Eating Sausage with Gentiles

I never knew this, but apparently some of the early Anabaptists were universalists.  Though this might shock the pants off of some modern-day Mennonites, I honestly feel a little relieved.

I'm in the middle of writing the meditation for this week's church service, and after a very intense conference this past weekend on interfaith dialogue, I have really struggled to piece together what I believe and how I sense the Spirit, with what my perceptions (rightly or wrongly) the congregation here is willing to hear.  I don't want to offend, but I also don't want to lie... So there is and was a tension of wondering if what I believe to be "true" is acceptable within the Church.

Back at the conference, I certainly felt supported in my universalist thoughts, because it is hard to, after hearing someone's faith journey (when they are not Christians), think that shalom is not extended to all people.  But then, I started reading the lectionary passages for the week, and could sense the conflict building within me...if Jesus is significant in comparison to other faiths, shouldn't belief in him trump all?  Or, can we believe that Jesus, yes, is quite significant, offers a distinct message...but that others who do not follow his path can also fall within Grace?  I tend to think the latter, but I would guess that the better part of the Christian church would disagree (because thinking of someone you dislike of having to deal with "fire and brimstone" can be soothing....)

One of the passages this week is the story of Peter in Acts, where he has a vision in which a blanket is lowered with all the non-kosher animals on it, and after The Voice tells him to kill and eat them, Peter's response is something like, "Dude, you know I don't touch that stuff.  I am a law-abiding citizen."  But The Voice tells him to do it a second time.  Then a third.  Once the light has come on for Peter, he then gets to explain to his Jew friends why he then ended up eating sausages with Cornelius, a Gentile (gasp!).  "God loves us all the same, y'all," Peter says.  Word.

And, so my meditation centers back on Shalom, which is for all people.  I've read that every preacher (or teacher or rabbi or person or whatever...) has one message and that they end up preaching the same sermon (though, hopefully from the audience's perspective, with different examples.)  I think I'm ending up with Shalom Is For All Who Desire It...which I kinda like, though may be quite controversial for others (which boggles my mind.)

Hans Denck, one of those crazy hippie early Anabaptists, wrote that God "speaks clearly in everyone, in the deaf, dumb, and blind, even in unreasoning beasts, even in leaves and grass, stone and wood, heaven and earth, and all that is in them, that they may hear and do His will."  Change "His" to "the Divine's" and you might be surprised how many faiths would resonate with it...Hindu, Buddhist, Islam, Paganism, etc.  Something to think about.

Can you name them?