unshackled

"When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky" - Siddhartha Gautama
Feb 20th 2007
Tags: anabaptist, mennonites

Anabaptist, me?

There was a time when I was billing myself eagerly as Anabaptist. In those days it seemed exciting, fresh and radical. My apologies to all the fine Anabaptists out there who still are taking potshots at institutional religion and government. I’d love to join you, but the label is too threatening.

Not that I’ve been historically afraid of labels. I haven’t. The tendency of labels to cause people under them to bend to the prevailing sterotype is indeed large.

Here’s the vibes I’ve been getting about what Anabaptist means.

  • It’s a historic faith in a rebellious world- Okay, maybe the first Anabaptists were historic (I mean it was how long ago already), but they certainly did not intend their descendants to be isolated and sheltered from the world at large, playing the part of a “plain people”.
  • It’s the logical extent of Protestantism- Let’s face it. If Zwingli would have taken his ideas to their logical extent, he would have been lauded as the “reformed” preacher of the day and there would still have been some radicals with crazy ideas. Anabaptism was more about reaction than it was about good theology.
  • It’s a nonviolent form of Protestantism- Um…this one’s getting closer…but cmon people, ever hear the word Munster?

That’s just three. I’m sure there’s 73. Why don’t we just all agree and make a system with a mission statement (not to mention a statement of faith!) defining exactly our Anabaptist theology and how it works in the world. While we’re at it, let’s take a few beliefs historically held by certain groups of Anabaptists and write a systematic work of theology.

Is it any wonder I can hear Felix Manz rolling over in his grave?

Anabaptists, it’s been good. I really am sorry certain people had to rape the “a” word and replace it with stereotypes and systems. Almost, I’d attempt to reclaim it. Almost.

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me
18. tired alot. mac-aholic. designer. photographer. social media junkie. God-chaser. ordinary radical.

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Viewing 6 Comments

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    Glad to see this blog up and active! I too am very wary of labels and denominationalism. I simply view myself as a pilgrim or Christ follower...to me that concept alone is weighty enough to ponder on
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    You hit the nail on the head; skipping wide the typical etiquette and protocol as is your (commendable) style. However, the comfy fireside cubicle which you speak of will not be voluntarily (much less enthusiastically) relinquished until something happens. And if/when that happens, I just hope we are all prepared for mass hysteria and many 'a night of disputation that will result. And until that Hysteria comes and completes His task, all our futile conjectures and all our vain pontifications about the misfortune of others will shackle us to hopeless defeat after hopeless defeat. I’m afraid that the A’s are too reluctant to push the envelope and rock the boat in that regard. Too messy. But once the ferret does come out of his hole, the throes of winter will be very unforgiving concerning him. I almost wish I could help him: give him food, shelter, and warm him up, and give him some books on how to smile. Almost. But then I realize that the inevitable must come to pass and the sleeping giant must first fall and rupture his skull on the sidewalk and come to his senses, before anything else can be done for him. Only by God's scandalous grace can the A’s keep stumbling forward. Heavenward.
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    oh yes, the sleeping giant! How did he come to sleep in the first place? History gives us a milky white version of the tale, but jaded as I am at times....I think the tale is darker then they let on...
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    Hi Art,

    Good to see you blogging again.

    I wonder, from this post, how much experience you have of non-US and/or Non-historic-anabaptist-denomination-anabaptism you have? I as because much of what you write here simply does not ring true for me. That is, it gives an incomplete picture, at best.

    Nevertheless, if the label doesn't work for you, there's nothing sacred about it. I've spoken to a couple of disgruntled Mennonites who said that if they lived in the UK they would be happier identifying as anabaptist. I presume the same is true for other countries, or for groups that are anabaptistic, but not direct descendants (e.g. Quakers and co.).

    But I'm rambling now! :-)
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    Graham, thanks for your kind comments.

    As you guessed, I have little or no experience with Anabaptists outside the United States. In my short entourage of the Anabaptist blogosphere, I have been immensely encouraged by the people who are making the label work for them.

    On this blog, I may or may not stick with trying to work with the label. I think it's sick that Americans have reduced Anabaptism to a denomination. So in a way it's the denomination I'm fighting as well as the unpleasant stereotypes I outlined in my post.

    Kind people like you encourage me to "press on" in ecumenical effort and postmodern radicalness.
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    [quote comment="29"]I wonder, from this post, how much experience you have of non-US and/or Non-historic-anabaptist-denomination-anabaptism you have? I as because much of what you write here simply does not ring true for me. That is, it gives an incomplete picture, at best.[/quote]

    The problem may be: not that we know too little of the A's in other areas, but that we know too much.
 
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