The Naked Anabaptist

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything.  Recently I finished reading The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of the Radical Faith.  If you're thinking "Amish gone wild" or "I knew there was something screwy about those Brethren," sorry to disappoint.

Stuart Murray is an Anabaptist writing from England.  His book is a look at the basic principles of the Anabaptist tradition.  He wanted to look at the Anabaptist faith when it's not clothed in Amish or Mennonite clothing and traditions (hence, "Naked Anabaptist").  At the start he deals with some common misconceptions or ideas of Anabaptism.  They are questions Murray hears often being a part of the Anabaptist Network in England where Anabaptism has not traditionally been a part of the religious make-up.

The rest of the book is mostly spent looking at seven core convictions of Anabaptists.

1. Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer, and Lord.  He is the source of our life, the central reference point for our faith and lifestyle, for our understanding of church, and our engagement with society.  We are committed to following Jesus as well as worshipping him.  
2. Jesus is the focal point of God’s revelation.  We are committed to a Jesus-centered approach to the Bible, and to the community of faith as the primary context in which we read the Bible and discern and apply its implications for discipleship.
3. Western culture is slowly emerging from the Christendom era, when church and state jointly presided over a society in which almost all were assumed to be Christian.  Whatever its positive contributions on values and institutions, Christendom seriously distorted the gospel, marginalized Jesus, and has left the churches ill equipped for mission in a post-Christendom culture.  As we reflect on this, we are committed to learning from the experience and perspectives of movements such as Anabaptism that rejected standard Christendom assumptions and pursued alternative ways of thinking and behaving.
4. The frequent association of the church with status, wealth, and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness.  We are committed to exploring ways of being good news to the poor, powerless, and persecuted, aware that such discipleship may attract opposition, resulting in suffering and sometimes ultimately martyrdom.  
5. Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountability, and multivoiced worship.  As we eat together, sharing bread and wine, we sustain hope as we seek God’s kingdom together.  We are committed to nurturing and developing such churches, in which young and old are valued, leadership is consultative, roles are related to gifts rather than gender, and baptism is for believers.  
6. Spirituality and economics are interconnected.  In an individualist and consumerist culture and in a world where economic injustice is rife, we are committed to finding ways of living simply, sharing generously, caring for creation, and working for justice.  
7. Peace is at the heart of the gospel.  As followers of Jesus in a divided and violent world, we are committed to finding nonviolent alternatives and to learning how to make peace between individuals, within and among churches, in society, and between nations.

The book concludes by looking at where the Anabaptists have come from and looks at Anabaptism today.  Murray's conclusion is that there is a lot to be taken from the Anabaptist tradition in, what he labels, post-Christendom.

This is not an overly scholarly book.  Murray and his network are trying to provide resources for the emerging Anabaptists in England and Ireland.  I appreciated his critique of Christendom (the time from the 4th Century conversion of Constantine through the late 20th Century) when the church and state together controlled society.  He admits that there was good that came out of that period, but that in general it was not an idea that was faithful to Christ's sacrificial love.  Part of the reason for his admiration of Anabaptism is its noncompliance with Christendom ideology.  He sees Anabaptism as a movement focused on Jesus-centered discipleship whose moment in church history has finally come.  Murray confesses weaknesses of Anabaptism but evaluates it positively.  

For anyone who wants to be introduced to Anabaptism, for Anabaptists who don't know where they come from, for those longing to be part of a community which worships and follows Jesus, I would highly recommend giving it a read.  It's challenging whether you are an Anabaptist or not. 

A Costly Decision

Yesterday we had the privilege of having Don Kraybill come and speak at "The Grove".  Don is a scholar from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.  He the author of many books on the Amish and Old Mennonite communities around the country.  He also is the author of "Upside Down Kingdom" (see my review below).

Don introduced our Lenten series on Disciplines of a Disciple with a sermon called "A Costly Decision."  One of the things that he talked about that stood out was what we think of as carrying a cross.  Often we think of any bad thing that happens (illness, family relationships, etc.) as a cross we have to bear.  But, as Don pointed out, a cross is a conscious decision we make to sacrifice for Christ.  It's not something that happens to us that we have no control over.

During our Sunday school hour Don also spoke on Amish spirituality.  He talked about the roots it has along with other Anabaptist groups.  Much of what he was saying sounded just like the original Brethren.  The Amish are dedicated to the community.  They live and worship within one community and aren't able to "church-shop" the way modern Evangelical Christians do.  Instead they are forced to live and work and relate to those people.  The have a communal understanding of salvation rather than an individualized salvation you find in evangelical circles.  He explained that their shunning is to bring an individual into correction and ultimately to restore them to the community.  The Amish communities are each responsible for deciding how they feel is best to follow Christ in their individual lives.  Their decisions are seen as coming from heaven because it is the work of the Holy Spirit that helps the community come to a decision.

Obviously no one, including the Amish, are perfect.  There are certain hypocrisies.  However, I think the intentions of the Amish and their simplicity and daily living a life to honor Christ is something which should teach us modern "Inklish" (English is used for anyone not Amish by the Amish).  It made me think of a section of Shane Claiborne's book called "Amish for Homeland Security" and his call for new communities of a "neo-Amish" movement.

Any comments?
Listen to Don's sermon online  Here