"Neo-Anabaptists" and wineskins for God's new world

[Eliacin Rosario-Cruz]

By Jarrod McKenna

‘Anglican-Anabaptists’, ‘Charismatic-Anabaptists’, ‘Emerging church-Anabaptists’, ‘Baptist-Anabaptists’, and even 'Mennonite-Anabaptists'! :)

I’ve just returned from the bi-national executive board meeting of the “Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand”, or AAANZ (sounds impressive hey!). For those that are going... “Anna who?” An explanation of this important tradition which for many is providing a 'new' (but ancient) wineskin for the 21st century.

Anabaptism is the longest consistent witness to communal nonviolence in church history. Known as the ‘radical reformation’ for insisting that Luther, Calvin and others didn’t finish the work they started, the Anabaptists called the church to be filled with the Spirit of God’s new creation and live practically the Sermon on the Mount in the valleys of daily life. In short, To live like Jesus. the Anabaptist witness to the way of Jesus – the way of nonviolence-- stretches over 500 years lasting longer than the early churches witness to nonviolence of the cross (300 odd years).

Read full post at PaceeBenne

[Andrew Cornelius]

Jarrod ought to add Unitarian-Anabaptist to his list. :)

[Magdalena Perks]

I am convinced that the Swiss Anabaptists were once Orthodox rather than Roman, and in the turmoil of the Dark Ages got separated from their patriarch. There are many parallels in theology and praxis with some of the earlier Orthodox communities. And despite Constantinianism (what a word!) nonviolence was the Way of many Orthodox monastics. Perhaps what we are really looking at is the ongoing call of Jesus Christ, and when we get it right, it all starts to look the same, because it is the same, in Him.