Anabaptists: My Roots

The spark that ignited the Protestant Reformation was lit by Martin Luther in 1517 when he nailed the 95 theses to the door of the church in the German town of Wittenberg. This act set off a series of events that was to culminate in a schism with the Catholic Church; an institution that was viewed by many people as corrupt, avaricious and unbiblical. The largest groups of reformers were led by Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli which eventually resulted in the Protestant denominations of Lutheran, Presbyterian and Reformed.  However, there was a smaller, more extreme faction of the Reformation that believed the changes being made did not go far enough in restoring the church to what the Bible taught.  Known as the Anabaptists, this group offered a whole new vision of how the church could exist in a secular society.  It is no overstatement to suggest that their beliefs and practices have played a role in shaping modern Christianity and Western society.

The Anabaptist movement officially began on January 21, 1525 when a number of people met at the home of Felix Manz for prayer and direction.  At that meeting, George Blaurock asked Conrad Grebel to baptize him upon his confession of faith in Christ. Afterwards, George Blaurock proceeded to baptize the others who were present. The word Anabaptist means “re-baptizer” and this act was not only a religious sacrament but it also challenged civil government as the refusal to accept infant baptism undermined a seamless Christian society where church and state were combined. 

These re-baptizers had been frustrated by the pace of change that Reformation leaders such as Zwingli, who was leading the movement in Zurich were making.  These believers, based on their understanding of scripture, didn’t want to merely reform the church; they wanted to restore it to its initial purity and simplicity.  To do that they believed that the church could only be comprised of adults who chose to follow Christ and be baptized.

Thus the Anabaptists developed a practice of separatist non-resistance that is encapsulated in the Schleitheim Confession that was formulated at a synod on February 24, 1527.  By that time, the original founders of the Anabaptist movement, Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz and George Blaurock had either died, been expelled or martyred. The young Anabaptist Movement was now led by Michael Sattler who was working at a time of intense persecution as many local governments passed edicts that called for the death of anyone who professed to be an Anabaptist.  The whole movement felt a deep sense of alienation, separation and oppression from the mainstream culture and governments.

Sattler as the author of the Schleitheim Confession, lived with the reality of friends having property confiscated, being exiled, imprisoned, mutilated and killed and he also was tortured and burned at the stake in May of 1527, less than 3 months after the Schleitheim synod.  Ultimately thousands of Anabaptists were killed for their faith by both Catholics and Protestants alike and “it is a fact recognized by many recent historians that the persecution of the Anabaptists surpassed in severity the persecution of the early Christians by pagan Rome!”[1]

The Schleitheim Confession was not a comprehensive statement of faith but the resolution of specific issues that “were regarded by the Swiss Brethern as drawing the dividing line between true Christians and the ‘world’”.[2] These different issues, which included baptism, separation from the ‘world’, the Sword and refusal of oaths became foundational to how Anabaptists believed and lived their lives. In terms of baptism they agreed that it would only be administered to those who have repented, amended their lives, believed that Christ died for their sins, and requested it themselves. Infants, therefore were prohibited from being baptized. In terms of separation with the world, there was a sharp line drawn between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world and the true Christian should have no part with the kingdom of the world which included other Catholic and Protestant state churches.  Under no circumstances should violence be used as Jesus modeled in his life. Also a Christian should not become a magistrate or hold public office.  No oaths should be taken as Jesus prohibited the taking of oaths and swearing. 

Whether one agrees with the stance the Anabaptists took regarding their radical ideology and practices that completely separated them from the mainstream of 16^th century Europe, one cannot help but admire the conviction and extreme sacrifice they were prepared to make for their belief in what Christian discipleship entailed.  These bold men and women, were pioneers in forging many of the societal principles that comprise the foundation of our modern Western civilization.  As Harold Bender wrote in his treatise on “The Anabaptist Vision”:

“There can be no question but that the great principles of freedom of conscience, separation of church and state and voluntarism in religion, so basic in American Protestantism, and so essential to democracy, ultimately are derived from the Anabaptists of the Reformation period, who for the first time clearly enunciated them, and challenged the Christian world to follow their practice.”[3]

Through their blood, sacrifice and deep conviction, the Anabaptists planted the seeds that led to the basic principles of our modern, pluralistic, democratic society that separates church and state and allows people the freedom to choose their beliefs and worship accordingly.  From the standpoint of where the world was at in the 16^th century and how far the world has come, this was no small feat.

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[1] Horsch, John. Mennonites in Europe (Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, 1950) 75

[2] Stayer, James M. Anabaptists and the Sword (Lawrence, Kansas: Coronado Press, 1976) 119

[3] Mennonite Quarterly Review 18, 2 (1944): 68