want to learn how to live like Jesus, there is perhaps no better passage to study, so much so that Jarrod McKenna, the activist who challenged the Church of the Brethren to embrace their Dunker Punk heritage, reccomends that everyone who wants to live as radical followers of Jesus memorize. At the very end of the Sermon, Jesus makes an analogy that many of us recognize:

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise person who built their house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish person who built their house on sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!” – Matthew 7:24-27

The decisions we have to make to live like Jesus are not easy. They go against everything our culture expects us to do. But when we ground these decisions in Jesus, by studying and praying for clarity, by looking to his example, and by remembering that as a human being Jesus came and did all of these things, we can find the faith and strength to keep going. But just because Jesus is a source of comfort does not give us the right to sit on hands and get comfortable. He calls us to walk, better yet run, on the road he has set out for us.

So read the words of Jesus. Study his love, so you can better emulate it. Pray for guidance, for inspiration, and for creativity. The decisions and actions that Jesus calls us to make are not easy. They aren’t supposed to be. Living a radically obedient lifestyle is the most difficult way to live. But Jesus makes it easier to do the most difficult things.

Why Peace is the Only Option

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Today was to be the first day in a three-day “humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza, allowing aid to be delivered to those caught in the conflict, bodies to be removed, and, it was hoped, delegates from Israel and Hamas to meet in Cairo to discuss terms for a longer ceasefire. Some officials hoped that this ceasefire might lead to a more lasting hiatus in the three and a half week-long conflict.

Only hours after the cease-fire was announced, it was broken, and already dozens have died from escalated fighting, with hundreds more injured. Perhaps those who hoped that this ceasefire might lead to something bigger didn’t recall that this was to be the fourth cease-fire since fighting began a few weeks ago, and that each of those ceasefires ended within hours. Perhaps they didn’t realize that even the longer periods without fighting over the past years have been nothing but ceasefires. It should be apparent to those closest to this conflict that a ceasefire is not a sustainable solution.

The problem is, calling for only a ceasefire suggests that more violence is inevitable. Saying, “Let’s stop fighting for three days,” places more emphasis on the “three days” than on the “stop fighting”. Anytime we allow violence to seem inevitable, we create a self-fulfilling prophesy that violence will return. It’s as if, by so weakly condemning violence, we actually condone it.

Well, we as Dunker Punks don’t believe in weakly condemning violence. We echo our Dunker Punk ancestors from Annual Conference in 1930 who stood up and resolved, “All War is Sin.” We say, enough with ceasefires that condone more fighting after a period of silence. We say, enough.

We call for nothing less than peace. The second problem with a ceasefire is that people often mistake it for peace. The difference is, in a ceasefire, both sides do little – if not nothing – as they prepare for the fighting to resume. Whether the ceasefire is to last three days, three decades, or indefinitely, there is always the promise of more violence to come. So neither side can focus on anything but making sure that they are ready for the violence to return.

A ceasefire, then, becomes a time of doing nothing to resolve the conflict, rather than being proactive in resolving the conflict diplomatically. Who can meet cordially with their enemy and get something meaningful done, while still making preparations to attack that same enemy? Who can love their enemy, while still fortifying their hatred for that enemy? No wonder so many ceasefires are ended prematurely.

A ceasefire is a passive period where both sides sit in anticipation of more violence. Israeli officials claim that they were willing to honor the ceasefire, but that Hamas attacked first and forced them to retaliate. Maybe it’s true that Hamas attacked first. But the devastation that Israel has unloaded upon Palestinian civilians over the past few hours shows that, to them, a cease-fire is nothing more than an opportunity to prepare for more fighting.

Peace is different. Anyone who thinks that peace is passive hasn’t tried it. Peace is an active decision to love your enemy, to turn away from violence, and embrace other means of handling conflict. Peace isn’t easy. But only though peace can we hope to accomplish anything meaningful.

Dunker Punks call for peace. Pray for peace. Mobilize to create peace. Dunker punks, follow the example set by Jesus, and be leaders in demanding and building peace.

Share your thoughts.  What can we do to better pursue peace? How can the Dunker Punk community be leaders in accomplishing peace?

 

Read About Two Dunker Punks from History!

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sauer

You may not have heard of these two early Brethren, but both distinguished themselves as Dunker Punks through their revolutionary commitment to nonviolent nonconformity.

Among the first members of the Church of the Brethren in the colonial United States, Christopher Sauer became a prominent printer to native Germans and other German speakers in the colonies. Among the works that he printed were radical condemnations of War and Slavery, becoming one of the first outspoken advocates of pacifism and abolition in the country. In 1758, Sauer was arrested for denouncing the militant activities of the British army during the French and Indian war, though he died before receiving any punishment.

His son, Christopher Sauer Jr., continued his father’s legacy, and did even more to promote the dunker punk ideals of nonviolence and nonconformity. Not only did he continue to promote the ideals of pacifism and abolition, but he did so during an incredibly volatile and formative time in American history.

Sauer was very active in promoting these ideals during the American Revolution. While many throughout the country were gripped by nationalistic fervor for the American cause of independence, Sauer Jr. stood resolute in his belief that even independence was not worth the cost of violent conflict. Refusing to conform to the militant nationalism sweeping the nation and his region in particular, Sauer remained committed to nonviolence.

In 1778, Sauer was labeled an “Enemy of the State” and was summoned to appear in court to take an oath of allegiance. He refused both summons. A few days later, Sauer was arrested by the military, where he was subjected to humiliation and near-torture. Still, he refused to take an oath of allegiance. The next day, he was marched to a military internment camp, where he was held for several days until he made an appeal to George Washington. Washington allowed Sauer to be released, but Sauer was exiled from his hometown of Germantown until the revolution was over. Again he disobeyed the State and returned to Germantown a few months later. Sauer was arrested, and while in custody he missed another summons to take an oath of allegiance to the United States. As punishment, all of Sauer’s possessions and property were auctioned off. Sauer, a considerably wealthy man, lived the rest of his life in extreme poverty. Through all of these circumstances, he never wavered from his conviction to nonviolence.

Both of the Sauers, and Sauer Jr. in particular, remind us that being a dunker punk is not supposed to be easy. Sticking to the nonconformity that a truly Christ-like life demands isn’t supposed to be fun. We maintain our radical obedience to Jesus and his ways of nonviolence and enemy-love because we are ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven, and here in the Kingdom of Heaven, we do things differently. We are called by Christ to promote and build his kingdom here on earth, and the only way we can do that is stay resolute in our commitment to walking a different path.

Let Sauer Jr. remind us that no matter how bad things get, what we are doing is meaningful and powerful. So stay strong. Keep the faith you have committed yourself to living. And allow this community to support you. The Church of the Brethren and the dunker punks stick together. Allow us to help one another. We are called by Christ to Journey along a different path, and Christ has blessed us with everything we need to make that Journey together.

Stay tuned for more Dunker Punks in history and their radical and obedient acts of love! Want to suggest an historic Dunker Punk? Contact the curators of dunkerpunks.com at dunkerpunks2014@gmail.com.

Have your own story of being a dunker punk? Want support, encouragement, and prayers? Want a community to keep you accountable? Let us know in the form below!

Good Question

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Today this question popped up in our survey:

Hello, #DunkerPunks! Bill from @OnEarthPeace here. How can we help?

-Bill Scheurer, Illinois/Wisconsin District

Great question Bill! And I hope your question inspires other Dunker Punks to ask the same question of themselves. We have two broad answers: We want you to listen, and we want you to speak up! First of all, listen. By reading dunkerpunks.com and keeping your ears open to any other sources that promote the movements of Dunker Punks in the Church of the Brethren and other peace builders, you will find opportunities to pray, encourage, support, and get involved! Today, dunkerpunks.com got a submission about a fledgling movement called Muna Daya, started by several Church of the Brethren youth who felt moved at National Youth Conference to do something about the situation in Nigeria. Since then, we’ve started working with these youth to see what we can do to support their mission, and maybe you can too. You see, the more you listen and search for faithful servants who are passionate about following Jesus in radical, innovative ways, the more opportunities you will find to help. The other answer we have for you is something you’ve already done today: Speak Up! By reaching out to dunkerpunks.com, you’ve shown what true Dunker Punks do: step out from the crowd and get involved. Don’t wait for someone else to do something, do something yourself! Of course, we know that all of you at On Earth Peace have a lot of experience with stepping out, speaking up, and doing something, but our hope is that everyone else reading this will feel compelled to do the same. And since you’ve stepped up, we want to give you a few specific things you can do as well. First of all, we hope that you connect with Muna Daya and any other groups that you see featured on dunkerpunks.com. See what you can do to help them. Second, we’ll give you a few questions, because we want to step out too. How do you think we can work together to build peace? How can we help you? Let us know at dunkerpunks2014@gmail.com. We look forward to working with you more in the future! To see how other Dunker Punks have responded to God’s call to step forward, check out our responses page! Help support dunkerpunks.com as we move to work more closely with On Earth Peace by offering words of prayer and support on facebook or twitter. If you’ve taken a step forward to be a radical follower of Jesus, and you want to work with dunkerpunks.com, or if you want prayers, support, and assistance from the Dunker Punk community, let us know in the form below!

Dunker Punks Everywhere are Moving to Promote Peace

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Dunkerpunks.com just got two related testimonies that show how committed this movement is to promoting peace and sticking to our tradition of enemy-love, even in the hardest of circumstances. As you read these quotes from Dunker Punks who have decided to start doing something amazing and larger than themselves in the name of promoting Jesus’ love, we encourage you to prayerfully consider how you can help, or what else you can do to live up to your responsibilities as Dunker Punks and Mustard Seed Revolutionaries.

At NYC a few of us felt the call to really try to do whatever we could for the situation in Nigeria. We came to the conclusion that the best thing we could do would be to try to stand by Stan Noffsinger and our denomination in the effort for peace.

We have started a Facebook page called Muna Daya (look it up) with the mission of loving our enemies as Jesus did before us. Specifically we want to love Boko Haram. If we are lucky we can show people like the members of Boko Haram the value of loving those we disagree with. “Muna Daya” is Hausa for “We Are One.”

– Anonymous Dunker Punk, Western Plains District

 

I made the commitment to be a Dunker Punk because I felt that God was calling me to do greater things, and engage in a deeper faith. Now I am working together with a friend from NYC to spread of movement of love for our enemies.

We started the Muna Daya movement in hopes that we could extend love to the leadership of Boko Haram, and encourage the world to do the same, so that perhaps we can find a peaceful resolution. Like our Facebook page! Our journey is just beginning!

– Cameron Clark, Western Plains District

Click here to like Muna Daya on Facebook! Offer words of encouragement and prayer in the comments below, by sharing this article with your friends, and by supporting Muna Daya as they continue on their journey!

To read about what other Dunker Punks are doing to follow Jesus, visit our responses page!

If you’ve been feeling God’s call, or you’ve already responded to God’s call to become a Dunker Punk, write about it in the form below!

Huge Dunker Punk Success Story!

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Last month I was in the recruiter’s office in support of my friend who was going to the navy. I was talking to the recruiter and he told me that with a little work I would make a good sailor. And at the time I didn’t have many options for my life so I was planning on going.

Then at National Youth Conference 2014 I felt the lord’s presence, and I felt all week that He was calling me to a different path, and Bethany seminary was advertised a lot throughout the week, and Wednesday night I heard Jarrod speak about Alexander Mack and the dunker punks and it was like an epiphany. It hit me all of a sudden like all week with these gentle nudges, and then God slapped me across the face with the Bible like here it is this is it. I was crying throughout Jarrod’s sermon so I made the pledge to be a dunker punk,  and being a dunker punk can’t be just saying that I am one but actually being one by living out my faith, but also fighting the fight with the towel of servitude and doing what God made me to do.

-Anonymous Dunker Punk

One of the greatest aspects of being a Dunker Punk is how active we are required to be. It’s all well and good to have a philosophical love of peace, but unless we take radical, active steps in our lives to follow Jesus’ teaching of peace and enemy-love, we cannot truthfully call ourselves Dunker Punks. To be a Dunker Punk is to shut out every influence other than our call from Jesus. We must live out our faith, not just in belief, but in action. To be peaceful isn’t the same as being passive. On the contrary, ours is an active peace, a vigorous, persistent love for Jesus, for our Neighbors, and for our enemies.

Please offer support and prayers for our fellow Dunker Punk in the comments below, or by sharing this post with others.

If you were inspired by this Dunker Punk testimony, then please visit our Responses page to see how other Dunker Punks are moving to become devoted and obedient servants of Christ!

Do you have your own Dunker Punk success story? Do you need prayers and support as you take action in becoming a radical follower of Jesus? Do you need someone to hold you accountable for what you have resolved to do? Then please share in the form below!

Anonymous Dunker Punk Update

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“I have been born and raised in the Church of the Brethren. Both sides of my family have been members of the denomination for generations. I have been interested in different Christian faith traditions for a while now, I have been looking all kinds of them. In the process, I forgot the beauty of my own tradition.

Jarrod reminded me of that. I have been struggling with doubts and questions for a long time. They had been stopping me from being able to move forward in my faith. While they continue to plague me even now, at the anointing service the day before I had resolved to give them to God and no longer let them keep in the way of my faith journey. Jarrod’s message seemed to perfectly complement what happened in my soul the day before.

So I stepped forward and resolved to recommit myself to the Lord. I’m still trying to work out with that means for me. I’ve had experiences like this before, but in a couple days I just go back to being my old self. I don’t want that to happen this time. I pray to God that it will not. I am trying to figure out what changes I should make my life to truly be a Dunker Punk. I’ve had a bunch of ideas, but I’m worried that they are more about me and my glory and God. I ask for your prayers of guidance.”

-Anonymous Dunker Punk

The original Dunker Punks from Schwarzenau, Germany were set apart by their commitment to community and togetherness. Let us lift each other up in prayer in support. Let us hold one another accountable as we seek to be radically devoted followers of Jesus. Remember, we are Called by Christ, and Blessed for the Journey Together.

Please offer words of encouragement in the comments below or by sharing this post with others! If this post inspired you to share your own story, please use the form below, or go to the submit page! Click here to see more Dunker Punk responses! 

We Are Called to this Journey Together

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On the evening of Wednesday, July 23, 2014, Jarrod McKenna challenged those gathered for worship at the Church of the Brethren National Youth Conference to embrace their spiritual heritage by engaging in a “Mustard Seed Revolution” that heralded to the genesis of the Church of the Brethren and Christ’s plan to plant the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth.

His challenge is not one to be taken lightly. It requires nothing less than a full commitment to living the radical love displayed by Jesus. In fact, Jarrod said while introducing the challenge that he would be grateful if just eight people out of 2300 felt able to step forward and fully commit their lives to the Mustard Seed Revolution. When he asked if anyone was willing, hundreds of youth stepped forward.

Though overjoyed to see so many youth passionate about becoming deep, radical followers of Jesus and ambassadors of his love, Jarrod still worried that not everyone in the crowd fully understood what they were doing. He commended those who remained sitting, saying that perhaps they understood what he was asking better than those standing. To those standing, he reminded that this is not going to be easy. It requires passion, diligence, and maturity, and faith.

Jarrod invited each person standing to embrace the ones next to him, and reminded us that one value that makes us Brethren is our focus on togetherness. A journey as radical and challenging as the Mustard Seed Revolution requires that those journeying together support one another. Jarrod asked that each person standing find two friends to update regularly on their progress, to keep one another accountable and true to the task, and to pray with for courage and guidance.

So that we can keep one another accountable and offer one another encouragement and support, dunkerpunks.com wants to hear what you have to say! What is it that God is calling you to do? If you stood up during worship, tell us why. If you’re just now deciding to join the revolution, tell us why! Show that you understand the commitment that you are making and that you plan to honor it. Allow your fellow brothers and sisters of the Church of the Brethren to encourage you and keep track of your progress.

You can submit your stories by filling out this google form, which will allow the process to be anonymous if you wish. After you submit your stories, we will post them to the site!