Life as an Anabaptist

[joyfulthanks]

I'm curious how you would contrast life as an Anabaptist Christian with life as some other sort of Protestant Christian.

Practically (rather than theologically) speaking, what do you believe distinguishes you or sets you apart?

Thanks for your help with this.

-Grace

 

[ZiSunka]

There are three kinds of Christian.

There's Christian, the political party; they are devotedly Republican and think that God is a Repulbican, too. They are anti-abortion, but pro-death penalty and pro-war, too. They pray for the poor, sometimes, but they do little to change the circumstances of the poor. They worship devotedly in church on Sunday mornings, but they don't really care about living out the teachings of Christ, and often will explain that Christ didn't really mean the things he said to do.

Then there's Christian the religion. They are the people who are devoted to doing religious things at appropriate times during the week. They make sure others know they are devoted to religious things by having bigger Bibles, flaunting well-worn Bibles, wear religious clothing and jewelry, put a fish in a prominent place on their car, etc. They talk a lot about Christ and often evagelize frequently. They study the Bible, but they don't really get into the parts that discuss the teachings of Christ. They own and have read the whole Left Behind series and are happy when the bad guys get what's coming to them.

Thirdly, there is Christian, the people who have devoted themselves to living out the complete teachings of Christ as recorded in the Bible. The work for peace and justice, they treat their neighbor with love, the do good things for people who hate them, they fly halfway across the world to give food and clothing to their enemy, the help the poor and love the unlovely. They work to bring the hands and feet of God to life in our world today. The teachings of Christ affect everything they do every day and the decisions they make and the relationships they form.

Those third kind of Christians are who anabaptists are trying to be.

 

[catlover]

Thirdly, there is Christian, the people who have devoted themselves to living out the complete teachings of Christ as recorded in the Bible. The work for peace and justice, they treat their neighbor with love, the do good things for people who hate them, they fly halfway across the world to give food and clothing to their enemy, the help the poor and love the unlovely. They work to bring the hands and feet of God to life in our world today. The teachings of Christ affect everything they do every day and the decisions they make and the relationships they form.

Those third kind of Christians are who anabaptists are trying to be.

I would hope the majority of Christians try to be like that.

 

[ZiSunka]

I would hope the majority of Christians try to be like that.

I would hope so, too!

 

[PlainMeteorologist]

I think one of the biggest differences between Anabaptists and Protestants is stance toward the world. We tend to "be not conformed" to society--not just in terms of our beliefs but in many cases our appearance.

 

[ZiSunka]

On the other hand, most Anabaptists do not dress plain and do not work to achieve physical distinctiveness.

Most Anabaptists would say that they hope their love for one another and for other people is what makes them distinctive.

 

[mac8]

Can I ask at what age young people are deemed able to make a decision for Christ and be baptised in Mennonite tradition? Is there a spectrum of practice?

 

[ZiSunka]

There is a vast spectrum of practice in anabaptist meetings and regions, from ultra-conservative isolationist communities that shun modern conveniences like electricity and running water, to more liberal communities that believe that the true expression of faith in Christ is to get involved with the world through peace and social justice ministries.

A child can get saved by grace through faith in Christ at any age, as long as they understand what that means. In one church I attended, there was a 6 year old who had a Believer's baptism and it was perfectly accepted because we knew that child understood and expressed saving faith. At the same church, a 47 year old man was denied baptism because he would not believe that salvation is a work of regeneration. He wanted to live a life of sin and have membership in the body of Christ at the same time.

 

[Crazy Liz]

Can I ask at what age young people are deemed able to make a decision for Christ and be baptised in Mennonite tradition? Is there a spectrum of practice?

I would agree with ZiSunka. However, there are different customs among different Anabaptist groups about the minimum age for baptism. In some churches, it is much like the Baptists, where a child can be baptized at any age that they are able to give a testimony of faith in their own words and ask to be baptized. However, in most Anabaptist communities, there must also be an understanding that baptism also means joining the church, and therefore involves a commitment not only to God, but to the community, as well. IOW, the person first comes to faith in God, then voluntarily submits to the community. The whole community "votes" to allow the person to be baptized, thus accepting them into the community, and there is a mutual commitment between the community and the person being baptized to give and receive counsel. Because they want to make sure this is well understood, and because they do not believe salvation is in any way dependent upon baptism, I think most Anabaptist congregations prefer that baptism be postponed to the late teens.

16 is the traditional age at which baptized believers are admitted to full participation in church membership. The Amish give children free will at that age, and they can sow their wild oats until they decide whether or not to be baptized and join the community. They do not, AFAIK, baptize anyone under age 16. The Mennonite Brethren, when I was younger, baptized some young people earlier. 12-14 (the same age our peers who had been baptized as infants in other denominations were going through Confirmation) was very common, with participation in church business meetings postponed to age 16. Lately, though, I have seen Mennonite Brethren encourage young people not to be baptized until they are old enough for full participation in the church.

 

[ZiSunka]

Specifically the Mennonite USA church, though, leaves the decisions about baptism, membership and participation up to the individual congregation. The process by which one becomes a member will vary greatly from church to church. If you want to know how it's done in the mennonite community near you, ask the pastor or a member.

Some Mennonite churches require a proving period, some do not. Some will rebaptize everyone, some do not. Some allow every baptized believer to be a member, some do not. It's best to ask someone from that particular meeting what their policy is.

 

[Crazy Liz]

Specifically the Mennonite USA church, though, leaves the decisions about baptism, membership and participation up to the individual congregation. The process by which one becomes a member will vary greatly from church to church. If you want to know how it's done in the mennonite community near you, ask the pastor or a member.

Some Mennonite churches require a proving period, some do not. Some will rebaptize everyone, some do not. Some allow every baptized believer to be a member, some do not. It's best to ask someone from that particular meeting what their policy is.

True. This is a function of the "covenant" of church membership and congregational life that is a big part of Anabaptist theology & specifically ecclesiology.

 

[mac8]

Thanks very much for the replies. I am interested because I am in the UK. Here we have only one congregation that identifies itself as Mennonite, and they are in London, about five hours by train from where I live. I've not visited them yet, but I have met some of the members at the London Mennonite Centre when I did church conflict mediation training.

I just got a book on Anabaptist history to read, so this should be interesting!

Warmest blessings
Eleanor
Sister under private vows
Penzance
http://eveningbeaches.blogspot.com

 

[ZiSunka]

Many Mennonite churches identify themselves as "Christian Fellowship" or "Christian community" instead of using the Mennonite name on signs or stationery. You might look for one of those near you and ask the pastor if they are anabaptist.

 

[mac8]

Hi

That would be impossible to search for I think as so many just call themselves Christian Fellowships in the UK. So far as I know there are none in the UK that identify with Mennonites other than Wood Green, which describes itself as the only congregation that is Mennonite. I wonder if some of the plants are Anabaptist orientated - Stuart Murray Williams is Anabaptist and he trained me in planting, so I could ask him, he may know. It is unlikely there are any in the South West. Once you get west of Exeter the church is aging, heavily declining, and about half a century behind the rest of the church in the UK. A typical congregation will be entirely over retirement age.

We have a pretty grim picture of decline in the UK generally, in rural areas particularly, and very much so in the South West. Hence one of the things I'm looking at is small, simple ways of planting that are quickly replicable. Has anyone read Alan Hirsch's book, 'The Forgotten Ways'? It's interesting, and focusses on this area. I'm really inspired by the Mennonite/Anabaptist peace tradition, and the consensus or consensus orientated leadership style. This seems much more healthy than getting into hierarchies, though it depends on high quality discipleship for the church to stay on track and not drift off a missional stance.

Any dialogue welcome. :0)

Warmest blessings
Eleanor
Sister under private vows
Penzance

 

[CelticRose]

Eleanor, may I ask what you mean by 'private vows'? Just curious.

 

[mac8]

Hi

Yes, I was a novice in a dispersed Franciscan Anglican Order which also accepts people from other denominations. When I entered they were happy to have a Salvationist, but towards the end of the novitiate they changed their minds over TSA's position on communion.

I left partly because of that and partly because I just found they wanted us to be 'lukewarm' in our vocations, kind of to fit in with the establishment which is not missionally orientated.

So I left, retaining my vows, and am hence described as under private vows. This means I'm accountable to my minister in my local Salvation Army congregation and to our regional leader, the Divisional Commander. The Salvation Army as such has never officially recognised a member as having a vocation to religious life, so I don't expect formal recognition (which I gather would have to come from international level so is very unlikely), but if they wish to acknowledge it, I'm happy to be acccountable as they feel appropriate.

What it all boils down to is that I function as a Sister in the local community but don't introduce myself formally as 'Sister' .

Hope that helps!

Warmest blessings
Eleanor
Sister under private vows
Penzance UK

 

[CelticRose]

Thank you so. so much. That is fascinating. I grew up near an Anglican Nunnery but was not aware they accepted those outside their own faith.

 

[mac8]

There's a huge number of different kinds of Orders. Most are single denominations and don't accept from other churches. Some are ecumenical, such as the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans, and they mostly live in their own homes, scattered all over the world, and some are married, or have families. So the Franciscans have the biggest tradition of being open. The Benedictines and the others are more monastery based, whereas the Franciscan friars were out in the community from the beginning - though they had a contemplative wing in the Poor Clares.

There are two ecumenical Franciscan Orders, one in Oz and one in US which also has one or two in the uK.

It's interesting, but the older Orders can tend to be inward looking and not so missionally minded.