Anabaptist 500

The 500^th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement?! You don’t look a day over 200… 

We are living into a complicated history on a few fronts. Just yesterday the inauguration for the new commander-in-chief for the United States happened. It is the first time a convicted felon has been able to take the office of the President, so you might say we are living in unprecedented times. Ironically, this event happened on Martin Luther King Jr Day in the US, a day set aside to remember the work of the assassinated civil rights leader. To add another layer to this American potpourri of events, the American flag was also flying at half-staff, a tradition of mourning when a president passes, in honour of the death of former president Jimmy Carter. A man known more for his humanitarian work post-presidency. The new president did not like the flags remaining lowered on his big day, so add that to the historical mix.  

As a Canadian, I tend to keep up with our ‘cousin’ below the 49^th parallel as things happening there have a big impact up here. As an Anabaptist, I try to be unaffected by the exchange of power in the world but still interactive on how the kingdom of God can be effective within it. 

I grew up Mennonite, and I would define this as being an ethnic distinction as well as one of faith. Mennonite is a complicated term for that reason because of the collectivist nature of the movement. “We are in the world, but not of it,” was a popular refrain in my church upbringing and among our related groups. The older I got, the more I gristled (this word is obsolete, so don’t look it up) at this collectivist nature and sought out faith traditions that were more individualistic in their way of faith and order. This did me well, and I most definitely learned from the experience, but it also caused me to crave the essence of what it meant to be Mennonite. Coming back helped me to understand what I meant to say when identifying myself was that I am ‘anabaptist’ in my belief, and my Dutch-Germanic roots led to what many referred to as ‘mennonite’. That collectivist nature became more refined, and I started using a term for it: Community.  

Many of my friends and family still hold to the word ‘mennonite’ to describe both faith and family tree, usually holding many traditions that are part of the travels of the group as they fled persecution post-Reformation. I am not sure if all would recognize the beliefs and ways of the original group, or the next generation, or the next… One of the detractors to the movement in the last number of years was the same thing I pursued in leaving the first time. The allure of commonplace evangelicalism and its marriage to capitalist economics. So, many mennonites became similar or identical to the other evangelical orders in each locale. Historically, this happened in some way or another at other stops along the way.  

Would Menno Simons recognize the movement of his namesake? Probably not. But then again, he did not want the name on the label to begin with. It went against a core belief in this new movement, a departure from the state-run church and authoritarian leadership, focusing on the concept of the “priesthood of all believers”. A collective community, not involved in the affairs of the world powers, but representing the ideal of the kingdom of God while living on earth.  

January 21 is the celebration of that fateful day where 2 key individuals baptized each other publicly, standing in the face of the Roman church, the state church of the region, and separated themselves as a new entity in peaceful revolt. (Click here for more) This was the beginning of the ‘Radical Reformation’, although others were involved in the lead up to this moment. But this was it. Anabaptist…meaning ‘second baptism’, what we today refer to as ‘believer’s baptism’.  

No ties to the state, because they were no longer participating in infant baptism which was part of the taxation system of the time. 

No ties to the state church, which aided in government rule, as well as demanded giving by means beyond the taxes. 

No part in violence, which was seen as another threat to the state because it was a display of protest to the system. 

There were obviously individuals who lead the way and were considered authority figures in this new equal space, but they were not authoritarian. The ideal was that all walked in the Spirit together, there was wisdom within the collective, and God was represented in their work on the earth. Being kingdom people, citizens of heaven, in the middle of whatever empire or elected government happened to rule the land. This has always stood in contrast, when exercised faithfully, sometimes as a threat, occasionally as an inconvenience. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, it has also been easily tempted from maintaining its radical roots. 

Today there are many mennonite denominations (Click here to see a lot of them, but not all of them). On top of that, there are many groups that align with being anabaptist. They all find their roots in this day of celebration, marked by a simple baptism of those who proclaimed a kingdom higher than any government, but fully engaged in the world around them. 

So, what about all that talk earlier about the presidential inauguration happening yesterday? And this whole thing about being Canadian and being impacted by the US happenings? There is plenty I could quote from the early radical reformers all the way through today, all about living in the empire but sharing the heart of the kingdom, but I cannot fit it here. 500 years of governing powers have come and gone, but the kingdom of God has remained. Actively seeking the kingdom on earth causes a lot of trouble, a lot of good trouble.  

“No one can lay any other foundation besides the one that is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 3:11

The rest easily becomes a distraction.