Subdenominations

[98cwitr]

Hi from a Baptist!

Have a question for you all. Are there any anabaptists that do not identify as Amish, Mennonites, Quakers, Brethren, or Hutterites?

While I've grown up in Baptist churches my entire life, I do find a great deal of respect and adoration toward you all's faith and doctrines and find them to be quite biblical, but not sure Im ready to grow a beard and take a horse drawn carriage to work (sorry, I know that's a gross generalization).

My wife and I teach Sunday school, and for now we are glued to our Baptist church in Raleigh, but one day I'd like to visit and attend an Anabaptist church. What should I look for?

 

[MrJim]

First you can lose the stereotypes. Not all Anabaptists are bearded buggy drivers. The spectrum of those called Anabaptist is as wide as Christianity itself. I expect there is no other tradition in Christianity as splintered as the Anabaptists..the largest Anabaptist group~a Mennonite denomination (Mennonite Church USA "MCUSA") ordains women and there is a Mennonite church that has ordained a lesbian pastor. The last time I attended a MCUSA church they had the entire "worship team" with drums & guitars and was VERY loud. There are very conservative and very liberal and everything in between conferences out there...

I would not expect to find Anabaptists outside those listed above (though Quakers/Friends tend not to identify as Anabaptists though they would fall into the "Peace Church" group) unless they do not have a local congregation to fellowship with and attend the "closest" congregation they can find.

The primary "distinctive" of Anabaptists is their nonviolent/nonresistance position. If you are at peace with that then you should check these sites.

http://www.anabaptists.org/
http://mennodiscuss.com/

 

[98cwitr]

Actually that's what attracted me to them. Seems to be a very biblical stance.

 

[Caretaker]

Just be aware that more and more the emphasis in the "Historic Peace Church" moniker used to identify Mennonite (including Amish), Brethren, and Quakers should be on the "Historic" as militarism is expanding among them. In my view the most insidious degradation is among the Mennonites, many of whom have long supported a militaristic government, even though most of them have refused to participate in the military, because they feel God uses the "un-regenerated" to provide protection for them. I find this to be a highly disturbing trend that is doing great damage to the Anabaptist movement.

For the last fifteen or more years the "neo-Anabaptist" movement has been gaining momentum. I haven't followed in much, so am not sure where they fit in. This Greg Boyd we hear about from time to time is one of them I believe.

 

[98cwitr]

So we shouldn't expect to see a devote Anabaptist joining the army any time soon then....

Is it save to assume that Anabaptist doctrine calls for God to be King over an early ruler(s)?

 

[Caretaker]

So we shouldn't expect to see a devote Anabaptist joining the army any time soon then....

Is it save to assume that Anabaptist doctrine calls for God to be King over an early ruler(s)?

Wellll...... during WWII 90% of eligible Church of the Brethren males signed up for duty, with only 10% of those being noncombatant. Thus with the Church of the Brethren's identification as one of the Historical Peace Churches, the emphasis should be on "Historical". Prior to WWII most Church of the Brethren congregations kicked out men who joined the military.

I don't understand the question.

 

[98cwitr]

woops...typo. I meant "earthly." I have often wondering why some of us have such an affection for american government, at least in it's current form. Sorry to get a bit political, but I just think about 1 Samuel 8 and how it could apply to our current day. I love the Baptist faith, but I do see things in it that are doctrinal but do not seem to line up with Scripture. Yet there are two huge dividing lines in the faith, and that's Arminians vs Calvinists. Just wondering if Anabaptists have such divisions, and it seems that the new-age Mennonite movements that are happening would be a good example.

 

[98cwitr]

Also, reading over the anabaptist wikipedia page, I found this

• Civil government (i.e., "Caesar") belongs to the world. The believer, who belongs to God's kingdom, must not fill any office, nor hold any rank under government, which is to be passively obeyed. John 18:36 Romans 13:1–7

I work for state government in a non-managerial position, and my wife is a public school teacher. Would these occupations apply to the above?

 

[Caretaker]

woops...typo. I meant "earthly." I have often wondering why some of us have such an affection for american government, at least in it's current form. Sorry to get a bit political, but I just think about 1 Samuel 8 and how it could apply to our current day. I love the Baptist faith, but I do see things in it that are doctrinal but do not seem to line up with Scripture. Yet there are two huge dividing lines in the faith, and that's Arminians vs Calvinists. Just wondering if Anabaptists have such divisions, and it seems that the new-age Mennonite movements that are happening would be a good example.

I was raised and continue in the Church of the Brethren. Although I am familiar with Mennonite and Amish to a certain degree, others would be better sources for those sects than I.

With regard to the Church of the Brethren, their original and still held position is they have no creed other than the New Testament.

 

[MrJim]

I was raised and continue in the Church of the Brethren. Although I am familiar with Mennonite and Amish to a certain degree, others would be better sources for those sects than I.

With regard to the Church of the Brethren, their original and still held position is they have no creed other than the New Testament.

I have several CoB congregations around here...the conservative and liberal and everything-in-between represented in my county As always, the sign out front means little; one has to go through the door to see what is going on.

 

[Caretaker]

I have several CoB congregations around here...the conservative and liberal and everything-in-between represented in my county As always, the sign out front means little; one has to go through the door to see what is going on.

True enough. And my understanding is that the same is true of the Mennonites which are plentiful in my neck of the woods.

However, the Church of the Brethren has been remarkably consistent in refusing all creeds.

 

[98cwitr]

There's only one Brethren church in my area, and it's about 45 minutes out. Everything else is Baptist

 

[True Science]

To say that even the worldly governments should not be armed and using violence is clearly unbiblical, even un-NT. See Romans 13.

 

[Caretaker]

To say that even the worldly governments should not be armed and using violence is clearly unbiblical, even un-NT. See Romans 13.

"Worldly" governments, just as "worldly" people, are unregenerated, i.e., not saved, and therefore they are neither interested in nor capable of obeying Jesus.

But Jesus told us clearly that those who truly love him will obey his commands (John 14:21, John 14:23-24). And of course that includes Jesus' commands to love and do good to one's enemies, to turn the other cheek, and to go the second mile.

Also, bear in mind that governments are composed of individual people. A government composed of followers of Jesus will behave very differently from a government that is not.

And Paul told Jesus' followers not to be "unequally yoked" with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14).

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I work for state government in a non-managerial position, and my wife is a public school teacher. Would these occupations apply to the above?

Consider Schindler (of Schindler's list): at the risk of his life, he saved Jews from being killed; as many as he could.
In some categories of government (medical kidnappers) there are some government employees 'in' the system like Schindler was,
helping families as they are able in/from / because of their position.

Many/ most people in such a position (government or other) ,
besides what they are responsible for and can or cannot do,
get in hot water because of what they do later (if and when they get out of government) with what
YHWH has provided them, although that also is seen while they are still actively employed (and not
at all restricted to government employees; but as YHWH'S WORD SAYS applies any employee, anywhere).