What do Anabaptists believe? What’s the source of their beliefs? And are they right?
Questions like these will be answered in the articles listed below. For an overview of Anabaptist beliefs, see the article on Who Are the Anabaptists?
This is the full text of the Schleitheim Confession, the earliest Anabaptist confession of faith. This material is from Anabaptists.org and was originally printed by Rod and Staff Publishers, Inc., Crockett, KY (Sixth Printing, 1985). The Schleitheim Confession was adopted by a Swiss Brethren Conference, February 24, 1527. I have added clarifications in brackets. Brotherly Union …
When reading Jesus’ commands can we ever say, “We know Jesus didn’t mean that, because that’s so obviously not true”? In this article, I discuss whether we can be justified in interpreting Jesus’ commands according to our moral intuitions. This is the fourth and final article in a series on the doctrine of nonresistance, which …
Divine Command Theory | What if Jesus didn’t really mean that? Read More »
This article is the second of a series on the doctrine of nonresistance, which is based on Jesus’ command to do no violence. More specifically, nonresistance is the view that even when striving for justice, Christians, unlike earthly governments, must only employ methods other than violence. This doctrine was so named by the Anabaptists, but …
Early Church Fathers on War, Violence, and Pacifism Read More »
This article is the second of a series on the doctrine of nonresistance, which is based on Jesus’ command to do no violence. More specifically, nonresistance is the view that even when striving for justice, Christians, unlike earthly governments, must only employ methods other than violence. This doctrine was so named by the Anabaptists, but …
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Jesus introduced a surprising teaching, one that is so unlike our natural human impulses that Christians have mostly ceased to follow it. Though Jesus taught against violence, and though the pre-Constantinian church continued to teach Jesus’ command, few Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestants consider Jesus’ command …
Some of the terms Anabaptists use aren’t familiar to non-Anabaptists. Also, some of the terms I’m using on this site aren’t widely understood. So this post is meant to include short, understandable definitions of the terms as I use them. If any of these definitions aren’t clear enough, please let me know. Terms Used by …
In another article, I showed that Jesus and the apostles, including Paul, had full authority to define the faith. However, if we want to follow the true faith, we need to know where we can find it. So the question is, “What sources can be trusted to contain the faith revealed through Jesus and the …
As Christians, we believe some teachings to be true and others to be false. But how can we tell which is which? Where does true Christian doctrine come from, and can those doctrines change or develop? This article will answer those questions and offer a from-the-ground-up defense for the view that Christian doctrine comes from …
Anabaptists have a distinctive set of beliefs based on our plain reading of Scripture. However, many Anabaptist churches, especially those that are considered Conservative Anabaptist (see the definition in this article), have church standards (called Ordnung by the Amish) over and above the New Testament requirements. Sometimes these are written rules; sometimes they are unwritten. …
In this article, I’ll list the distinctive Anabaptist beliefs, with an explanation of what they consist of. Many of these beliefs and practices are also accepted by other groups. However, few groups practice them all. If you believe and practice them all, you are for all intents and purposes an Anabaptist. Note that some people …
