Everyone is Going to Hell in a Handbasket, but "Us".

The Catholics, Reformed, and Lutherans are all going to Hell! This was the sentiment by the majority of Anabaptist of the 16th century. As harsh as it sounds to our ears the sentiment would be readily said if the tables were turned and we were being executed by our brothers and sisters in Christ. Dirk Philips said, "If one is not born again, and does not know God through Christ, he cannot be a brother."

The Swiss Bretheren and Menno Simons did not trust their Christian counter-parts. In fact, Menno called his strong statements against the rest of Christendom as the brotherly warning. However, we here of many of the early Anabaptist leaders were willing to have debates with many of the religious leaders of the time. Marpeck was one, but unfortunately it appears his debate ended with his expulsion from Strasbourg.

Hans Denck theologically believe that there ought to be divisions between brothers and sisters, however with the issue of force an coercion there was not the possibility for sacred dialog or trust for that matter. Denck was one that perhaps could of reached across the aisles he believed that there was perhaps truth within the confines of the Jewish and Muslim faith. If there was actually a relationship being cultivated with these two groups is unknown.

With some of the Anabaptists movements they have not moved very far from the Swiss and Menno positions of intereligious dialog. Because of the historic peace stance of the church, it has lead many modern day Mennonites to engage in interligious dialog. Because of the new found ecumenism, it would seem as if the Anabaptist of today see the light of God in all people. The theology is still developing what peace and staying true to the faith, while at the same time finding commonalities across the aisle.

Order in the Church

The Anabaptist from early on committed themselves to order within the Church. Order is what is at core of a church's organizational infrastructure. How a pastor is called? Who and how baptism and communion are to be performed? The issue of Mutual Aid.

With that Anabaptists they believed a pastor should be chosen out of the congregation. Education was not idealized as part of their anti clericalism, however there is some indication that the Pastor must be literate. He should be taught by the Holy Spirit. That even though he is capable of being Pastor he should not appoint himself to the position.

According to the Schliethiem Confession, with the order of the congregation these were the rules to govern the congregation according to Sattler.

1. The brothers and sisters should meet at least three or four times a week, to exercise themselves, in the teaching of Christ and His apostles and heartily to exhort one another to remain faithful to the Lord as they have pledged.

2. When the brothers and sisters are together, they shall take up something to read together. The one to whom God has given the best understanding shall explain it, the others should be still and listen, so that there are not two or three carrying on a private conversation, bothering the others. The Psalter shall be read daily at home.

3. Let none be frivolous in the church of God, neither in words nor in actions. Good conduct shall be maintained by them all also before the heathen.

4. When a brother sees his brother erring, he shall warn him according to the command of Christ, and shall admonish him in a Christian and brotherly way, as everyone is bound and obliged to do out of love.

5. Of all the brothers and sisters of this congregation none shall have anything of his own, but rather, as the Christians in the time of the apostles held all in common, and especially stored up a common fund, from which aid can be given to the poor, according as each will have need, and as in the apostles' time permit no brother to be in need.

6. All gluttony shall be avoided among the brothers who are gathered in the congregation; serve a soup or a minimum of vegetable and meat, for eating and drinking are not the kingdom of heaven.

7. The Lord's Supper shall be held, as often as the brothers are together, thereby proclaiming the death of the Lord, and thereby warning each one to commemorate, how Christ gave His life for us, and shed His blood for us, that we might also be willing to give our body and life for Christ's sake, which means for the sake of all the brothers.

Marpek on the issue of baptism stated that children should be named before the congregation and dedicated to God. This is one of the only sources we have to date allowing for baby dedication in the Early Anabaptist context.

I wonder how these orders were enforced as they were agreed upon. Especially given the anti-hierarchical nature of the church.

Christ and the Church

When reflecting on the ecclesiology and nature of the early Anabaptist Church I am brought back to a famous prayer by St. Theresa of Avila.

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

What is so interesting is this is the incarnational message of the Anabaptist concerning the Church, Christ's Body. Teresa was a contemporary of Anabaptist born in 1515 and died in 1585 in Spain. But the truth is that this was what the Anabaptist her contemporaries were dealing with in Western Europe.

What was the radical regeneration that occur ed in the the congregant. Was there an outside change, because an outside change was to mirror the work and life of Christ. If one did not show this outward sign, which in someways was a means of grace, then the ban was to be instilled and for some groups such as the Dutch Anabaptist by 1550 were banning thoughts who were not participating in the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit and shunning them as well. Each group whether Mennonite, Hutterite, the Swiss Brethren, had to deal with what was at the core of being "in the mind of Christ".

This lead to many a problem with those who were literalistic and those who were spiritualist. It is important to say that the word spiritualist conotates someone in the modern times who is a member of the New Age Movement. However in the Anabaptist context these spiritualists were those of the more liberal nature who believed that being a part of the community of God lent itself more to the working of the Holy Spirit and the Grace that was given. The early Anabaptist believed the outer change must be visible because they were truly the incarnated body of Christ. That what ever Christ did on earth they were to mirror, because in essence the Church was now Christ Body. This is what is so eary about Teresa of Avila's words issuing forth during the same time period.

The sacramentalists did not believe that the water, or the bread and wine had any holy properties to them. They sure did see them as a means of grace. But rather a reality of finite bringing homage to the infinite. The Apostles Creed was the same for the Anabaptist. There was nothing that was God ordained about them they were simply a testimony of God's grace, yet they were not a bestowal of grace they simply were an affirmation.

I myself have great reservations with concerns of assuming that the Church is the Body of Christ incarnated here on earth. The Church does not have a good track record whether Anabaptist or otherwise of carrying out the love and grace of Christ for all peoples and all times. If this was certainly true, then all Christians in every time and place should experience the ban and be shunned, because the only true regeneration happens upon entrance into the heavenly kingdom. Grace is something that reforms the soul but this idea of regeneration becoming complete or having a certain track or guideline to follow seems to be a bit of a stretch for me. Grace does not come from a regenerated community "acting" as the Church. Grace comes from the work of the Christ and through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The Church is the Bride of Christ preparing for his arrival, and as she waits she has to make herself ready for his coming.

Economics and Gender

With the issue of economics, I find that you can not separate them from gender. We find that Anabaptists were predominantly members of merchant class. Women were as much a part of the economic scene as perhaps they were in the 1950's. Women were weavers, grocers, writers, bakers. Marriage from very on was an economic union. During the time period dowrys were still en vogue, and many of the women who were put into convents were only allowed to do so with large dowrys.

Women were help mates to their husbands but as their husbands were taken off to face charges they were left to run the family business and raise their children. Women were prophetic voices in their community. They were not allowed to be preachers but they were allowed to bring to work of the Holy Spirit to the community and question its decision making.

The Anabaptist did pay taxes but with concern to war bonds and taxes supporting war they did not. This led to imprisonment. The anabaptist believed in radical discipleship and part of that discipleship was the sharing of what one had. According to the Anabaptist Network,

"Having ‘all things in common’ was not, in fact, the normal expression of economic discipleship among Anabaptists. The Moravian Hutterites developed ‘common purse’ communities, initially through necessity and increasingly on the basis of theological conviction and biblical interpretation (especially of Acts 2-4). The short-lived and disastrous Anabaptist uprising at Münster, which so alarmed English and other authorities, also imposed common ownership. But Swiss Brethren, Mennonites and most other Anabaptists practised ‘mutual aid’, continuing to own property but gladly making their resources available to brothers and sisters in need."

Would this work today? It has been tried especially int the 60's with issue of the commune. However, they didn't last. People seem capable to live in community only in spurts and often times out of desperation. The family seems to be the infrastructure that can last, not spiritual synthetic one, no matter how hard we try.

Politics, Politics, Politics.

The issue of Politics and the Anabaptist thought process, is counter cultural to say the least- with the exception of Marpeck. The Anabaptists were unclear in the beginning of what role they were to play in Government. For the Swiss Bretheren they believed in swearing no oaths, and hold no offices.

They also believed one must be baptized as an adult. This was problematic because the infrastructure of the local government did not allow for a believer's church. The problems that arose from the believer's church is that the local church supported the government and vice verse. In an idyllic situation it was to be a symbiotic relationship. The saying in reference to the Anbaptist believers church was "two's company three's a crowd."

The Anabaptist would not swear oaths to the state. This led to many problems especially when the invasion of the Turks and the warfare that was happening between the Evangelicals and the Catholics. It was seen as a loyalty issue by the government. It was indeed a loyalty issue. The Anabaptist saw their world in two kingdoms. They must be loyal to the kingdom of Heaven, because all else would pass away. This loyalty was seen as anarchist in intent. The question of peace or a sword was at the fore with how to be a member of the kingdom of God. For the Swiss Brethren they believed that Christ never wielded a sword, and submitted to the state even until death and so should they. For the Muntzerites they believed in a more apocalyptic view of scripture, that they took up the sword to usher in the end age.

I myself see both sides to the coin. I understand about being loyal to the government and the kingdom of heaven. I am not so certain that you can't do both. Unfortunately, the government does not allow for conscience when it comes to morals. Even in the U.S. you have to register as a conscience objector, but you can't choose whether you serve or not based on the merits of just war if you fall out of the historic- peace churches.

Spirit and Letter

With the issue of Spirit and Letter, we find that it is a further continuation of the dialog the Anabaptists had with concerns of the Soteirology of the time.

The early Anabaptist had problems with Luther's views of Grace through the Spirit. Luther had introduced Sola Scriptura, "Word Alone" which said that Christianity did not need the traditons of man but should rely on the truth found in scripture. This led to a freedom that had no accountabilty and discipleship was put on the back burner.

The Anabaptist problems with this was that with the opening of scripture into the vernacular anyone could read it but it was the right interpretation through the inner working of the Holy Spirit that was key. The issue of grace and law was at the heart of Luther's theology and the Anabaptist held that these two must be held in tension with each other.

One of the problems was as time progressed the Anabaptists became more legalistic and more rigid as they sought to interpret the scriptures by the rule of the law, the measuring stick in which they measured the fruits that were being produced by the Holy Spirit.

Once Saved Always Saved, Well Not Quite.

The Anabaptists refuted Luther's theology of the bound will and being once saved always saved. The Anabaptist believed that God offers grace to all however we as his created have free will to accept or reject that grace. There view of accepting that grace was quite different from that of Luther's. When one would seek salvation the early Anabaptist beleived that there was an inner change. This inner change led to the outward sign of baptism. After one became a member of the community they person would enact that covenental relationship through discipleship, the outward sign of the means of grace that had occured.

For the Hutterites this outward sign of the means of grace was through the sharing of property. This sharing of property was based on the model of the church set forth by Luke in Acts. If one decided to leave the Hutterite community the property that was "held in common" would be the property of the community and the individual would leave with nothing.

Very soon after the outward signs of discipleship were seen as the test of faith. There must be fruits seen, with the culmination of time so must the fruits. This led to the use of the ban against brothers and sisters in the faith whose fruit did not mature as quickly as others in the faith community. This soon led some members of the faith community to go back to the reformed and lutheran churches in their villages.

I myself believe once saved always saved until the person makes a clear cut with Christ, however even cuts can be stitched and the fabric made whole through the grace and regeneration of Christ.