Stranger In This Land

4 Legs of Christianity: Where Do Anabaptists Fit? Have We Forgotton our Renewal Side?

Sep 15, 2009 reflecting, reviews

As I watched a Historian Speak the other Day at a Music Festival I was attending, she addressed the four main “legs” of Christianity, and tried to systematically explain into which leg every mainline and common church denominations fit into. As she broke down where even some smaller church types fit into, she almost purposely skipped over the Anabaptist movement of the church. I watched on from the side stage of the festival; sitting under a large canvas tent as the rain fell harder and harder outside, waiting for her to make sense of our unique pietism and peaceful movement – however no explanation came on which leg we leaned. Was it spirit led? Was it justice based? Was it Sola Scripture? I began to drone out her discussion as I became memorized by the pouring rain and entered thoughts on our movement and the full spectrum approach it took at the time of our succession.

One doesn’t have to research our history very long to know our history goes deeper then Menno Simmons, Dirk Willems and Obbe Phillips. During the Protestant Reformation (thought while we do not consider ourselves Catholic or Protestant) there is no question in our timeline that our numbers and movement grew in strength during this era. It is where our radical reformers came into their own as a movement. In fact, some people believe that there is enough evidence that links the Anabaptist movement to the Waldenesses people; which existed before the Protestant reformation and in aspect connecting it to a apostolic succession of the church, meaning we branched down through as a direct descendent of a early first century church plant, separate of state supported Church movements and the Catholic Church. As a movement and a church; the Anabaptists refused to become state supported (or state protected) and as they refused to be a mainline protestant or Catholic Church, history has not been so kind in remembering our uniqueness or radical reformation side – and viewed us more of a quaint and cute thing to admire but not practical to live out or defend with theology.

The reason I believe that anyone could have a hard time fitting us into a “leg” or “corner” of the main “legs” and “corners” of the church is because we have historically never been defined by one value or been okay with being defined as a certain type of Christianity. Let me explain why I said historically we have never been defined in that matter, because in today’s time the Anabaptist movement has been one that has been remembered and defined as merely a peace movement. As I understand that one of our most unique and important values is our non-resistance stance, it is also true that we have failed to make evident our other unique values that were historically viewed as just as important as our non-resistance stance.

One of the most unique things about the modern day Anabaptist Movement is its attempt at unity and working together for the better good. This is not something you find in the other “four compartments of Christianity” at least not to the extent that we try to practice. We are a people who try to live with no division in our movement. Though disagreement or division may have once separated the Amish off the Mennonites and differing views of the Brethren, River Brethren, Brethren in Christ and others at one time made us face a wall of failed agreement – we have worked together to be together, even in our more modern separate movements. As most of us are still “Mennonite” by definition of those who follow the understanding of Menno Simmons of how Jesus calls us to live and Breath. Most of us still recognize our Anabaptist Roots and History as what has shaped our like-minded values and most of us still belong to the Mennonite World Conference and attend things together like Mennonite Disaster Relief. Could you imagine if other churches tried to work together as we do? What if the twenty some divisions in the “Baptist Movement” (like Reformed Baptists and American Baptists) worked together for the common good?

However, as I look at our other historical unique aspects, I believe we have failed to remember some of our most unique historical moments. Anabaptists are known for our attitude of “If it isn’t broke – don’t fix it”. This attitude sometimes carries over into how we do church, how we explain our theology and how we live our traditions out. Sometimes this is good, but sometimes these things are a excuse to live as radical as what I believe our forefathers once did.

You see what made Anabaptist so bold and radical, was we didn’t fit into the corner of any protestant church movement – in fact, we didn’t even view it so square. Things were more circular to us – there were many aspects to the Christian Church, none that was greater than the other (none that should have been separated from one another) it was all part of living out the Kingdom of God in full spectrum. We believed in being Spirit-led and re-routing back to the way the early church lived, practiced and did ministry. The Dove that is represented in just about every logo of any modern Anabaptist churches (Mennonites, Brethren, Brethren in Christ, Beachy Amish) had nothing to do historically with the peace stance that most assume it did today – but everything to do with our reliance on the work, assurance and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Our dependence of the Holy Spirit, was defiantly had some unique aspects to it at the time. We believed in its role to reconcile creation unto its creator. While most people believe the importance of following the Holy Spirit and view him as confirmation of the faith, we believed he still spoke and manifested himself in everyday life through various ministry and active gifts that were not practiced many other places at the time. This is a unique part of us that we have failed to remember in it’s entirely as our story and as something we practiced daily.

As we survey our own recounting of our history and others recounting of our history, it is not uncommon for them to share the observations of early Holy Spirit manifestations in our movement. Most of us would be shocked to hear that our history reveals that it was fairly common for early Anabaptist leaders to dance and claim to fall under the power of the Holy Spirit. Our Theology in that era reflected our belief and practice of the power of the Holy Spirit to heal and cause us to speak in tongues and prophesy. [1]

Our history we remember the most is often that which is quoted back to early founding forefathers like Conrad and Felix who revolutionized the way the church lived. Because of the Roman Catholic Church’s heresy at the time – people were leaving the Catholic Church at an alarming rate and many like Menno Simmons (an ex catholic priest) began to read their bible on their own in the original text, and allowed scriptures to stand alone and tell the story of Christ and the Church. As these searchers walked out their journey and as some found themselves agreeing with the Anabaptists, they would become re-baptized as a display of their new commitment. This is where we get our name Anabaptist (“Re-Baptizers”). It is also the radical way that we reformed separate of every other protestant church in the reformation that in effort for protection and benefit became state supported churches and continued to perform and recognize child baptisms.

Often today people who believe in the gifts of the spirit are called Charismatic, taking the word for spirit (Charisma) s an applicable living point. As that word (Charismatic) has began to display a stereotype of TV Evangelists and those who fake the gifts and don’t practice self-control in their delivery; has forced us to rename the belief and spirit-led movement as the “renewal church”.

However our history reveals that we were an early definition of the “renewal church” much through most of our history to the 1910’s and 1920’s with the spread of false tent revivals and trickery.

“Spirit Encounters of the Anabaptist Kind”
So what is recorded about the gifts of the Spirit and our early Anabaptist Fathers?

Felix Manz was born in 1498 and martyred in 1527. He served as a co-founder of the original Swiss Brethren Anabaptist believer’s congregation which was located in the city of Zürich (Switzerland) and is believed to be the first recorded martyr of the Anabaptist’s Radical Reformation (Killed by a Protestant). Manz, like many early Anabaptist Reformers was a secret and illegitimate child of a Catholic priest. He was known for his zeal, but also his evangelist approach that brought hundreds if not thousands to a deeper understanding in following Christ. However, Felix, in his zeal was also known for his belief in special revelations from the Holy Spirit. Felix was imprisoned many times for his teachings and was known to have special revelations that he said happened to him as if they were right before his eyes in a literal sense.

Thought it may be hard for some to believe today, the Anabaptists have been long regarded as being more reformed and radical then Martin Luther or any of the other earlier protestant reformers. Luther did agree with the Anabaptists on some theological issues, but his own words he showed witness to the reliance the Anabaptists had on the Holy Spirit. “They maintain an undue reliance upon the direct presence of the Holy Spirit, a testimony of the Anabaptists’ direct experience with the Holy Spirit.” [2]

Early Anabaptists were known for their practice of what was called “free course” of the Holy Spirit in worship. They maintained that the spirit was have room to move, but must be judged and held accountable by the guidelines listed in the bible. A Swiss Anabaptist Document written in between 1532AD and 1534AD, is titled “An Answer of Some who are Called Anabaptists – Why They Do Not Attend The Churches”. The document states that the reason they do not attend the state supported mainline churches is because; “the Christian order as taught in the gospel or the Word of God in 1 Corinthians 14.” “When such believers come together, “Everyone of you (note every one) hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation,” etc…When someone comes to church and constantly hears only one person speaking, and all the listeners are silent, neither speaking nor prophesying, who can or will regard or confess the same to be a spiritual congregation, or confess according to 1 Corinthians 14 that God is dwelling and operating in them through His Holy Spirit with His gifts, impelling them one after another in the abovementioned order of speaking and prophesying” [3].

Pilgram Marpeck was an important Anabaptist from South Germany, who was a leader in the Anabaptist movement in the 16th century. He was very open about his belief in the signs and wonders of the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the modern times. In fact he was quoted saying, “Nor does Scripture assert this exclusion…God has a free hand even in these last days.” He goes on in his writings to speak of those who had been raised from the dead. “Many of them have remained constant, enduring tortures inflicted by sword, rope, fire and water and suffering terrible, tyrannical, unheard-of deaths and martyrdoms, all of which they could easily have avoided by recantation. Moreover one also marvels when he sees how the faithful God (who, after all, overflows with goodness) raises from the dead several such brothers and sisters of Christ after they were hanged, drowned, or killed in other ways. Even today, they are found alive and we can hear their own testimony…Cannot everyone who sees, even the blind, say with a good conscience that such things are a powerful, unusual, and miraculous act of God? Those who would deny it must be hardened men.”[4]

The Swiss Brethren were quoted as “excited by mass hysteria, experienced healings, glossolalia, contortions and other manifestations of a camp-meeting revival” [5]

Menno Simons, probably the most recognizable name of the Anabaptists known as the “Mennonites” was an ex-communicated Catholic priest who joined the Anabaptist around 1535, and became heavily involved in the Anabaptist movement and the disciples of his teachings would earn the name Mennonite. Menno Simmons, regarded speaking in tongues as a regular walk of the Christian walk; he said, “Although Peter was previously informed by a heavenly vision that he might go to the Gentiles and teach them the gospel, still he refused to baptize the pious, noble and Godly centurion and his associates so long as he did not see the Holy Spirit was descended upon them, so that they spoke with tongues and glorified God… Peter commanded that those only should be baptized who had received the Holy Ghost, who spoke with tongues and glorified God.” [6]

A early Anabaptist named Martin, is recorded in the Martyrs Mirror collection as prophesying – “this once yet the pious are led over this bridge, but no more hereafter.” as the authorities led him across it to a martyring spot and just “a short time afterwards such a violent storm and flood came that the bridge was demolished” [7]

Martyrs Mirror has recorded many more stories then I have shared, and so has history of the reformation and Anabaptists. We have long been a people focused on being kingdom focused more than focused on any man or movement and we have relayed on the power, assurance and confirmation of the Holy Spirit to do so. As we as a people, as a church or as a movement move on in our faith and future to full spectrum Kingdom Living as Jesus demonstrated, let us not forgot our roots and early values of our total dependence of the Holy Spirit and the hope that the Spirit will and does manifest himself into our everyday lives and in doing so brings many signs and wonders that can be explained only in the supernatural.

Let us remember that we are not a church movement that can fall onto the leg of any defined corner or leg but merely on the dependence of the Holy Spirit just as our forefathers did. Expect him to move, and allow him the free course to do so as outlined in the scriptures.

[1] See Franklin H. Little, The Origins of Sectarian Protestantism (New York: Beacons, 1964) (P.19)
[2] John S. Oyer, Lutheran Reformers Against Anabaptists (The Hague: M. Nijhoff, 1964), 234.
[3] Paul Peachey and Shem Peachey, trans., “Answer of Some Who Are Called (Ana)Baptists – Why They Do Not Attend the Churches,” Mennonite Quarterly Review 45, no. 1 (1971): 10, 11.
[4] Klassen, William and Walter Klaassen, eds. and trans. The Writings of Pilgram Marpeck. Classics of the Radical Reformation 2. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1978. Original copies of Marpeck’s Taufbüchlein, the Vermanung of 1542, are in the British Museum, the Budapest University Library, and the Stuttgart State Library. This book was reprinted in Gedenkschrift zum 400jährigen Jubiläum der Mennoniten oder Taufgesinnten, 1525-1925. Ludwigshafen, [Germany] : die Konferenz, 1925.
[5] George Williams, The Radical Reformation (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1962), 443.
[6]
[7] Martyrs Mirror “Story of Martin”

Tags: Anabaptist, Catholic Priest, Charismatic, Dirk Willems, Free Course, Gifts of the Spirit, Holy Spirit, Menno Simmons, Mennonite, Pilgram Marpeck, Prophecy, Renewal Church, South Germany, Speaking in Tongues, Spirtual Gifts, Swiss Brethren