An On-Line Conversation re Baptists and Anabaptism

änlijch woare

Bruce Hiebert • My frustration with the term "Anabaptism" stems as much from its use as a political slogan in contemporary Mennonite institutional and social power struggles as it does from its ties to a specific historical movement that the Baptists can claim, violence and all, with as much integrity as the peace oriented Mennonites. In point of historical fact, we are descendents of Menno Simons' version of Anabaptism, not Anabaptism per se. We need to face up to and respond to that reality, not pretend that by sloganeering to the broader movement of which he was a part we have avoided the Mennonite history that comes afterward. Plus, Mennonite history, pitfalls and all, is who we are. It runs deep in our bones. If someone wants to be an Anabaptist, apocalypticism, violence, medieval anthropology and everything else that goes with it, then I welcome them to it. But let's not pretend that was a movement of peace or that it has more than the weakest connection to the contemporary Mennonite life.

Steven Wall • As I have said before, I do not understand this new Baptist claim to be connected with the Anabaptists. While there were a very few English Anabaptists, and significant interaction intellectually between English Quakers and Continental Mennonites, both the English and Scandinavian Baptists descend from completely different historical tracks than do Anabaptists. According to most authoritative church historians, the Anglo-American Baptists are actually Protestants.

Reserving the right to be wrong, especially in an area with scarce resources i.e. Minnesota, my understanding is that the Baptists were a "free church" movement that sprang from similar political and social concerns but with completely different spiritual foci. The Baptists fit in nicely with Troeltsch's historical Protestant church schematics... Anabaptists and Quakers do not, as he himself indicates.

Generally, I think we should celebrate common beliefs and learn to build bridges using those commonalities but saying that Baptists are Anabaptist because we share an adult baptism is no more pertinent than to claim that Anabaptists are Maronite Catholics because we encourage a married clergy.