Thursday, April 3, 2025

It is the 3rd of April 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

The fun shows continue- let me start with another favorite that has come through the special website. Zachary writes:

"I discovered the CHA during COVID, and I was fighting for my life in pastoral ministry. The daily reminder of how saints have struggled and overcome in the past with the daily lectionary or poetry always helped me to focus and ground myself at the beginning of the day. My young kids know the routine, and they all love to listen to my wife and me. When we bought a new minivan this year, they all insisted that we name it “Dan van Voorhis.” Much love, keep up the hard work. You really make a difference in my life and I am sure countless others. God Bless.

It would be poetic if it were a stick shift and you could pop or grind the clutch and get a good pause between the dan, van Voorhis. At the risk of sounding sentimental Zachary- my heart has been enlarged by reading and telling so many of these stories. I think if we do it right- and try and blend truth and love, being critical but not cynical- it might help us grow in grace.

Doing the little series on my favorite shows over the past 2000, I have to go back to the early days of the Weekend Edition and the story of John Noyes and the Oneida Community or the eccentric commune behind your grandma's silverware.

John Noyes was born in Vermont in 1811- well-to-do, son of a congressman and cousin of President Hayes. He has a conversion experience under Charles Finney and decides to become a minister- attends but doesn’t complete studies at two and then forms a community, Putney- and they start playing with the idea of Bible Communism and Perfectionism.  

This leads to an understanding that there is no marriage as Jesus says there isn’t in the new Kingdom and if the new Kingdom is NOW- no marriage. This lead to “complex” marriages which got them run out of Vermont for Oneida New York.

And besides the problematic view on marriage, they became quiet a successful and egalitarian not to mention: rich. Building and selling quality animal traps to folks moving westward- like with many communes they perfect what they make in relatively small scale. They begin branching out into other ventures including dried fruit and silverware.

The group, unfortunately like so many Utopian communities broke under the weight of its own perfectionism. It would become a joint stock in 1881 and specialize in silverware- the Oneida silverware is the largest American manufacture of cutlery today. As they splintered, one of the leaders, James Towner took his group out west to settle what would be its own strange Utopia- Orange County, California. Yes! This story has it all…

Like End Times stuff, I see Utopian folk as flawed idealists- and those types tend to make up a lot of our stories! The marriage stuff is the farthest out there- but they themselves voted it out of practice through their own evolving democratic system. Some of the mystery of this story to me- and has been a lesson that has really stuck with me- is the place of the charismatic leader. Trying to explain charisma, historically seems to suffer a similar fate that perfume commercials have on television. There’s a whole bunch of senses unavailable and maybe inexplainable that are really “you had to be there,” and that also keeps me humble when I pass judgment on “how did people ever start following that (fill in the blank).” Late 19th century America is amazing- we are rightly caught up in the Civil War here in our American history classes- but there is so much going on culturally and theologically, and while Noyes and the Oneida community are extreme, they had an influence on the mainstream.

Once again- the link is in the rough transcript on the website- follow the link through your podcast player. We are going to continue with my favorite stories- a special weekend edition where we want to hear from you- and it all wrapping up on April 10th with the live show.

https://www.1517.org/podcast-overview/2022-03-19

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary- a good parallel to yesterday’s Revelation 20, from Psalm 126.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,

    our tongues with songs of joy.


Then it was said among the nations,

    “The Lord has done great things for them.”

The Lord has done great things for us,

    and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, Lord,

    like streams in the Negev.

Those who sow with tears

    will reap with songs of joy.

Those who go out weeping,

    carrying seed to sow,


will return with songs of joy,

    carrying sheaves with them.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 3rd of April 2025 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who- has, in fact, a true story, either on purpose or unknowingly vacationed at numerous Utopian communities! He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who knows Utopian communities called Northwood, Woodbridge, and University- the original Irvine… (not) born and raised- I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.

**SHOW ENDS WITH EGBOK IN ARABIC!**