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Chapter 21. Protesting against the Protestants: Anabaptism and the Radical Reformation. Questions to be addressed in this chapter. Who were the Anabaptists and where did the term “Anabaptist ” come from? What did the Anabaptists believe that was distinct from the Magisterial Reformers?
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Chapter 21 Protesting against the Protestants: Anabaptism and the Radical Reformation
Questions to be addressed in this chapter • Who were the Anabaptists and where did the term “Anabaptist” come from? • What did the Anabaptists believe that was distinct from the Magisterial Reformers? • Who were important figures in the Anabaptist movement? • What were the other significant movements of the Radical Reformation?
Origins of Anabaptism • Some of Zwingli’s followers disagreed on the nature of baptism, holding it to be a symbol, not a means of regeneration. • This was to be pursued as adult believers, not as infants, so many were “re-baptized”. • 1527 the Schleitheim Confession was ratified, declaring Anabaptist beliefs.
Hubmaier on Baptism “Baptism signifies not the putting away of the flesh but the certain knowledge of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. . . . From this every pious Christian sees and grasps that the one who wants to be baptized with water must beforehand have the certain knowledge of a good conscience toward God through the Word of God. That is, that he is certain and sure to have a gracious and favorable God through the resurrection of Christ. From that we still have the custom of asking at baptism: ‘Do you believe in God the Father, etc. and in Jesus Christ, etc. Do you believe in the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body, and eternal life?’ And he who wants to be baptized answers: ‘Yes.’” (p. 357)
Anabaptist beliefs and practices • Shared the Protestant belief that every Christian has the right to interpret the Bible as he or she understands it. • Baptism is for believers. • There is a need for a personal, devoted relationship to God through discipleship to Christ and his teachings. • They emphasized the communal nature of the Christian life and separateness from the world.
Anabaptist heroes • BalthasarHubmaier (c. 1480-1528) was persecuted by Zwingli for baptizing adults. • Dirk Willems was martyred even though he saved his prison guard from drowning. • Menno Simons (1496-1561) assumed leadership of the Dutch Anabaptists following the Münster Rebellion. His writings, message, convictions, and character are revered by Anabaptists (particularly Mennonites) to this day.
Other movements in the Radical Reformation • Spiritualists like Schwenkfeld (c. 1490-1561) and George Fox (1624-1691) rejected external forms of religiosity and emphasized the internal role of the Holy Spirit in guiding believers. • Anti-Trinitarian rationalists like Michael Servetus (1511-1553) and Faustus Socinus (1539-1604) were leading figures of the movement that emphasized human reason and rejected the doctrine of the Trinity.
Summary of main points • The Anabaptists were a group of Protestant Reformers in the sixteenth century who were called “Anabaptists” because they were baptized again as adults—rejecting their infant baptism as unbiblical. • In contrast to the Roman Catholics and Magisterial Reformers, the Anabaptists held to believer’s baptism and a freedom of religion from the state. • BalthasarHubmaier and Menno Simons provided doctrinal and practical leadership to Anabaptist groups during times of intense persecution. • Besides the Anabaptists, two other major movements within the Radical Reformation were the spiritualists and the anti-Trinitarian rationalists.
