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Who Are Kingdom Christians? “Kingdom Christian” Is a New Buzz Term Among Some Conservative Anabaptists and Others Who Hold a Similar Worldview

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Who Are Kingdom Christians? “Kingdom Christian” Is a New Buzz Term Among Some Conservative Anabaptists and Others Who Hold a Similar Worldview Who Are Kingdom Christians? “Kingdom Christian” is a new buzz term among some conservative Anabaptists and others who hold a similar worldview. The term has become popular in recent decades through the writings of David Bercot as a way to picture a Christian worldview throughout history that is larger than the Anabaptists, yet still be a term that would include Anabaptists. In the last decade or two, there is a new interest among conservative Anabaptists and other similar groups to rediscover what was commonly believed and practiced in the early church (AD 30-300). Learning about Anabaptism is good, but these folks want to be part of a faith tradition that is much larger and much older than one arising out of the Protestant Reformation. These folks have taken an interest in reading what Bercot and others refer to as the historic faith or kingdom Christianity. Conservative Anabaptists and their affiliates who use this term, generally define “kingdom Christians” as believers who practice non-resistance and returning good for evil; believers who are separated from the world and separated unto God; believers who practice modest dress and head-covering for women; and believers who don't participate in government/politics in a way that compromises New Testament teachings. Kingdom Christians are those who believe that allegiance to King Jesus requires a denouncing of allegiances to earthly entities and their ways of seeking power. They endeavor to give their time and talents to expanding God’s kingdom, nurturing a society of the redeemed, and helping to bring heaven to earth as pictured in the Lord ’s Prayer. These goals and practices are rooted in early church orthopraxy. Kingdom Christians also adhere to basic Christian orthodoxy, but many do not adhere to early church doctrine. Because of the diversity of faith traditions represented in the kingdom Christian description, there are many different beliefs on secondary and tertiary doctrines. Today there are Mennonite kingdom Christians, Church of Christ kingdom Christians, Followers of the Way kingdom Christians, Amish kingdom Christians, Brethren kingdom Christians, Apostolic kingdom Christians, and many more. Some folks who are inspired by the early Anabaptists (but aren’t particularly interested in being identified as Anabaptists) have started referring to themselves as “kingdom Christians.” These folks have not yet attempted any official affiliation with each other. Many of these people listen to recordings from Followers of the Way in Boston and attend events such as Kingdom Fellowship Weekend. It is important to differentiate the use of the term Kingdom Christian as a proper noun vs. its use as a descriptive term that includes anyone who believes in the importance of following Jesus, entering His Kingdom, and keeping His commands. There are many Christians around the world who practice some measure of non-resistance, non-conformity, and non-accumulation who may not have been influenced by Anabaptists. These folks qualify as kingdom Christians even if they never used that term to describe themselves. I have liked the term kingdom Christian. I think it is a good term to encapsulate all those Christians over the centuries who have lived and taught a clear practical expression of the two kingdoms. In recent years, the term Kingdom Christian seems to have become a proper noun (in some places) and is used to describe a movement that is happening at the edge of conservative Anabaptism. This in itself is not particularly alarming to me. However, it does appear that this movement is drawing in some people who are divisive, sectarian, egotistical, and/or antinomian. If I am correct about this, then significant portions of this movement are headed for trouble. 1 When leaders manifest the above characteristics, you will see self-appointed authorities going around the country and around the world, supporting people in leaving their churches, stealing sheep, and planting their own “dealership” in other churches’ back yards. This kind of “dealership planting” has been happening among Anabaptists in North America, ever since John Oberholtzer organized the General Conference Mennonite Church in 1860. Because of this, the day may come when I will no longer feel comfortable using the term kingdom Christian. Needing to part with a term is sad, but it is not a new problem. Terms for describing Christians are only so good until someone ruins the term for everybody else. For example, just ahead of the 2016 presidential election, John MacArthur and Al Mohler were lamenting the fact that “another good term” (Evangelical) had been ruined. They were referring to people who self-identified as Evangelical, but were campaigning loudly for a presidential candidate who was a very immoral man. Mennonites and Anabaptists have felt something similar when liberals hijacked the terms Mennonite and Anabaptist during the 20th century. Even the word Christian got hijacked in the fourth century whenever the church merged with the state and began taking up the sword in the name of Christ. Many kingdom Christian churches have tended to be less stable due to unaccountable leaders, incompetent leaders, questionable doctrine or church polity, relational immaturity, internal disagreements, lack of unified vision, and individuals leaving because of unnecessary offenses. Sometimes kingdom Christians struggle among themselves to identify which early church and which early Anabaptist beliefs and practices should be made normative in the church and which ones are unnecessary or a deviation from what God intends to be normative for the church today. (Not all kingdom Christian groups have these problems but many have one or more of them.) In some places there is a complete melt down or disintegration of the group. If leaders in these types of settings are not uniquely suited for the job, the church tends to flounder and some churches go extinct. Some seekers, after experiencing difficulties in an unstable church, will join a more traditional Anabaptist group. They are willing to put up with some unhandy cultural traditions in order to have a more stable environment for themselves or their family. Others will choose to return to their Augustinian roots. I as an Anabaptist kingdom Christian find this latter option disheartening. While some kingdom Christians think of themselves as offering the world the best church experience possible, peacemaking kingdom Christians are able to recognize their own weaknesses and seek to encourage believers to greater faithfulness and greater obedience to Christ in a variety of churches. While some kingdom Christians are glad to take members away from churches they deem less spiritual or less scriptural, peacemakers are glad to support and strengthen the things that remain among people who are sincerely attempting to follow the teachings of the New Testament. Peacemakers are typically interested in seeing the Kingdom of God expand and encompass the earth, and they are not eager to draw people and talent away from other churches, missions, or ministries. While they may draw lines for who they allow to be in position of influence in their congregations, they would not condemn or isolate themselves from those who take a different stance on secondary or tertiary issues. I am encouraged to see kingdom Christian fellowships springing up around the world in faith traditions not associated with Anabaptists. But these efforts do not come without a unique set of challenges. February 2020 | Ernest Eby 2 .
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