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The Anabaptist movement is often considered the radical fringe of the Reformation. Many Anabaptist leaders were gripped by apocalyptic fervor and a mystical spirituality that emphasized experience over the written Word of God.

The argument can be made that the Anabaptists were the forerunners to today’s Baptists, because of the common belief of adult believer’s baptism. However, history indicates that today’s Baptists came out of the Puritan and Reformed tradition of Western Europe. The Anabaptists were the forerunners of today’s Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren denominations. The Anabaptist political influence is still felt in the works of writers like Brian McLaren and John H. Yoder.

Despite the early Anabaptists’ radicalism and experiential spirituality, the movement has some lessons that we should take to heart. I like 3 things about the early Anabaptists.

1. Emphasis on the subversive nature of the Church in relation to the State.

The Anabaptists were the only segment of the Reformation who actually could envision the existence of a church that was not tied to the state. Because of this, they correctly understood the nature of the true church as consisting of regenerate members and they also understood the theological conflicts between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world better than the rest of the Reformers.

2. Life as a community.

The Anabaptists understood that the Christian life was meant to be lived in close-knit community and accountability. The other Reformers could not fully embrace this communal nature of Christianity because of their efforts to see Christendom reestablished by the state’s authority. The Anabaptists’ recovery of church discipline and accountability is remarkable, considering its virtual absence for hundreds of years.

3. Willingness to follow Scriptural teaching, without regard to personal comfort.

The Anabaptists correctly understood the biblical teaching of believer’s baptism and they were willing to stake their lives on this belief, because it was founded on a clear understanding of Scripture’s authority in the life of the church. They followed sola scriptura to their deaths, resting their faith in the Bible and not in church authority and tradition.

What about you? What do you like about the Anabaptists? What can we learn from the radical Reformers?

written by Trevin Wax  © 2007 Kingdom People blog

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