Baptists AND Anabaptists?????

[brotherjim]

. . .Brotherjim, have you had any contact with the Mennonite Brethren?

Greetings, Liz, in the Name of Jesus,

Well, I'm not exactly sure what you are referring to.

There are Mennonites, and here in the USA they were until recently either Franconia Conference or Lancaster Conference (or, if I recall, even of some third, smaller conf.), but now have all joined together as one entity, namely "Mennonite USA." (And further confirming my prior statement, that generally speaking, Anab. congregarions I have experienced are melding into one indistinct mass--has both pros and cons).

Then there are "Church of the Brethren" churches, which is a denom. separate from Mennonite USA.

In Canada, it's a bit different, and I'm sorry but I should'ce checked if you were from Canada.

So, Liz, when you say "Mennonite Brethren," per se, I'm not certain if you are referring to a specific denomination--and if so, then my answer to your question is no--or if you are writing: "Mennonite USA" brethren, for example, since Anabaptists all usually refer to themselves as being brethren (hence why I have developed the habit of referring to myself as "brother" jim).

There are several, additional and fairly small Anabaptist denominations in addition to the main USA players of Mennonites, Quakers, Amish, and Church of the Brethren.

I have had "contact" with both Mennonite (and from both main conferences) and Church of the Brethren. I had been in the process of being ordained in the Lancaster Conf. of Mennonites appx. 15 years ago, but dropped out before completion. (Like Paul, I believe God calls many of us to be "all things to all men. . . ," but not everyone.)

Like Paul expressed his heart for the Hebraic Jews, my heart bleeds for my Anabaptist brethren. I've expended countless prayers and tears for a revival and return to their Anabaptist roots, for these denominations--and for them to get into a more agressive evangelization of the lost. There is so much POTENTIAL power and favor with God, to be had through the doctrinal Truths of Anabaptism--though it's not for everyone. (But neither are Anabaptist denominations any more guilty of dilution than ANY Evang. and charismatic faction, sad to say, and in my personal opinion.) Meekness, believe it or not, is the most POWERFUL of the Fruits of the Spirit--quite ironic (Love, of course, being the most pivotal.)

Btw, of an interesting sidebar, as a rough estimate I'd say about two-thirds of the Mennonite cong. here in my area of Eastern PA (Menno. heartland) are also charismatic, believe it or not. I was amazed when I first discovered this fact. (These came mostly from Lanc. conf., I believe, the Franc. orig. being the more "conservative" one.)

Thanks, Liz, jim

 

[ZiSunka]

None of the Mennonites I know in PA, OH or IN will say they are protestants. They all claim to be from that line of Christians separate from catholicism, if not directly then indirectly.

And brotherjim, the reason that mennonites are all active in their communities is because that is the way we are working out our faith. We see our faith as something that drives our everyday lives and requires us to show love for others through action, not just sitting around talking about faith, but actually living sacrificially like Christ commanded. On the surface of a sunday morning service it may look like everyone is there out of tradition, and certainly some are, but most are there because they love the Lord, not because they don't have anything else to do on sundays. Granted, there are some congregations that are all about being Yoders or Horsts or whatever, or about showing off how spiritual they are, but by and large, most mennonite churches are about Christ, and him crucified.

We believe that faith without action is not really faith. What do you believe, brotherjim? If I went to your churches, would I be able to judge your entire denomination as harshly as you have judge us?

 

[Crazy Liz]

Greetings, Liz, in the Name of Jesus,

Well, I'm not exactly sure what you are referring to.

There are Mennonites, and here in the USA they were until recently either Franconia Conference or Lancaster Conference (or, if I recall, even of some third, smaller conf.), but now have all joined together as one entity, namely "Mennonite USA." (And further confirming my prior statement, that generally speaking, Anab. congregarions I have experienced are melding into one indistinct mass--has both pros and cons).

Then there are "Church of the Brethren" churches, which is a denom. separate from Mennonite USA.

In Canada, it's a bit different, and I'm sorry but I should'ce checked if you were from Canada.

So, Liz, when you say "Mennonite Brethren," per se, I'm not certain if you are referring to a specific denomination--and if so, then my answer to your question is no--or if you are writing: "Mennonite USA" brethren, for example, since Anabaptists all usually refer to themselves as being brethren (hence why I have developed the habit of referring to myself as "brother" jim).

OK, I see you are from the East Coast. That explains a lot. The Mennonite Brethren came to the Americas much later than the Lancaster and Franconia folks. These groups are concentrated in PA, OH and IN, although they are more widely dispersed than that. The Mennonite USA denomination is actually a merger of the Mennonite General Conference and the Mennonite Church or "Old Mennonites," which were North American denominations (US and Canada). A few years ago they merged the denominations and reorganized themselves into a US conference and a Canadian Conference. Ethnically, most of the "Old Mennonites" immigrated to America directly from Western Europe in the 1700s. The groups that became the General Conference and Mennonite Brethren immigrated at about the same time to Eastern Europe, first to the area that is now Poland, but then was part of Prussia, and then to Russia - first Ukraine and Crimea, and later some into Russian-ruled Central Asia - before immigrating to the Americas between the 1870s and the 1920s. Since these groups came to America later and because of the kind of farming they were good at, they settled in different areas, first in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, central and western Canada, and later in the Central Valley of California and in Paraguay, Bolivia and Mexico.

The Mennonite Brethren are the most evangelical of the major Mennonite denominations, but you won't find many on the East Coast, except for a small group of African-American churches in North Carolina. You can learn more about them from their US and Canada websites:

http://www.usmb.org/index.cfm

http://www.mbconf.ca/index.en.html

 

[brotherjim]

Beloved "lambslove,"

It is now quite obvious to me that by the two times you have thus far addressed me on this thread, something in your heart is not right towards me. This is in no way a sinful judgment of you, as the hostility is so obviously-to-all dripping from your lines that its reality cannot be avoided.

I have no memory to speak of, so kindly forgive me if I somehow offended you in the past in any way whatsoever, on some other thread, of which I'm ubnaware. And, again, to repeat from an earlier post here, again forgive me if I in any way offended your denomination. I have no anymosity or desire to condemn the Anabaptists denominations I so dearly love, and of which I am myself a member. My words have been said matter-of-factly, to share both my deep sorrows and great expectations, and with the hope others may be somehow edified even though such may require a precursor of sorrow and stark realizations.

My defining the priorities of today's Anabaptist churches, as a generalization for purposes of discussion only, which included the disclaimer "not that there's anything wrong with that," was only for definition's sake. I PERSONALLY do not believe the EMPHASIS of a congregation should be on so-called "well-meaning" good works of charity, but on getting potentially lost souls away from the brink of hell's rim. I think it more important for someone to fall naked and starving and without job skills, into God's eternal Graces, than for them to enter hell fattened and educated and well-clothed.

But that's just my opinion, and that's just what I believe God wants for Anabaptists. And each must decide for their own selves. And, again to repeat from a prior post, this is just based upon the stereotype-for-discussion-and-prayer-sake I have personally observed to be fact, and I've been in many USA congregations, but there are always exceptions. I've been in Catholic charismatic fellowships, for example, I was more in koinania fellowship with, than I have SOME of those Anabaptist--even thopugh they shared nothing of my "Wesleyan" or Anabaptist beliefs.

God does not confine His Graces to "our" denominations, neither our definitions.

The above notwithstanding, once a thread breaks down into my needing to defend prior posts against judgments, I exercise the Grace of the Fruit of Meekness given me--all glory to God alone, and bow out of the thread. I give you my word, lambslove, I will not return here or post again, so post what you must, and may the Heavenly Father richly bless you above all you can even think to ask, in all your comings and goings, upon your rising and laying down, with every spiritua; blessing He has in store for you in the Heavens, and some earthly stuff too, in the Name of Christ Jesus the Lord, King of kings, and Lord of lords and a soon-coming world without end, prayed in the utmost sincerity, amen.

bro. jim

Snagglepuss: <exit stage - left>

 

[W Jay Schroeder]

Being a quaker i can say that we are not anababtist at all we are quakers, or the Friends. We were formed from George Foxes ideas. He never intende for a denomination to be made of his ideas. He mainly spoke against the main stream church catholics and protestance. That they did not live what they preached. We do not call our buildings churches but Meetings. We do not preach communion or baptism, but do not speak against them. I dont think we really fit into any group. It has changed a lot since the first quakers in that we do not sit seperated, men on one side women on the other or most do have pastors now unlike the first ones that did not. There are others but those are the main ones. We do not reguire a diploma or certifact of some theological education for someone to be a pastor. you are recorded as one after going thru the recording process which is mainly speaking to eldors in your yearly meeting, that you feel lead to be one and they see if it is true, or feel that it is your callin. We have yearly meetings which make up meetings in a certain area. All the yearly meetings are different in some way or another, they are independent of each other, and are mainly for helping each other out. There are yearly meetings that are not even christian because they deny Christ as our savior, but they are independent so what can you do. It is a very interesting study if you wish to check us out. we where very much prosicuted and a lot of cruel things were done to the early Friends. Well that the very basics I hope someone is interested and it wasnt a total waste of time to post.

 

[ZiSunka]

brother jim, If find your condescending attitude annoying. Might I ask what denomination that you are from that is so perfect it doesn't need any of your "love" or "concern"? Why not spend your energies on making your own denomination perfect before you start on other denoms. In other words, get the log out of your own eye before you work on the speck in someone else's. Haven't you ever heard that if you judge someone else's faith, yours will come under judgement, too?