Third Baptism of Felix Manz
481 years ago on 5 January 1527, at the River Limmat in Zurich, Felix Manz was pulled into the cold waters and drowned as a condemned Anabaptist. His evil and heresy was nothing more than his faith and...
View ArticleNonresistant humility indeed
Christian humility is not an affirmation of abuse or low self-esteem. It is not a retreat from the world’s suffering and pain or a shrinking back from all expressions of power. To the contrary,...
View ArticleSchleitheim Confession: On Baptism
Baptism shall be given to all those who have been taught repentance and the amendment of life and [who] believe truly that their sins are taken away through Christ, and to all those who desire to walk...
View ArticleSchleitheim Confession: On the Ban
We have been united as follows concerning the ban. The ban shall be employed with all those who have given themselves over to the Lord, to walk after [Him] in His commandments; those who have been...
View ArticleBecause words matter
Words matter. What we say, what we recite, what we repeat. All of it matters. And the meaning behind the words we say matter just the same. For this reason a Christian must never deny Jesus, especially...
View ArticleDordrecht Confession of 1632, Article I
Article 1: Of God and the Creation of All Things Since we find it testified that without faith it is impossible to please God, and that he that would come to God must believe that there is a God, and...
View ArticleDordrecht Confession of 1632, Article II
Article 2: Of the Fall of Man We believe and confess, according to the holy Scriptures, that these our first parents, Adam and Eve, did not continue long in this glorious state in which they were...
View ArticleAbortion funding, war funding, and inconsistencies
Thursday afternoon, I was listening to Tuesday’s broadcast of Dr. Albert Mohler‘s radio program via podcast. I like to check out some of his shows because he always has relevant topics, presents his...
View ArticleAuthentic brotherly love and community
Meditated on this passage from my reading today: As Dirk [Philips] writes, authentic brotherly love in the true congregation of God is demonstrated in the ways “that we minister to each other with a...
View ArticleRemembering the Anabaptists today
As much as I appreciate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which our country chooses to celebrate today, I cannot fail to remember the importance of this day long before Dr. King, the American...
View ArticleSubtle Racism is dangerous
“Christianity,” he said, “made everything the best of its kind.” Most folks probably read that and said, “Amen,” right? Sounds like preacher talking. Which is true. Some who tend to be a little more...
View ArticleBook Review: God’s Reign and the End of Empires
My review of Antonio Gonzalez’s excellent work, God’s Reign and the End of Empires is available now at Englewood Review of Books. Many, many thanks to Chris Smith at ERB for the opportunity to engage...
View ArticleBeing separate, but how much?
“In the context of the new, sociologically neutral use of the term “sect” introduced in the twentieth century by Weber and Troeltsch, historians friendly to Anabaptism have adopted a view very much...
View ArticleNever Alone #MennoNerdsOnLoss
There are so many ways that a person can experience loss. Loss of job or income, loss of dreams, loss of health, loss of property, loss of life, just to name a few that our family has personally gone...
View ArticleSilence is betrayal
While Martin Luther King, Jr. has been celebrated recently amid the memory of the March on Washington and his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, there is still a Martin Luther King, Jr.–the real Martin...
View ArticleKoch and Meister: An Anabaptist Martyrs Prayer
The following earnest prayer to God was spoken by Hans Koch and Leonhard Meister before their death, and left for the consolation of all their fellow believers: O God! behold now from Thy high throne...
View ArticleI have to do something!
"Life is beautiful. Life is complicated. Life is messy. Life is exhilarating. Life is a struggle. Life is a joy. Life is pain. My personal life is full of a lot of hope, even when things are not going...
View ArticleOn the Mark Driscoll apology and steps toward repentance
I saw that Mark Driscoll had sent an open letter to his congregation indicating apologies and a direction of repentance. You can read it here. I am making public comments here because I have made...
View ArticleBaptism and a transfer of citizenship
There is probably nothing Craig Hovey's book, To Share in the Body: A Theology of Martyrdom for Today's Church, does better than make as clear as crystal the connection between martyrdom and baptism.
View ArticlePacifists, non-pacifists, and What would you do?
Christian Pacifists (or non-violent or non-resistant practitioners) get asked by Christian non-pacifists (for lack of a better term; don’t want to label them violence lovers or something like that) the...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....