Why Mennonite Culture is Dutch Culture

So this blog is more targetted toward my Mennonite readers, those being mostly my family, college friends, and church friends. For those not familiar with Mennonites, or only familiar with stereotyped images of them/us, read up a bit (English article about Mennonites, English article about Dutch Mennonite and Dutch article about Dutch Mennonite). My family is originally a Swiss Mennonite family from the more progressive General Conference break-off from 1860, but not from the "Russian Mennonite" group that joined the General Conference later who are now the majority. I went to university at Bethel College, founded by the highly-educated and wealtheir "Russian" Mennonites who came from what is now The Netherlands to Prussia to Ukraine to Kansas. My paternal line came from Switzerland to Indiana in 1723/25, and then during the Great Depression like many farmers, resettled in Ohio via California.

Our family is probably more integrated into American society than most Mennonite families, yet there are things that, in our minds, make us noticeably Mennonite, in addition to attending Mennonite churches. Many of our jobs are connected to Mennonite institutions (Bluffton University, Mennonite Mission Network, etc). Also, there is a broad and deep connection to social justice and peace/non-violence. Although this connection is rather recent in Mennonite thought and practice, we definitely make connections between the pacifist and communalist Anabaptist/Mennonite roots and our social justice and peace convictions.

Some of the things I read about Dutch culture reminds me of Mennonites, but maybe it is only really my family, who represent a distinct brand of Mennonitism, mixed with high level of education as well. Nonetheless, here we go with some interesting parallels:

Dutch Culture in Mennonite-ism

Sometimes, I feel like I am living in a  country full of Mennonites. This comes with all the things I like about Mennonite culture, but also now I feel more like an outsider because the tight-knit communities like Dutch society and Mennonite communities can be very hard to break into and adapt to.

So, here are some things in my Dutch culture book that I think my Mennonite readers will find interesting and familiar:

-The Dutch are "egalitarian, practical, well-organized people who value privacy and self-control, who are thrifty and drive a hard bargain, and who are experts in international trade." Except for the international trade part, this describes Mennos well.
-As for equality, the Dutch have nearly eliminated poverty with a strong social support net. Officially, using a high standard, about 6% of people here are below the poverty line, and only .05% of households are in serious financial trouble.
-Overleg is important to the Dutch. This is a consensus-based decision-making process based on common ground and broad participation. On a societal level, this means that unions are not as combatative as in other places. Rather, the Dutch wages as set using the Polder system, whereby managements, labor and government sit down periodically and set the wages by sector.
-The Dutch pursue gezelligheid. This means a sense of coziness and togetherness that Mennonites try really hard to replicate. When combined with the social justice aspects, modern Mennonites try to draw on the Jewish sense of Shalom to describe this togetherness and desire to be in "right-relationship" with one's neighbors, but I think the Dutch gezelligheid is a better concept to describe this.
-Dutch children are raised permissively and included in family life. In Mennonites culture, children are given a higher role than many other cultures. This means that children are given a lot of freedom, and they generally end up as very productive members ot society. Children are praised when they do well, and are given room to choose what they want to do. This is also true for my family and in the more progressive churches I have attended. There, children are given active, participatory roles in church and family life.
-The food eaten is very practical, down-to-earth and bland. While this may describe our family a little less than some others, I think most Mennonites (like the Dutch) eat pretty basic meals with lots of bread, cheese, potatoes, and sausage.
-The Dutch eat pepernoten around December fifth, and olliebollen (literally, "oil balls") at New Years. Making peppernuts and New Years Cookies are also Mennonite traditions, but I think only for the Russian/Prussian Mennonites of Kansas. The whole tradition of eating certain foods at certain times of the year is very Dutch.

Now, these are not just vague speculations. It also happens to be the case that the founder of Mennonite-ism, Menno Simons, was Dutch, from the Northern region of Friesland where I spent this Christmas. The religion spread from there through migrations and conversions to the German Palatinate, Prussia, Switzerland,


What American Mennonites Can Learn From Dutch Mennonites


Dutch society gives a glimpse what a place would look like if everyone shared Mennonite culture and sensibilities. However, one cannot sustain or grow a church on family history and culture alone. The church and the theology must offer the world something more.

So, now that we have cut through the cultural aspects of Mennonite-ism using the lens of Dutch culture, what essential theological elements remain? Well, a model might be Dutch Mennonites themselves. They give us an example of distinctive Mennonite/Anabaptist contributions to society distinct from culture, because they largely share the dominant culture.

Dutch Mennonites are pretty much fully integrated into Dutch society. The do not see themselves as a minority, as most U.S. Mennonites have in the past and as many do still see themselves today. I cannot speak for too many Mennonites today, but I certainly saw myself as a distinct minority in the U.S., despite high levels of integration early in life through schooling and interaction, prior to becoming more connected with the Mennonite community in high school and college.

The Mennonite here are more explicit in their connections between faith and politics. For example, the Mennonite church in the Netherlands states explicitly: "The Dutch Mennonites are a liberal-protestant church. The congregation supports social programs both in The Hague and in the Third World. Many members support the peace movement. Traditionally, Dutch Mennonites are keen supporters of a strict separation between church and state." Also, one of our friends from church works for the Dutch center-left Labour Party. The pastors preach tolerance, respect and patience in broad terms. When we, the young people, were planning the service that we will participate in, there was a strong desire to address the moral and political failures at Copenhagen and also the vast worldwide economic inequality. Further, they were the first group in The Netherlands were the first to open their seminaries to women, have a high number of female pastors, and the first group to accept and perform same-sex marriages after they were legalized in 2001. 

The connection between faith a politics is a trend that is emerging among U.S. Mennonites, but that clashes with the traditional "quiet in the land" and separation from society that characterizes U.S. Mennonites. However, it is important to know that the quiet in the land agreement came about only for the U.S. Mennonites, and really is not true to the radical and loud Anabapist tradition. Many U.S. Mennonites are scared of using the state due to its associations with violence and warfare. For example, Peter Jansen from Nebraska turned down nomination for Governor of Nebraska because it required enforcing the death penalty. We need to find a way to make our government more tolerable such that we can participate in it in good conscience. One model for that is how the Dutch themselves have used their government, directing it toward the aims of social aid to eliminate poverty, massive public works projects to prevent flooding such as those that the U.S. Mennonites were successful at under the Civilian Conservation Corps, foreign aid and cooperation, and protecting the environment.