Mennonites...

[salve]

Who are the Mennonites and what relation do they have with Baptists?

Thanks everyone ahead of time! :wave:

[ZiSunka]

Me! I'm a mennonite, and I don't have relation with baptists at all!

Okay, all joking aside, mennonites are one branch of the anabaptist tradition, just as baptists are another branch of the anabaptist tradition.

[arunma]

I met a couple of Mennonites on my college campus a few weeks ago. They wore black suits despite the hot weather. But they were very nice people, and the tracts they gave me (and my atheist friend) contained sound doctrine.

[leothelioness]

I was watching an episode of Dr. Phil one day last week that had to do with Mennonites. I heard them say that they are a type of German Baptist and speak German in their rural communities. Or at least they did in Belize.

I believe they are also closely related to the Hutterites.

The ones I saw were very similar to the Amish.

[MrJim]

I was watching an episode of Dr. Phil one day last week that had to do with Mennonites. I heard them say that they are a type of German Baptist and speak German in their rural communities. Or at least they did in Belize.

I believe they are also closely related to the Hutterites.

The ones I saw were very similar to the Amish.

That was Peter Hoover, a Hutterite fellow. He's written a most fascinating book called The Secret of the Strength that looks at the anabaptist movement.

Only slightly familiar with his appearance on the Phil show, heard it had to do with some guy hiding his kids from ex wife or something:doh:

[MrJim]

Me! I'm a mennonite, and I don't have relation with baptists at all!

Okay, all joking aside, mennonites are one branch of the anabaptist tradition, just as baptists are another branch of the anabaptist tradition.

I'd hesitate to say that Baptists are a branch of the anabaptists. They came from the Puritans. They picked up the believer's baptism from anabaptists but I'd say baptists come from more the dissent from the Church of England than the Swiss/German/Dutch dissent from the reformation.

Reading the Schleitheim Confession, one of the few confessions of the early anabaptists-and not even really a confession but more of a standard of practice as a Christian, I don't see a lot of "baptist" in it.

http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/schleitheimconfession

[JPPT1974]

I was watching an episode of Dr. Phil one day last week that had to do with Mennonites. I heard them say that they are a type of German Baptist and speak German in their rural communities. Or at least they did in Belize.

I believe they are also closely related to the Hutterites.

The ones I saw were very similar to the Amish.

I don't know much about that denomination at all
But what really matters isn't the denomination but
Who they believe and what it takes to get them to heaven.

[MrJim]

Article I. Notice concerning baptism (http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/node/34)
Article II. We have been united as follows concerning the ban (http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/node/35)
Article III. Concerning the breaking of bread ... (http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/node/36)
Article IV. We have been united concerning the separation that shall take place ... (http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/node/37)
Article V. We have been united as follows concerning shepherds in the church of God (http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/node/38)
Article VI. We have been united as follows concerning the sword (http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/node/39)
Article VII. We have been united as follows concerning the oath (http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/node/40)

I would say that Articles 2 (maybe), 4, 6, 7 would not be baptist teachings.

2-and I say maybe on this-is a discipline called the "ban". I say maybe since I am not fully familiar with baptist discipline, though I've not heard of baptists being banned

4-This is a separation from the world-more so than ya might think. This is a separation from the "earthly Egypt", a separation from even the worldly way of things. That is why historical anabaptists won't generally engage in political power (for example), whereas baptists tend to be very involved with politics-nationalistic endeavors-as would be true to their Puritan roots.

6. Of course being one of the historical peace churches the anabaptists would not engage in killing others through war or defense. Not a baptist distinctive (though we are working on it;) )

7. Anabaptists follow Christ's teaching about not swearing the oath. This is a distinctive of theirs, though I know of some fundamentalists and very conservative baptists that will not swear.

It is interesting though to examine the confession to see what is in common. I'd say nearly half is compatible with both.

Again, Schleitheim Confession is not a typical confession in that you are not going to learn how to be saved by reading it. That wasn't the intent when it was written. At the time of the Radical Reformation there were all sorts of "Anabaptists" running around, some very violent, interpreting scripture as they saw fit, and there was movement to define how the church should be. Really exciting time-would have liked to witnessed it, except since I would have fit in with the anabaptists best (as you probably would too as Baptists) I'd have probably ended up burned at the stake as by the Catholic Church (as with Michael Sattler) or drowned in the lake by the Protestant Church (Reformed Church in Zurich in the case of Felix Manz).

Just recording history. We as anabaptists don't hold (or shouldn't hold) any grudge regarding these historical actions. In the past couple decades the Reformed Church and JP2/Roman Catholic Church have both extended apologies and asked forgiveness for these past actions and forgiveness was given. It was a bloody age, much to be learned by all sides involved, so we learn and grow.

[tulc]

they (the baptists and the anabaptist have a couple of things in common (baptism is for people who've decided to follow Jesus, not children a couple of other things) but menno is right we (anabaptist and baptist) actually come from pretty different traditions. Check here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabaptism for an overview.
tulc(good thread!) ;)

[Joykins]

There is a Mennonite/Penn. Dutch farmer's market near here and let me tell you there are NO BETTER STICKY BUNS. Anywhere. :D

[ChristianMountainGirl06]

I've done a good bit of research recently and have discovered there are differant types of Mennonites. There are Old Order Mennonites and liberal Mennonites. Old Order are very similar to the Amish as far as their general beliefs, dress, etc while the liberals are more closely related to Church of the Brethren and Brethren type churches.

[cobweb]

lol

There are so many different types of Mennonites that it is dizzying.

I was over on a Mennonite forum today trying to find a church to visit and found out there are like 3 conferences of churches (so far) that I had never even heard of.

[MrJim]

Unfortunately true...

[Phileoeklogos]

Now that is something they have in common with Baptists....................

[MrJim]

Now that is something they have in common with Baptists....................

Yup, except the conservative side is sometimes guilty of extreme legalism ("hey, paint the chrome on yer car black too or you can't be part of this church") and the liberal side guilty of extreme :sick: ("Is the Bible really the word of God?").

Sad deal and some of the reason I'm not currently in an anabaptist fellowship-I'm too "liberal" for the conservatives and too "conservative" for the liberals. Pretty stupid position to be in.

I'm sure the anabaptist fathers are just smackin' their heads:doh: lookin' down at us sayin' "Why are you playin' marbles with diamonds?" They left a rich heritage and well marked path of discipleship in following Christ and it's been turned into an "either/or" situation. But I keep looking!

[JPPT1974]

lol

There are so many different types of Mennonites that it is dizzying.

I was over on a Mennonite forum today trying to find a church to visit and found out there are like 3 conferences of churches (so far) that I had never even heard of.

Never heard of them at all either
Nor plan on it!

[cobweb]

Yup, except the conservative side is sometimes guilty of extreme legalism ("hey, paint the chrome on yer car black too or you can't be part of this church") and the liberal side guilty of extreme :sick: ("Is the Bible really the word of God?").

Sad deal and some of the reason I'm not currently in an anabaptist fellowship-I'm too "liberal" for the conservatives and too "conservative" for the liberals. Pretty stupid position to be in.

I'm sure the anabaptist fathers are just smackin' their heads:doh: lookin' down at us sayin' "Why are you playin' marbles with diamonds?" They left a rich heritage and well marked path of discipleship in following Christ and it's been turned into an "either/or" situation. But I keep looking!

Sadly, I am finding the same thing is true for me.

[Torah613]

Yup, except the conservative side is sometimes guilty of extreme legalism ("hey, paint the chrome on yer car black too or you can't be part of this church") and the liberal side guilty of extreme :sick: ("Is the Bible really the word of God?").

Sad deal and some of the reason I'm not currently in an anabaptist fellowship-I'm too "liberal" for the conservatives and too "conservative" for the liberals. Pretty stupid position to be in.

I'm sure the anabaptist fathers are just smackin' their heads:doh: lookin' down at us sayin' "Why are you playin' marbles with diamonds?" They left a rich heritage and well marked path of discipleship in following Christ and it's been turned into an "either/or" situation. But I keep looking!

How do the Beachy Amish-Mennonites (sp) fit in to that spectrum? I grew up by one of their big settlements in AR where they ran a nursing home and they have a local congregation I've been meaning to visit one of these days.

Joe Zollars

[MrJim]

How do the Beachy Amish-Mennonites (sp) fit in to that spectrum? I grew up by one of their big settlements in AR where they ran a nursing home and they have a local congregation I've been meaning to visit one of these days.

Joe Zollars

I'm not much up on the divisions within the Amish except to say that I understand Amish moving toward Conservative Mennonite congregations believing that traditional Amish churches are not teaching the full truth of the Bible. Maybe somebody else has more info?

[meowmie]

When my husband and I were "church hopping"...IE: looking for the right church, we attended the only Mennonite church around (it was still a pretty good distance but we thought it might be what we were looking for).

It was one of the most unusual churches I have ever attended. We expected EXTREME piety and an almost "Amishlike" service.

It was nothing like that...a lot of singing and ordinary preaching. It was also :sorry: a bit "chaotic" and lacked order.

I asked a member after the service if ALL Mennonite churches were like this. She said NO, there were many different forms of worship. Theirs was more "liberal"...we were very disappointed...:sorry:

[Lena75]

lol

There are so many different types of Mennonites that it is dizzying.

I was over on a Mennonite forum today trying to find a church to visit and found out there are like 3 conferences of churches (so far) that I had never even heard of.Do you mind my asking which forum that is? I'm interested. I'm Mennonite/Anabaptist, too! :wave:

[ctay]

There's a Mennonite community near me with their own church. They run a bakery, it smells so good when you go in there.

[Torah613]

I just purchased the Martyr's Mirror. Can anyone else recommend some good books on anabaptist theology, history, and heritage?

Joe Zollars

[JimfromOhio]

The Anabaptist Church (20+years) I was attending was growing too large and the pastor was retiring, we went looking for a smaller church in our area, so we settled down to this local church which we felt like at home.

Mennonite is a group of Anabaptists. The Protestant Reformation challenged traditional Roman Catholic beliefs and practices with the Puritans but the founders of the Anabaptists disagreed with some of the Puritans doctrines. The two issues on which the Anabaptists differed most from the Calvinists and Lutherans were baptism and the separation of church and state. Whereas Lutherans and Calvinists were firm believers in baptism at birth and the idea of a united church and state, the Anabaptists found truth in the scriptures that baptism should be for those voluntarily and consciously committed to the faith and that church should not be guided by the government More information Here (http://www.columbusmennonite.org/history.htm)

[MrJim]

I just purchased the Martyr's Mirror. Can anyone else recommend some good books on anabaptist theology, history, and heritage?

Joe Zollars

*The Anabaptist Story by William Estep
*War, Peace, and Non Resistance by Guy F Hershberger
The Complete Writings of Menno Simons edited by JC Wenger
The Writings of Pilgram Marpeck edited by William Klassen & Walter Klaassen
The Reformers and their Stepchildren by Leonard Verduin
*Anabaptism in Outline edited by Walter Klaasen
An Introduction to Mennonite History edited by Cornelius Dyck
Doctrines of the Bible by Daniel Kauffman

Well, you asked^_^

The starred ones are particularly helpful and Anabaptism in Outline is probably the volume I reach for first when checking different opinions of early anabaptist teachers.

Unlike the reformers there never really was a confession or creed made. (Schleitheim Confession isn't really a confession in the traditional sense.) So there are a range of views within this particular body. One anabaptist in particular-Balthasar Hubmaier-wasn't even particularly non-resistant.

Hope this helps.

[Crazy Liz]

they (the baptists and the anabaptist have a couple of things in common (baptism is for people who've decided to follow Jesus, not children a couple of other things) but menno is right we (anabaptist and baptist) actually come from pretty different traditions. Check here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabaptism for an overview.
tulc(good thread!) ;)
Tulc! Great to see you again!

IIRC, you are part of the Evangelical Covenant tradition, which, like the other Scandinavian free churches fits somewhere between the German/Dutch/Swiss Anabaptists and the English Baptists. True?

[tulc]

Been here? :scratch:
http://www.anabaptistbooks.com/
tulc(likes books!) :)

[tulc]

Hey Liz! :hug:
Long time no see! and I think you're right about our coming out of the swiss and those other guys.
tulc(and one more for good luck) :hug:

[MrJim]

Been here? :scratch:
http://www.anabaptistbooks.com/
tulc(likes books!) :)

Mark Roth has a good selection with some of the titles I listed (also, anything by JC Wenger will be good)

Another source for anabaptist books (& some teaching CDs):

http://www.scrollpublishing.com/

[salve]

Salve!

Thank you all for your responses!

I'm going to check out some of those books, menno! God Bless you!

Out side of Believer's Baptism.... is there anything which characterizes anabaptists?

[MrJim]

Salve!

Thank you all for your responses!

I'm going to check out some of those books, menno! God Bless you!

Out side of Believer's Baptism.... is there anything which characterizes anabaptists?

The major distinctive is that historic anabaptists are non-resistant Christians (not to be confused with pacifists which is a different critter altogether). They do not go to war.

Note my signature-Menno Simons put the menno in mennonite...

[JPPT1974]

Mark Roth has a good selection with some of the titles I listed (also, anything by JC Wenger will be good)

Another source for anabaptist books (& some teaching CDs):

http://www.scrollpublishing.com/

Thanks my friend!:hug: :kiss: