Bethel College has a historic affiliation with the Mennonites. You’ve probably heard opinions and maybe you have your own take on what this means, and what the relationship between Bethel College and the Mennonites has been, is, and should be. As a junior, with Mennonite roots here in Kansas, and Maya Q’eqchi roots in Alta Verapaz Coban, Guatemala, I want to offer some thoughts on the topic of Bethel College and Mennonites.
There is of course no requirement that you be Mennonite to come to Bethel College, and there is no requirement that you be any more Mennonite when you leave than when you got here. In fact, only 15 students in the incoming 2027 graduating class of over 100 identify as Mennonite (Eric Preheim, Opening Convocation). What then remains of the Mennonites here at Bethel College and what is worth preserving?
I believe that there are certain essential values that make Bethel College what it is, make it unique, and that need to remain an integral part of the college. I don’t mean our mission and vision as a college, although those are certainly important and influenced by the college’s Mennonite background. Rather, I want to focus on certain largely unspoken social and cultural values that you may perceive around the campus, which are rooted in Bethel’s Mennonite heritage. Bethel does not need to recruit large numbers of Mennonites to preserve these values — the institution and community just need to continue to live them. These values are not unique to Mennonites; you can find them on other campuses. But they are here, at Bethel College, largely because of Mennonites and their manifestation and the unique combination of these values makes them “Mennonite.”
The first of these values is simple living. There are important exceptions, but if you observe the Mennonite community at and around Bethel College, you will notice that there is generally an emphasis on living a simple lifestyle. What I mean by this is choosing to, or in some cases, having to, live with less. It means choosing not to create identity or value for yourself as a person from material things and their social capital or their monetary value. Simple living means de-emphasizing things and emphasizing community. I invite you to notice this value, notice who lives it and who doesn’t, and consider it for yourself. What is it like to set aside things that distract us, and focus on what may be so much more important, learning and community?
Closely related is the value of environmentalism. You may notice that some folks on campus place particular emphasis on protecting or living in harmony with the environment. Again, it isn’t all people at Bethel, and certainly, it isn’t all Mennonites. But generally, there is a cultural tendency that pulls in the direction of caring for our earthly environment. There are professors and students who bike or walk instead of driving. Others participate in environmentalist clubs. The community cares for gardens and trees around campus. I invite you to consider participating in the environmentalist culture here at Bethel College.
The third value you’ll encounter here at Bethel is nonviolence or pacifism. You will notice that Mennonites as much as non-Mennonites in the community live out this value and don’t resolve conflicts with their fists. At an administrative level, the college attempts to resolve issues of discipline in ways that are not as punitive as in a traditional educational context and are more restorative and transformative. This value spreads into the curriculum as well. Bethel –and its affiliate, The Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (KIPCOR) --offers several courses where one can study the history of this tradition, as well as learn practical skills for implementing this value into daily interactions. I invite you to consider what ways beyond verbal or physical violence there might be to resolve conflict, both interpersonal and international.
The final value you’ll discover here at Bethel is critical thinking. This value is rooted in the Mennonite tradition of thinking and reading critically for oneself about beliefs and ways of life. The Mennonite tradition at Bethel is not dogmatic and is very inclusive. So, you may notice that many of the students, faculty, and staff, highly value the very act of learning and thinking for oneself. Some of us even find it entertaining or fun. I don’t mean to say you need to start finding class fun, but consider that education may be its own value, and learning to think independently may be worth trying.
Again, these values are not unique to Mennonites, though you may find them in greater concentration in this Mennonite college community. And you certainly don’t need to have any affiliation with Mennonites, much less join the Mennonite church, to consider, live, or adopt these values. But I hope that as part of your experience here at Bethel College, you’ll become more aware of these values, and consider what it might mean for you to live them. How might you appropriate these values to fit your own identity or cultural systems? Put another way, while in Rome, do as the Romans do: notice these values, and maybe even try them out for size.