#anabaptists

Blaurock's Origin of the Anabaptists

George Blaurock (l. c. 1491-1529) was one of the three founders of the Swiss Brethren (known by their opponents as Anabaptists) along with Conrad Grebel (l. c. 1498-1526) and Felix Manz (l. c. 1498-1527). His Origin of the Anabaptists is an account of how the sect began as well as its persecution by the Swiss reformer Huldrych Zwingli (l. 1484-1531).

One of the greatest misconceptions of the Protestant Reformation is that Martin Luther, being the face of this movement, supported every Protestant movement across Christendom. Nothing can be further from the truth. In his book, Eric Metaxas, leaves it clear how Martin Luther’s intention was never to lead the flock astray from the Church that Saint Peter built but rather return it to its pre-Council of Nicea origins. He truly believed, as many have for nearly two thousand years, that he was the rock upon which his church will be built. This comes directly from scripture:

“Upon this rock, I will build my church.” (Matthew 16: 13-19)

Regardless of which translation you use, or to which Christian denomination you belong to, what Jesus says here to Peter is clear as day. However, some have argued that it is not meant to be taken literally. Like many things in the bible, it is open to interpretation.

With this being stated, where else did Luther differ from other Protestants? If I were to give you a full list, it would comprise a full book. Even doing a 101 would mean doing a VERY LONG post. So I will keep it short by giving the easiest (yet popularly unknown) example:

Anabaptists.

That is all you need to know. If you are still baffled as to why Luther would be against them of all people, you have to remember what Luther believed, before AND after he broke away from his religious schism. The more the Catholic Church pushed back against him, the more disenchanted he became until he was pushed into a corner and he realized the only way to survive was to surround himself was aligning with the interests of his wealthy sponsors. Some of the German Princes who supported Luther did believe in his cause but there was also an ulterior motive as to why they supported him. His writings meant that they’d no longer be in bondage to the higher echelons in the Church. They would be free to tax and have free reign over terrestrial and spiritual domains.

But some Protestants did not like this concept. They thought that they needed to go further. Some of these splinter groups did not (initially) spoke out against Luther. They simply wanted to go their own way but Luther felt that the only way for his movement to be safe was to have a united front. Dissention (aka disagreement) was out of the question. So what did he do? He persecuted them. Their response: Just like Luther had been pushed into a corner, they pushed back and called him no better than the Catholic Bishops he rebelled against. The final outcome was an even more violent pushback against them where Luther spoke out IN FAVOR of Catholic persecution of these groups. Of all of them, the ones he hated the most were the Anabaptists. They were called as such because they did not believe in infant baptism. The argument behind this is that to fully accept the covenant with Christ, you have to be fully aware and within your mental capabilities. Infants cannot decide for themselves, therefore, they have to be older when they decide they want to be part of his flock. If an infant were to die BEFORE the age of consent, then he or she is automatically sent to heaven. They often quoted from the New Testament, from the four main gospels, where Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is closely tied to children. Till this day, there are other Christian denominations (among them the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Pentecostals, Revivalists, Seventh Day Adventists, Evangelical Free Churches, and Jehova’s Witnesses) that do not practice infant baptism.

“Send out your light and your truth;

    let them guide me.

Let them lead me to your holy mountain,

    to the place where you live.” -Psalm 43:3

                 I take for granted how significant places of worship can be for people, especially for those who stay in the same area for decades. I used to have this feeling for the church I grew up in, was called to ministry at, taught at, and even preached at.

              But, at age 17 there was a breakdown in leadership, my mentor stood up when he thought child abuse was going on, and he was kicked out. So, I left with him.

              During this time, and the church’s attempt to woo me back, I had this line of dialogue from “Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix” going through my brain:

“I see you are —”

“Dumbledore’s man through and through,” said Harry. “That’s right.”

              And with that sentiment, I joined my mentor at another local church. This second church was where I knew the pastor and had participated in a few events over the last few years of me being called to ministry. I knew some of the people so it wasn’t like starting over emotionally, but it was strange, and I never really fit.

              Eventually, I ended up cutting ties with this second church due to loyalty to the pastor, who got thrown under the bus by his congregation. My mentor had already left the church a couple of years earlier and went through his slice of Hell.

              I guess, if there is a point to this, is I value loyalty to a person over a group or organization. This comes from my Southern Baptist roots. While in undergrad and grad school I dug deep into exploring where Baptists and Anabaptist came from and the strengths and weaknesses of those doctrinal systems.

              This is also around the time I discovered Christian existentialism, Christian anarchy, Tolstoy’s spiritual writings, and Soren Kierkegaard in general.

              Anyone who knows me and has had life-affirming conversations with me knows that this was a pivotal coming together of a variety of thoughts, ideals, and experiences I was trying to make sense of.

              For those who are capable of remaining in the same ten-mile radius for their entire lives, I see how valuable a dedicated place of worship is.

              Throughout most of the Old Testament, the Israelites had places where they met God at. Of course, God was not LIMITED to that area, but part of human dynamics and even worship is routine.

              I am a vagabond and not by choice.

              There is a part of me that would love to find a place to set down roots (or even return to the small town I grew up in that several generations of my family lived), but I feel in my bones that it will never happen again.

              It’s strange how some Truth is so intrinsic that we accept it, even when to do so causes a measure of grief.

              And I think grief is the right word to use when someone leaves their homeland, when they have become detached from so many of the measures society uses to deem success, and when you are an alien and stranger in your own country.

              So, even though I will never experience an answer to the prayer in this Psalm, I get why having the luxury of normality is so important. I hope to always remain connected to the current church that I am a member of, but churches change with their people.

              From the age of 15-17, I had no idea how I would leave the church I grew up in. Going to university several hours away would mean needing to set up a new home church, but I got an unexpected push due to my loyalty to a person over an institution.

              Maybe one day when I have wrinkles and fingers that struggle to move from arthritis, I will have found a place to call home for the remainder of my days.

              Who knows?

              Not me.

              All I know is that my faith is equal parts journey and destination. The only way for the destination to make sense is to walk boldly into the journey I have been allotted.

                  “It is unearned love--the love that goes before, that greets us on the way. It's the help you receive when you have no bright ideas left, when you are empty and desperate and have discovered that your best thinking and most charming charm have failed you. Grace is the light or electricity or juice or breeze that takes you from that isolated place and puts you with others who are as startled and embarrassed and eventually grateful as you are to be there.”

(With a lot of references to the 2017 Toulouse production, which I highly recommend. I’d be more than happy to send links to anyone interested!)

Setting: Various locations in Holland and Germany; the 1530s (or in this production, what appears to be sometime…I’d say circa 1870.)

Act 1:

Gooooooooooooood morniiiiiiiiiiiiin’, Dordrecht, Holland! Except it’s not a good morning if you’re a peasant under the rule of the Comte d’Oberthal, who is a bit of a douchebag. In any case, the peasants are doing their early-morning-work thing and we meet Berthe, one of their number, who’s excited that she finally has a chance to get the heck out of Dodge and head off to marry her beloved Jean. Jean’s mother, Fidès, shows up to accompany her to their home in Leiden, and Berthe tells her they’ve got to get permission from Oberthal for her to leave and marry Jean (you would think they would have already done that, but nooooooooooo). On their way to the castle, they run into a trio of creepy Anabaptists who are dressed in 16th-century clothes despite the fact that literally everyone else looks like they’re from a Courbet painting or a Flaubert or Zola novel or *insert 19th-century French realist of your choice*. The Anabaptists do some creepy Latin singing and then basically start talking about how awesome Communism is and how the peasants need to overthrow their overlords. The peasants are down with this, but Oberthal isn’t and he comes in on the fakest horse to have ever fake-existed on an opera stage and yells at everyone for a bit. Then Berthe’s all like ‘hey, can I leave and marry this guy who saved me from drowning?’ and Oberthal’s like “NOPE I’M TAKING YOU FOR MYSELF because I can do what I want and I’m totally not a douchebag” and he arrests Berthe and Fidès and takes them back to his castle as the peasants stare at the audience like they’re on ‘The Office’.

Act 2:

Obligatory choral waltz at the inn in Leiden! We finally meet Jean, the innkeeper, Mr. Popular-With-The-People, good Christian boy, leading tenor who looks very cute in a Fluffy White Shirt, etc., and he’s looking forward to his mom and girlfriend coming back. Meanwhile the Anabaptists are there in 19th-century clothes because why not and they’re like ‘whoa that innkeeper dude looks like the David window in the cathedral in Münster so obviously we have to get him for our cause’ because that’s totally how picking religious leaders works and Jean sends everyone off to bed. The Anabaptists are all like ‘can we chat?’ and Jean decides to tell them about a prophetic dream he keeps having where he gets crowned, and then voices start cursing him and there’s destruction but then the voices start asking for mercy and the Anabaptists interpret this as ‘obviously you should be our leader it’s not like anything bad will happen’. Jean only wants to marry Berthe and live out his days in the countryside with her and his mom, though, and in what’s probably the last sensical decision anyone makes in this opera, he sends them off. Meanwhile, Berthe and Fidès have escaped, and Berthe shows up begging Jean to hide her, which he does. Oberthal shows up and questions Jean; Jean denies knowing anything; Oberthal reveals that his soldiers have captured Fidès and will kill her if Jean does not give Berthe back. Jean does Standard Tenor Indecisiveness Angst for a bit but decides to hand Berthe over, much to both women’s dismay. Fidès tried to make Jean feel better in a very cool aria and fails; the Anabaptists show up again and ask him to join them, saying he can get revenge on Oberthal. After more Standard Tenor Indecisiveness Angst, Jean agrees, and they sneak off while Fidès is asleep.

Act 3:

Three different places in the Anabaptists’ camp in a German forest.

Scene 1:

It’s winter. Life sucks, especially if you’re one of the Catholic nobles whom the Anabaptists have captured and are about to sadistically torture and/or rape, then execute. That happens. Mathisen, one of the Three Anabaptists, comes back and is like ‘yo, you should’ve waited until we got ransom money and stuff.’ At that point, a group of farmers and ballet dancers skates across a nearby pond and shows up with food and tutus for the Anabaptists (who don’t know what to do with the tutus, it’s rather amusing). Then the ballerinas dance and everyone thinks it’s the coolest thing ever. End scene.

Scene 2:

Oberthal has decided that the best course of action is to infiltrate the Anabaptist camp disguised as what appears to be a Wild West prospector because sure why not. He overhears the other two main Anabaptists, Jonas and Zacharie, decide to attack Münster with the hope of taking it over, and waltzes in (not literally) saying he wants to join them. Jonas and Zacharie, not recognizing him, pour drinks and make him swear to respect the poor but rob and kill all the nobles he can find (translation verbatim from the text: “Massacre! What a pleasure! Tra-la-la!”) Eventually, Oberthal takes his hat off and the Anabaptists immediately recognize him because of course and they seize him and demand he be executed. Jean comes in to investigate, and Oberthal reports that Berthe has escaped again and he has been told she is in Münster. He wants to go there and seek her forgiveness (yeah, suuuuuuuuuuuure). Jean decides to let him go.

Scene 3:

A few days later, the Anabaptists return from the attack on Münster, which has failed. The Anabaptists all blame each other, the people are upset, and they start to do what they do best-rebel. Jean gets pissed and makes them all pray, and then he has a vision of God leading them to Münster. Everybody gets super-excited and they decide to attack Münster again.

Act 4:

Münster.

Scene 1:

The Anabaptists’ second attack was indeed a success, and the Anabaptists have set up a government with Jean as prophet and unofficial leader. The populace of Münster is understandably not happy about this. Fidès has also shown up in Münster, having been led to believe that Jean has been murdered by the Prophet. She begs passers-by for money to pay for a Mass for Jean. Berthe and Fidès spot each other and are like ‘OMG IT’S YOU’. Berthe is like ‘I HEARD YOU CAME WITH JEAN WHERE’S MY BOYFRIEND’, Fidès is like ‘DESPITE NOT HAVING ANY REAL PROOF HE’S DEAD BECAUSE THE PROPHET KILLED HIM’, and the two get depressed for a bit but then decide they’ll take matters into their own hands, do the obviously-logical thing, and kill the Prophet. Berthe decides to go to the Prophet’s palace, find the Prophet, and kill him, and Fidès goes to the cathedral to pray...for Berthe’s success, I guess?

Scene 2:

As it so happens, Jean is about to be crowned King of Münster in the cathedral. There’s a big march, book-burning, a hymn, etc. Fidès prays while the Anabaptists do their thing. Eventually, Jean shows up and declares that he is the Son of God with no mother and Fidès is like ‘OMG YOU’RE ALIVE WTF I AM YOUR MOTHER” and everyone else is like “WTF” and Jean is like “oh no oh no” and the Anabaptists threaten to kill Fidès. Fidès starts going OFF about how she’s Jean’s mother and she loves him and everyone else is even more like “WTF” and then Jean’s like “WAIT SHE’S OBVIOUSLY INSANE”. He tells the Anabaptists to kill him if she says again that she is his mother, and then he does a weird pseudo-exorcism thing and asks her again if she is his mother. Fidès, not wanting her son to die, renounces her claim. Everyone else is like “OMG HE IS THE SON OF GOD HE CAN DO MIRACLES AND STUFF”, and the Anabaptists arrest Fidès.

Act 5:

Jean’s palace in Münster.

Scene 1:

In an underground prison, the Three Anabaptists learn that Catholic forces are about to take the city back and that they will be safe if they hand over Jean; they decide to betray Jean. Meanwhile, Fidès is dragged in and she has a Lot of Conflicting Feelings about the current situation and her son. An official announces that Jean wants to see her, and Fidès decides to forgive Jean with conditions, and prays that she can redeem him. Jean shows up and Fidès offers him the deal: she will forgive him if he renounced his titles, wealth, power, and followers and agrees to leave with her. After much Angst, he eventually agrees. Berthe, who has a long-lost relative who happens to be a palace worker, shows up and says that she is about to set some underground explosives she learned about from said relative on fire and blow the Prophet, his followers, and the palace up. She recognizes Jean and the three of them have a happy ‘let’s run away and live in the country together’ moment, and they probably could have done it had the official not shown up again at that moment. He’s all like ‘uh...Prophet, the Catholics are going to attack us and those three creepy Anabaptists are going to betray you.’ Berthe is VERY PISSED to learn that Jean is the Prophet, and she curses him and then commits suicide. Jean is like “WELL FML THEN” and decides to do what Berthe planned and suicide-bomb the palace. He tells a couple of Anabaptists to get Fidès out of the palace ASAP because he’s a mama’s boy at heart. They leave, and then he sets off the explosives.

Scene 2:

I am a Christian from the Anabaptist stream — a historic peace church that includes Mennonites and Amish — and I usually don’t vote for so-called pro-life candidates.

Why? Because the Anabaptist ideal, as I understand it, is that as followers of Jesus, we are to be as pro-life as possible in our complex world. (Some people use the term “completely pro-life,” which makes me wince a bit. Because humanly speaking, when are we consistently and completely anything?)

This means no killing. By abortion. Or the death penalty. Or of enemies, even in war.

You see where this leaves me? Given my faith perspective, to cast any vote is to have blood on my hands. I can find pro-birth candidates. But I have yet to find a completely pro-life politician in any party.

I found this super-interesting.  Particularly point seven, though all are smart and valid points and I recommend reading the entire piece.

Today is Thursday, January 17th, the 17th day of 2019. There are 348 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

1377: Pope Gregory XI enters Rome from Avignon, hoping to put down an Italian revolt against him. He will send Robert of Geneva (later antipope Clement VII) with a company of ferocious Breton adventurers to crush the rebellion with atrocities, but it will continue. In about a year, Gregory will die, leaving the situation worse than it was.

1525: Zurich City Council holds a public debate on infant baptism, which reformer Ulrich Zwingli has mandated as a covenantal act, but which Anabaptists such as Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz oppose, saying that baptism symbolizes a believer’s commitment to Christ and therefore must be entered into by adults with understanding.

1562: Edict of St. Germain is issued, allowing Huguenots to preach in France.

1677: Trial of Ludovick Muggleton, a fanatic religious leader who had gathered many followers and annoyed London authorities by claiming to be one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11 and publicly cursing opponents. He will be sentenced to stand in the pillory for three days in three sections of London, to pay a £500 fine (or go to jail), and to have his books publicly burned. The sect of Muggletonians had arisen under his teaching.

1705: Death in Essex, England, of John Ray, a naturalist and theologian. He systematized botanical classification and developed a theology that sought to understand God’s wisdom and power by studying created things. His system for classifying plants seems to have been the first to divide flowering plants into monocots and dicots.

1932: Death in London, England, of Charles Gore, founder of the Community of the Resurrection, an Anglican monastery. He had been an author, a bishop, and an advocate for social justice.

1945: Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish Lutheran diplomat, is last seen alive by his friends after Soviets take him into custody. His resourcefulness had saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during Nazi occupation. He will be remembered with other Righteous Gentiles in the Episcopal Church calendar on July 19.

1967: Death in Madagascar of Clara Clerget, French-born nun (Sister Anne-Marie of the Visitation), who had spent over fifty years as a missionary in Madagascar, most of it working with leprosy patients. Her radiant personality had attracted much attention and so she will be treated with high honors at her funeral.