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| Van Meegeren and his (forgery) Christ in the Temple, (c) NY Times |
Aundajchtihch
Pietist Mennonite practices
regarding the daily devotional are as intrinsic to the Russian Mennonite
identity as is verenika – in fact, one is surprised to learn that there was a
revival of Bible study and devotions in Gnadenfelde under the influence of
Eduard Wüst – when had it ended?
Personal study of the Bible and searching
the Scriptures for oneself is an intrinsic aspect of the Anabaptist revolution –
the first Adult Baptisms were performed only after intense study of the
Scripture. Schools were started, Bibles
translated and preachers sent out to encourage other Christians and
non-Christians to discover this direct personal access to Christ’s teachings
for themselves. Even more than pacifists
or Adult Baptizers, the term Students of the Bible would most adequately
describe the well-spring and radical vision of our Swiss, Flemish and Frisian
predecessors.
No story reveals this truth more strongly
than the personal testimony of Menno
Simons – the teacher whose leadership helped to preserve and re-organize
the early Anabaptist church antecedents of our various conferences and
denominations today.
