Anabaptism and Other Denominations
On this 500th anniversary of the beginnings of the Anabaptist movement, Rosedale Bible College’s Beacon articles will look at a wide variety of denominations within the household of faith, highlighting a different denomination each month. We hope to foster a humble, rooted appreciation for how the gospel has come to us and to consider how Jesus might be calling us forward.
Last month, I preached a series of renewal meetings at a church where God’s Spirit was clearly at work. Some of the evidence of this work was displayed in a group of younger couples and singles who had recently left an Amish sect, found Jesus, and now craved the things of God for their lives.
I hesitate to use the word “Amish” when describing their former sect because I have many dear Amish friends who love Jesus with a vibrant faith (it feels a bit like believing all of my Baptist friends are like the Westboro Baptists of Topeka, Kansas). In this particular Amish church, they were prohibited from reading the scriptures in English, but they did not understand the German Bible or the German preaching in the church services. In fact, the disconnect between church and faith was so strong that when the German Bible was read midway through the service, many attendees took the opportunity to take a break, step outside, and grab a beer and a smoke with friends.
By their own account, these young men and women were feeling empty, hopeless, and desperate for something different.
The turning point for one of the young couples came when the husband found an English Bible at a job site and snuck it home in his coat. To subdue his tormented conscience, he decided not to read it himself but instead asked his wife to read it to him. As she read, God began to move in their hearts.
Months later, a sizable group of men, women, and children from this Amish sect gave their lives to Jesus. They are now filled with the life-giving power of God’s Spirit, finding freedom from sin, hope for the future, and joy in Christ.
Where do we stand in the long history of God’s movement on planet earth?
Before we cast stones at this particular Amish sect, we would do well to remember that our spiritual DNA joins theirs 500 years ago. Together, our forefathers broke away from the Catholic church as a renewal movement. Our shared spiritual ancestors longed to correct broken forms of worship and practices that were not of God and begin again to walk in step with Christ. In that era, the winds of God’s Spirit carried our forefathers in power, and the church flourished.
We might also be tempted to look to our left, at other Anabaptist groups who have forgotten the authority of the scriptures, the meaning of the gospel, and have embraced behaviors that God abhors. Here again are people who share our spiritual DNA, people born out of the renewal movement we call the Radical Reformation.
But what of us? Where do we stand in the long history of God’s movement on planet earth? Have we managed to stay true, our feet firmly planted in Christ?
The scriptures describe our ongoing walk with Jesus as one in which we are being renewed and transformed “day by day” (1 Cor. 4:16). It describes our transformation as an ongoing realignment of our lives with God’s will and person (Rom. 12:2, Col. 3:10). If we are walking with Jesus, we are in a constant state of renewal, our eyes open and receptive to the person of Jesus.
Ongoing renewal in our lives is revealed in at least two key indicators:
Lives of Compassion: Ongoing renewal is marked by an affection for God’s people and a tenderness toward pagans. Do we enjoy the camaraderie of the saints as well as a sense of sorrow and concern for those not in God’s family? These heart postures are evidence of a renewed mind. Cold and lifeless forms of religion come into existence when our lives are rarely moved with compassion.
Commitment to Truth: Renewed hearts value candor and commitment to doctrine. When people are alive with God’s Spirit, they understand that God’s long game of all nations coming to worship Jesus is always tested by short-term compromises and threats of discomfort. In fact, we compromise most often because we feel our affections for and from others are threatened. A failure to hold truth is how groups end up outside of the authority of scripture and eventually outside of the faith. Commitment to truth is long-term love in action.
This past year, we celebrated 500 years of God’s faithfulness through the Anabaptist movement. Each month, the RBC Beacon article has examined other church denominations to learn from them as well as highlight some of the distinctives of our unique commitments to Christ. Our prayer is that we are moved toward Jesus and faithfulness to Him. We are a renewal movement, and we stand in need of the Spirit’s renewal each day. May the One who began a good work in us carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Amen.
Photo credit: Jessica Gingerich, RBC
One Response
Jerry, thank for the reminder of our long history and I thank God for our heritage I want to be faithful in carrying that out in my own life. Yes we have a large Amish Sect in our community some do know Jesus but many do not. It’s just great when they hear and respond to the Gospel.