DOCSLIB.ORG

World Religions Anabaptists (Amish, Mennonite, Brethren)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
World Religions Anabaptists (Amish, Mennonite, Brethren) World Religions Anabaptists (Amish, Mennonite, Brethren) What do Anabaptists believe? The Five Solas of the Protestant Reformers (mid-1500’s). The first three beliefs in this list are repeated throughout the writings of the protestant reformers. The last two were not necessarily enumerated during the Reformation because the dispute was between the Roman Catholic and Protestant branches of Christianity. The Catholic Church would not deny God and Christ but they would not understand their importance in the same way. Consequently, later reformers (1900’s) have added them. They fit within the spirit of the Reformation and are understood within the first three. 1. Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is the highest authority. 2. Sola Gratia (“grace alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone. 3. Sola Fide (“faith alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ. 4. Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King. 5. Soli Deo Gloria (“to the glory of God alone”): We live for the glory of God alone. However, Anabaptists reject Sola Fide in the sense that we believe the reformers meant it. Anabaptists do not believe in “forensic” or legal righteousness which is Christ’s imputed to us in a legal sense. They believe that Christians must develop a real righteousness of their own in order to prove their salvation. To this, we could respond from Romans 1:16-17, Romans 3:21-26 and Hebrews 11:1-2, 39-40. From the time of the Reformation, the Anabaptist groups in Europe issued a statement of faith known as the Schleitheim Confession (1527). The Schleitheim Confession issues seven articles of faith, they are . 1. Baptism: Baptism should be reserved for those who “have learned repentance and amendment of life, and who believe truly that their sins are taken away by Christ”. They deny the practice of infant baptism and call it the “chief abomination of the Pope”. This is where the name “Anabaptist” comes from. 2. The Ban (Excommunication): Excommunication is practiced toward believers who have fallen into sin. This is done under the teaching of Matthew 18 whereby a believer is confronted twice in private and a third time publically and then disciplined. The purpose of this act is to protect the fellowship of believers in communion, “the breaking of bread, so that we may break and eat one bread, with one mind and in one love, and may drink of one cup”. 3. Breaking of Bread: Communion is understood as an act of fellowship between believers in remembrance of Christ’s body and blood, unlike transubstantiation in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Anabaptists see the purity of the fellowship of believers as important because “For as Paul points out, we cannot at the same time drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of the devil. That is, all those who have fellowship with the dead works of darkness have no part in the light.” 4. Separation from the Abomination: “For truly all creatures are in but two classes, good and bad, believing and unbelieving, darkness and light, the world and those who have come out of the world, God's temple and idols, Christ and Belial; and none can have part with the other.” Extreme separation from worldly ways is expected, whether they are seen in the world at large, politics, the Roman Catholic Church or the Protestant church. 5. Pastors in the Church: “This office shall be to read, to admonish and teach, to warn, to discipline, to ban in the church, to lead out in prayer for the advancement of all the brethren and sisters, to lift up the bread when it is to be broken, and in all things to see to the care of the body of Christ, in order that it may be built up and developed, and the mouth of the slanderer be stopped.” The Anabaptist idea of a pastor is similar if not identical to our own but differs drastically from the Roman Catholic and Orthodox position of priest, let alone Pope or Patriarch. 6. The Sword: The sword is the instrument of God given to the government under the law. To the extent that governing authorities exercise this instrument correctly it is between them and God. Within the church, only the Ban is used as a form of punishment and discipline. Furthermore, because Anabaptists stress separation from the Abomination, the world, they do not allow church members to participate in civil government which includes the military. 7. The Oath: Believers should not swear an oath because they do not know the circumstances of the future, they should let their yes mean yes and their no mean no. The only being who could possibly swear an oath is God because he knows the future and it is impossible for Him to lie. Anabaptists were historically wary of a large universal church government or a mixing of the church and the state. Modern day Anabaptists, the Amish, Mennonite and Brethren churches, share this common ancestry and wariness of worldly influence. Many of the practices that we may wonder at find their roots in the beliefs of early Anabaptists. Ordnung: Each Amish community forms its own set of unwritten rules regarding how their members are to remain separate from the world. This set of rules finds its root in the rejection of Sola Fide and the consequent need to earn a real righteousness of their own. The rules dictate the degree of freedom that their members have when choosing transportation, dress or appearance, work and style of worship. While “Ordnung” is the Amish word for this set of rule, many other Anabaptists and Christian groups have rules which can approach a dangerous form of legalism. Shunning: This is really just the “Ban” that is described above and is practiced by many Bible churches to various extents. The secular reaction to this practice is very much like we may receive as we try to practice Biblical church discipline. However, the list of rules that must be followed is different for each group or community. While the practice is similar to many forms of Christian discipline, the reason for the practice may vary between restoration to fellowship and punishment. Rumspringa: Essentially, this “running around” period occurs after Amish children have grown out from under their parent’s authority but before they are baptized into the church. Since children are not baptized this is not seen as hypocritical because the church’s rules are for believers. If a child decided to not be baptized and continue in worldly ways they may be allowed to socialize with family and even eat with them. However, if a child is baptized and then goes into a worldly way of life they are shunned under the ban. The Anabaptist Worldview .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Theoretical Implications of the Beachy Amish-Mennonites DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Th
    Theoretical Implications of the Beachy Amish-Mennonites DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Cory Alexander Anderson Graduate Program in Rural Sociology The Ohio State University 2014 Dissertation Committee: Joseph Donnermeyer, Advisor Richard Moore Edward Crenshaw Copyrighted by Cory Alexander Anderson 2014 Abstract One of the hallmarks of social science is the interaction of theory and methods/data, the former guiding the latter and the latter refining the former, in a cyclical relationship. The goal of theory is to provide explanations for and even predict a range of human behaviors. One potential cause of theoretical stagnation is an over focus on a singular, usually easily accessible group. Given the persistence of plain Anabaptists like the Amish as a highly distinct subgroup in American society, their utility for refining sociological theories is persuasive, but has rarely been employed to this end because of their social inaccessibility, shyness towards social science research, and the popular interpretive frames placed on them that distract would-be investigators. Even with Amish-focused scholarship, the emphasis has been largely on describing the population or applying theory to understand the Amish case, but not returning findings back to theory in critique and revision. This dissertation introduces and contextualizes the plain Anabaptists, then describes the Beachy Amish-Mennonites, a group within the Amish religious tension, but dealing markedly with tensions between separatism and assimilation. Following this introduction are three independent studies that demonstrate the use of plain Anabaptists to refine theory.
    [Show full text]
  • Sola Fide and Sola Gratia in Early Christianity
    Salvation sola fide and sola gratia in early Christianity Published in: P.N. Holtrop, F. De Lange, R. Roukema (eds), Passion of Protestants, Kampen 2004, 27-48 Riemer Roukema Martin Luther‟s passion was to proclaim his discovery that man is justified by faith in Christ. This meant to him that, in man‟s relationship with God, he does not have to correspond to God‟s „righteousness‟ by his own „works‟ or efforts, but that God freely bestows the righteousness of Christ on everyone who believes in Christ as Saviour.1 Luther even intro- duced his discovery into his translation of Rom. 3:28. Whereas Paul wrote there that „man is justified by faith apart from works of the law‟, Luther translated that „man is justified without works of the law, only by faith‟.2 Although this translation was fiercely criticized, he vigorously defended it, saying that a version including „only‟ made up a more natural German sentence than without this adverb. Moreover, he referred to Ambrose and Augustine who said before him that faith alone makes one righteous.3 In Latin, „only by faith‟ is sola fide; combined with sola gratia, „only by grace‟, these words became important slogans of Lutheran and Calvinist Protestantism. For sola gratia, one may refer to Rom. 3:24, „justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus‟ (RSV), and to Eph. 2:8-9a, „For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not because of works‟ (RSV).
    [Show full text]
  • Friday, December, 12, 2014, at 6:30 P.M. Tel: (717) 393-9745; F
    LANCASTER MENNONITE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ’S BENEFIT AUCTION OF RARE , OUT -OF -PRINT , AND USED BOOKS FRIDAY , DECEMBER , 12, 2014, AT 6:30 P.M. TEL : (717) 393-9745; FAX : (717) 393-8751; EMAIL : [email protected] WEBSITE : http://www.lmhs.org/ The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society will conduct an auction on December 12, 2014, at 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one-half mile east of the intersection of Routes 30 and 462. The auction not only specializes in local and denominational history and genealogy of southeastern Pennsylvania, but also includes theological works and other types of material of interest to the nationwide constituency. Please refer to the last page of the catalog for book auction procedures. Individual catalogs are available from the Society for $8.00 ($4.00 for Society members) + $3.00 postage and handling. Persons who wish to be added to the mailing list for 2015 may do so by sending $28.00, ($18.00 for Society members) with name and address to the Society. Higher rates apply for subscribers outside of the United States. All subscriptions expire at the end of the calendar year Auction dates for 2015 are: January 9, March 13, May 8, July 10, September. 11, and November 13. The catalog is also available for free on our web site at www.lmhs.org/auction.html . 1. Peterson, E., The Message: The Prophets, 2000. 585pp (dj, vgc); Swindoll, C., Moses, a Msan of Selfless Dedication, 1999. xi, [i], 376pp (dj, ill covers, bib refs, vgc); Harris, A., The Psalms Outlined: An Outline Analysis Covering Each Song of the Psalter, 1952, c1925.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lord's Supper
    The Doctrine of Communion Trinity Baptist Church Discipleship Training (June, 2004) Introduction: The Lord’s Supper is one of the two ordinances of the Christian Church. Like baptism, it is also a doctrine that is surrounded by disagreement and controversy among believers. We should never consider the Lord’s Supper a minor issue of doctrine. The purpose of this study is to examine the Biblical doctrine of the Lord’s Supper. Bibliography: Calvin, John, Institutes of the Christian Religion, translated by Henry Beveridge. Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983 Dagg, John L. Manual of Theology, Second Part: A Treatise on Church Order. Harrisonburg: Gano Books, 1990 Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1985 Gray, Andrew. The Works of Andrew Gray, Ligonier: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1992 Hodge, Charles. Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986 House, H. Wayne. Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992. Kauffman, Donald T. The Dictionary of Religious Terms. Westwood: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1967 Phillips, Richard D, What is the Lord’s Supper?, Phillipsburgburgh: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2005) Watson, Thomas, The Lord’s Supper, Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2004 Part I -- Main Views Held in Christianity Transubstantiation, Consubstantiation, Reformed, Memorial I. Transubstantiation A. View Described - The elements of communion are consecrated by the priest and literally change to the body and blood of Christ. Christ is truly and substantially present in the elements of the supper. B. This view was adopted as the doctrine of the Catholic Church in 1059 although the term was not used until the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 under Pope Innocent III.
    [Show full text]
  • The Five Solas of the Reformation
    The Five Solas of the Reformation Contents Background ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Sola Gratia ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Indulgences .................................................................................................................................. 6 Definition of Grace ...................................................................................................................... 7 Grace Alone ................................................................................................................................. 9 Grace is Part of the Character of God ...................................................................................... 9 Grace is Clearly Displayed by the Cross of Jesus .................................................................. 11 Grace is Expressed in Different Ways ................................................................................... 12 Grace is Pure .......................................................................................................................... 14 Grace is Sovereign ................................................................................................................. 14 Grace in Relation to the Law ................................................................................................. 16 Grace is Given
    [Show full text]
  • Turning Point: Luther at the Diet of Worms (1521)
    Turning Point: Luther at the Diet of Worms (1521) Mark Noll, Turning Points, ch. 7 Key texts to start with: The Freedom of a Christian, On the Bondage of the Will, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, The 95 Theses. Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran churches (1530). Luther on reading and teaching the Gospel narratives. Luther's amazing sermon on John 1:29. Luther's blistering commentary on Galatians. Guys who blog quite a bit on Luther - Ron Frost, Peter Mead, Glen Scrivener. Carl Trueman on Luther at the Clarus Conference 2005 - audio. Martin Luther in 30 minutes from MTC. A Mighty Fortress is Our God: The Story of Martin Luther - available at iServe Africa bookstore Graham Tomlin, Luther and his World – available in the iServe Africa library Michael Reeves, Unquenchable Flame / On Giant’s Shoulders Some of the key issues: Authority of Church versus authority of Word – “my conscience is captive to the Word of God” Against Papacy that Luther saw to be slamming the door to the kingdom in people’s faces, not going in and preventing others from entering Sacraments reduced to Baptism and Lord’s Supper (versus 7 catholic sacraments) Luther’s ‘theology of the Cross’ (from 1517 onwards) - increasingly seeing that the will is bound, can do no good of ourselves (and if we think that we can, that is evil); it is in powerlessness that there is power. This was an extension of Augustinianism that the church could no longer contain. Summary of Alister McGrath’s Luther’s Theology of the Cross, 1985 McGrath starts by placing Luther is his setting as a late medieval theologian of the via moderna.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the Life and Thought of Samuel Heinrich Froehlich
    University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 1-1-1998 A study of the life and thought of Samuel Heinrich Froehlich. K. Daniel Jahn University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Jahn, K. Daniel, "A study of the life and thought of Samuel Heinrich Froehlich." (1998). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 6923. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/6923 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please contact the repository administrator via email ([email protected]) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has bean reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction.
    [Show full text]
  • Literaturverzeichnis in Auswahl1
    Literaturverzeichnis in Auswahl1 A ADAMS, THOMAS: An Exposition upon the Second Epistle General of St. Peter. Herausgegeben von James Sherman. 1839. Nachdruck Ligonier, Pennsylvania: Soli Deo Gloria, 1990. DERS.: The Works of Thomas Adams. Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1862. DERS.: The Works of Thomas Adams. 1862. Nachdruck Eureka, California: Tanski, 1998. AFFLECK, BERT JR.: „The Theology of Richard Sibbes, 1577–1635“. Doctor of Philosophy-Dissertation: Drew University, 1969. AHENAKAA, ANJOV: „Justification and the Christian Life in John Bunyan: A Vindication of Bunyan from the Charge of Antinomianism“. Doctor of Philosophy-Dissertation: Westminster Theological Seminary, 1997. AINSWORTH, HENRY: A Censure upon a Dialogue of the Anabaptists, Intituled, A Description of What God Hath Predestinated Concerning Man. & c. in 7 Poynts. Of Predestination. pag. 1. Of Election. pag. 18. Of Reprobation. pag. 26. Of Falling Away. pag. 27. Of Freewill. pag. 41. Of Originall Sinne. pag. 43. Of Baptizing Infants. pag. 69. London: W. Jones, 1643. DERS.: Two Treatises by Henry Ainsworth. The First, Of the Communion of Saints. The Second, Entitled, An Arrow against Idolatry, Etc. Edinburgh: D. Paterson, 1789. ALEXANDER, James W.: Thoughts on Family Worship. 1847. Nachdruck Morgan, Pennsylvania: Soli Deo Gloria, 1998. ALLEINE, JOSEPH: An Alarm to the Unconverted. Evansville, Indiana: Sovereign Grace Publishers, 1959. DERS.: A Sure Guide to Heaven. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1995. ALLEINE, RICHARD: Heaven Opened … The Riches of God’s Covenant of Grace. New York: American Tract Society, ohne Jahr. ALLEN, WILLIAM: Some Baptismal Abuses Briefly Discovered. London: J. M., 1653. ALSTED, JOHANN HEINRICH: Diatribe de Mille Annis Apocalypticis ... Frankfurt: Sumptibus C. Eifridi, 1627.
    [Show full text]
  • The Diffusion of Beachy Amish Mennonite Congregations in the US South
    The Diffusion of Beachy Amish Mennonite Congregations in the US South A Regional Chronicle and Spatial Analysis by Cory Alexander Anderson 2006 Second Draft (additional revisions pending) 2 Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4 The Beachy Amish Mennonites in the US South.................................................................... 4 Background of the Beachy Amish Mennonites ...................................................................... 4 Other Contemporary Amish Mennonite Groups................................................................... 7 Maranatha Amish Mennonite ................................................................................................. 7 Mennonite Christian Fellowship............................................................................................. 8 Conservative (Amish) Mennonite Conference ........................................................................ 8 Biblical Mennonite Alliance ................................................................................................... 9 Unaffiliated Amish Mennonite ................................................................................................ 9 Distribution of Beachy Congregations .................................................................................. 10 Part I: History and Diffusion of the Beachy Congregations in the US South ....................... 12 Introduction ............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Home Study Mark 5:21-43 SCRIPTURE
    SOLI DEO GLORIA CHURCH May 3, 2020 - Home Study Mark 5:21-43 SCRIPTURE Psalm 9 (Read Aloud) I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the aicted. Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my aiction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.
    [Show full text]
  • Die Zürcher Täufer 1525-1700. Edited by Urs B. Leu and Christian Scheidegger
    BOOK REVIEWS Die Zürcher Täufer 1525-1700. Edited by Urs B. Leu and Christian Scheidegger. Zürich: Theologischer Verlag Zürich. 2007. Pp. 428. CHF56; €36. As someone who has been working directly in this area of Swiss Anabaptist studies, I find this book a welcome addition. No book-length treatment of this topic has appeared since that of Cornelius Bergmann in 1916. Jacobus ten Doornkaat Koolman wrote a fresh, long article on the topic of Zurich for volume IV (1967) of the Mennonitisches Lexikon. He planned to write a full book on this subject, but it did not appear before his death. Hence this well-documented work fills a void. Urs Leu’s chapter 1, “Huldrich Zwingli und die Täufer,” begins with a statement in January 1523 by the Zurich government, assuming responsibility for the course of the Reformation against the Catholic bishops, and likewise Zwingli as church leader makes it plain that he would proceed with such governmental help so as to avoid any “great uproar.” Zwingli said in 1525 that he was in agreement with the Anabaptists concerning the inward spiritual life, but complained that they insisted on rejecting infant baptism and Christian participation in government. Nevertheless the previous year Zwingli had said that the chief cause of “uproar” among the people were the representatives of the old church, the Roman Catholics (33). Zwingli’s further ambiguity is revealed on another occasion when he thought Hercules, Theseus, Socrates and other good men of the ancients would inherit heaven, but that the Anabaptists would go to hell (78). Leu traces the rise of the first Anabaptist congregation, its further spread, and official opposition down through the Battle of Kappel in 1531, where Zwingli was killed.
    [Show full text]
  • Sola Fide the Relevance of Remembering the Reformation
    Concordia Seminary - Saint Louis Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary ConcordiaPages Resources for Ministry 1-1-2018 Sola Fide The Relevance of Remembering the Reformation Erik Herrmann Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.csl.edu/concordiapages Part of the History of Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Herrmann, Erik, "Sola Fide The Relevance of Remembering the Reformation" (2018). ConcordiaPages. 6. https://scholar.csl.edu/concordiapages/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Resources for Ministry at Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in ConcordiaPages by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Resources from Concordia Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SOLA FIDE THE RELEVANCE OF REMEMBERING THE REFORMATION ERIK HERRMANN pages SOLA FIDE THE RELEVANCE OF REMEMBERING THE REFORMATION ERIK HERRMANN About the Author Erik Herrmann r. Erik Herrmann is associate professor of historical theology, chairman of the Department of Historical Theology, director of Concordia Theology, and director of the Center for Reformation Research at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. DHerrmann joined the faculty of Concordia Seminary in 2005 after serving as an assistant pastor at Timothy Lutheran Church in St. Louis. He received his Ph.D. (2005) and Master of Divinity (2000) from Concordia Seminary. His earned his bachelor’s degree (1995) from Concordia University Wisconsin. His areas of interest and expertise include the history of biblical interpretation, with a particular focus on Martin Luther and the Reformation period; history of Medieval and Reformation/early modern Europe; 20th–century interpretations of Martin Luther and his theology; and the history of American Lutheranism.
    [Show full text]