A series of short explanations of the central convictions that make up a contemporary “Anabaptist sensibility”:
Preface
I. God
- God is a God of persevering love who creates and sustains life
- Jesus witnesses to this creative love in definitive ways
- The Spirit of God continues the creative and life-sustaining expression of this love
- All true expressions of God’s involvement in the world are consistent with the way of Jesus
- The basic rule of human life is found in the command to love the neighbor
- We may rest in our identity as beloved children of God
- God’s love reaches to the ends of the earth
II. Discipleship
- Authentic Christian faith finds expression through commitment to Jesus’s way of love
- Like with Jesus, his followers will oppose the Powers-that-be when they are unjust
- The path of discipleship is one of joy
- Jesus identified with those labeled “unclean;” his followers will do the same
- Jesus’s message of simplicity and care speaks to the wealthy in calling them to challenge inequality
- Jesus’s message of a life of witness continues through the immanence of the Spirit of God
III. Spirit
- The Spirit of God breathes life into the created world
- The Spirit goes between God’s creatures to enhance our mutuality
- The Spirit accompanies those who seek to live loving lives
- The Spirit reflects God’s character in its nurturing, relationship-enhancing, and compassionate presence
- The Spirit of God is present in all faiths insofar as they serve mercy and healing justice
IV. Bible
- The Bible tells the story of God seeking to heal the world through God’s people
- As God is especially clear in the account of Jesus, that becomes the lens for reading the Bible as a whole
- The Bible’s main mode of address is a gentle invitation not authoritarian rules
- The Bible communicates most of all through a coherent story, not isolated words or verses
- The Bible is to be used carefully with the recognition that what we say about the Bible is all human interpretation
- The Bible witnesses to the on-going revelation of God’s healing work that remains in harmony with Jesus’s way
- Any interpretation of the Bible that leads to harm should be seriously questioned
- The Bible’s content reflects God’s attentiveness to vulnerable people; our interpretations should do likewise
V. Peace
- Followers of Jesus are called to imitate his way and seek peace and healing, not retaliation and punishment
- Love is the most important human value, no other loyalty can outweigh the call to love everyone
- Our world is profoundly shaped by the idea that violence brings “salvation”—making violence a rival to God
- Jesus’s message of active love underwrites active nonviolence that leads to social transformation
- Since violence is learned behavior, we seek to support peaceable strategies with hope that they will work
VI. Community
- Communities of faith exist in order to witness to the ways of love, not as ends in themselves
- To be faithful, communities of faith must manifest that love in all internal and external practices
- The locus of discernment for communities of faith is face-to-face involvement
- Structures beyond local congregations exist primarily to serve the vitality of the local groups
VII. Welcome
- Throughout, the Bible affirms hospitality as a necessary earmark of authentic communities of God’s people
- Biblical hospitality emphasizes welcome for vulnerable and marginalized people
- “Vulnerable and marginalized people” today include sexual minorities
- The clarity of the Bible’s witness to hospitality is much greater than the clarity regarding same-sex relationships
- Congregations and conferences promote inhospitality when they disfellowship inclusive people
VIII. Interfaith
- That the one God (named variously) is the God of all peoples is reinforced in the Bible
- Jesus modeled openness toward diverse people who understood God differently from him
- Christians historically have justified violence against people of other faiths—thus going against Jesus
- Followers of Jesus share common ground with those of other faiths who feel the call to love the neighbor
- To relate openly with people of other faiths leads to growth in one’s own faith convictions
- The way of Jesus is truthful and open to ways of God’s wisdom in the world
IX. Creation
- The Bible teaches that God created what is as an expression of God’s goodness
- The love of God may be witnessed in varied ways throughout creation
- God continues to sustain life and seeks to bring healing to brokenness
- Biblical creation theology is not in tension with evolutionary science
- God does not relate to creation coercively; God endows creation with a great deal of freedom and purpose
- Humanity shares with God responsibility to care for other creatures; domination is sinful
- Current dynamics in the global economy that further enrich the powerful and hurt creation violate God’s will
X. Empire
- From Egypt to Rome, the Bible portrays people of faith as constantly under the threat of imperial domination
- Empire’s deadly response to Jesus reflects the idolatrous character of centralized political power
- Citizens of the United States face strong temptations of give their country loyalty due only to God
- Economics of exploitation of nature and workers are linked with Empire and reflect alienation from God
- To follow the Lamb in witnessing boldly to the ways of love and healing justice is the calling in Empire
- Followers of Jesus recognize that their loyalty to his way of shalom takes priority over national citizenship
XI. Seeking truth
- Christians confess that God’s truth has been revealed in Jesus; we know this truth by following his way
- Truth defines a process more than a static end point; truthful ends are approached through truthful means
- The moral relativism of American power politics contradicts Jesus’s truthful message of love (including enemies)
- Communities of faith seek truth as they discern in ways that respect differences and include those on the margins
- Openly to express our differences and honestly deal with conflicts prompts growth toward the truth
- Truth cannot be separated from the earthen vessels who embody the Spirit of god
- Because we all may know the truth only imperfectly we can’t certain enough to justify violence
XII. Eschatology
- [more to come]
Additional themes? Re. supercessionism and thinking about OT; stronger emphasis on environmental justice, restorative justice, racial justice, sexual justice; rituals/sacraments; anarchistic understandings of power and leadership.
Links to various blog posts and other articles related to Anabaptist convictions:
“Anabaptist” but not “Christian” (or “Mennonite”): A thought experiment [Part 1] April 9, 2019
“Anabaptist” but not “Christian” (or “Mennonite”): A thought experiment [Part 2] April 10, 2019
The “essence” of Anabaptism July 22, 2014
Should Anabaptists be evangelical? June 11, 2012
Practice-oriented vs. doctrine-oriented theology: An Anabaptist proposal 2011
Whither 21st century Anabaptist theology 2007
Anabaptism for the 21st century 2006
An Anabaptist Vision for the 21st Century—Some Propositions [A manifesto created by MennoNeighbors, July 2005]