Conservative Anabaptism

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Conservative Anabaptism includes theologically conservative Anabaptist denominations, both in doctrine and practice. [1] Conservative Anabaptists, along with Old Order Anabaptists and assimilated mainline Anabaptists, are a subset of the Anabaptist branch of Christianity. [1] [2]

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Conservative Anabaptists adhere to Anabaptist doctrine, such as the belief in nonresistance and the observance of plain dress (including the headcovering), while making judicious use of modern technology. [1] Ordinances commonly observed in many Conservative Anabaptist churches include "baptism, communion, footwashing, marriage, anointing with oil, the holy kiss, and the prayer covering." [3]

Conservative Anabaptists may have Sunday school, hold revival meetings, or operate their own Christian schools (parochial schools). [1] [4] Additionally, Conservative Anabaptist fellowships are often engaged in evangelism and missionary work; a 1993 report showed that Conservative Anabaptist denominations in general grew by fifty percent overall within the previous fifteen years. [5]

Among Conservative Anabaptists are the Dunkard Brethren Church, Conservative Mennonites, and Beachy Amish, as well as the Bruderhof Communities, Apostolic Christian Church and the Charity Christian Fellowship. [6] Conservative Anabaptists form 15% of Anabaptist Christianity as a whole. [1]

In response to a perceived laxity in adherence to Anabaptist doctrine and practice, certain Conservative Anabaptist denominations, such as the Biblical Mennonite Alliance and the Dunkard Brethren Church, were formed after adherents separated from their parent (usually mainline Anabaptist) bodies; [7] [8] on the other hand, the Beachy Mennonites are composed of individuals who left Old Order Anabaptist groups and "were deeply committed to evangelism and mission work." [9] Other Conservative Anabaptist denominations, such as Charity Christian Fellowship, have been organized by people from diverse backgrounds. [10]

Beside The Still Waters is a daily devotional widely used by Conservative Anabaptists. [11]

Related Research Articles

Anabaptism is a Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation in the 16th century. Anabaptists believe that baptism is valid only when candidates freely confess their faith in Christ and request to be baptized. Commonly referred to as believer's baptism, it is opposed to baptism of infants, who are not able to make a conscious decision to be baptized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mennonites</span> Anabaptist groups originating in Western Europe

Mennonites are a group of Anabaptist Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Reformation. The name Mennonites is derived from the excommunicated Roman-Catholic chaplain Menno Simons (1496–1561) from Friesland, part of the Holy Roman Empire, present day Netherlands. Menno Simons became a prominent leader within the wider Anabaptist movement and was a contemporary of Martin Luther (1483–1546) and Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560). Through his writings about the Reformation Simons articulated and formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss Anabaptist founders as well as early teachings of the Mennonites founded on the belief in both the mission and ministry of Jesus. Formal Mennonite beliefs were codified in the Dordrecht Confession of Faith (1632), which affirmed "the baptism of believers only, the washing of the feet as a symbol of servanthood, church discipline, the shunning of the excommunicated, the non-swearing of oaths, marriage within the same church", strict pacifistic physical nonresistance, anti-Catholicism and in general, more emphasis on "true Christianity" involving "being Christian and obeying Christ" as they interpret it from the Holy Bible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plain people</span> Simple lifestyle Christians

Plain people are Christian groups in the United States, characterized by separation from the world and by simple living, including plain dressing in modest clothing. Many plain people have an Anabaptist background. These denominations are largely of German, Swiss German and Dutch ancestry, though people of diverse backgrounds have been incorporated into them. Conservative Friends are traditional Quakers who are also considered plain people; they come from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schwarzenau Brethren</span> German Anabaptist group founded 1708

The Schwarzenau Brethren, the German Baptist Brethren, Dunkers, Dunkards, Tunkers, or sometimes simply called the German Baptists, are an Anabaptist group that dissented from Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed European state churches during the 17th and 18th centuries. German Baptist Brethren emerged in some German-speaking states in western and southwestern parts of the Holy Roman Empire as a result of the Radical Pietist revival movement of the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunkard Brethren Church</span>

The Dunkard Brethren Church is a Conservative Anabaptist denomination of the Schwarzenau Brethren tradition, which organized in 1926 when they withdrew from the Church of the Brethren in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brethren in Christ Church</span> Brethren in Christ denomination

The Brethren in Christ Church (BIC) is a Christian denomination. Falling within the Anabaptist tradition of Christianity, the Brethren in Christ Church has roots in the Mennonite church, with influences from the revivals of Radical Pietism and the holiness movement. They have also been known as River Brethren and River Mennonites. The Canadian denomination is called Be In Christ.

The Rosedale Network of Churches is a Christian body of Mennonite churches in the Anabaptist tradition. Rosedale Network of Churches was originally formed in 1910 by a group of Amish Mennonites to promote unity while preserving autonomy of the local congregation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anabaptist theology</span> Theological tradition reflecting the doctrine of the Anabaptist Churches

Anabaptist theology, also known as Anabaptist doctrine, is a theological tradition reflecting the doctrine of the Anabaptist Churches. The major branches of Anabaptist Christianity agree on core doctrines but have nuances in practice. While the adherence to doctrine is important in Anabaptist Christianity, living righteously is stressed to a greater degree.

Peace churches are Christian churches, groups or communities advocating Christian pacifism or Biblical nonresistance. The term historic peace churches refers specifically only to three church groups among pacifist churches:

Nonresistance is "the practice or principle of not resisting authority, even when it is unjustly exercised". At its core is discouragement of, even opposition to, physical resistance to an enemy. It is considered as a form of principled nonviolence or pacifism which rejects all physical violence, whether exercised on individual, group, state or international levels. Practitioners of nonresistance may refuse to retaliate against an opponent or offer any form of self-defense. Nonresistance is often associated with particular religious groups, such as Anabaptist Christianity.

Amish Mennonites came into existence through reform movements among North American Amish mainly between 1862 and 1878. These Amish moved away from the old Amish traditions and drew near to the Mennonites, becoming Mennonites of Amish origin. Over the decades, most Amish Mennonites groups removed the word "Amish" from the name of their congregations or merged with Mennonite groups.

The Beachy Amish Mennonites, also known as the Beachy Amish or Beachy Mennonites, are a Conservative Anabaptist tradition of Christianity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radical Pietism</span> Pietists who broke with Lutheranism

Radical Pietism are those Christian churches who decided to break with denominational Lutheranism in order to emphasize certain teachings regarding holy living. Radical Pietists contrast with Church Pietists, who chose to remain within their Lutheran denominational settings. Radical Pietists distinguish between true and false Christianity and hold that the latter is represented by established churches. They separated from established churches to form their own Christian denominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plain dress</span> Clothing worn by some religious groups

Plain dress is a practice among some religious groups, primarily some Christian churches in which people dress in clothes of traditional modest design, sturdy fabric, and conservative cut. It is intended to show acceptance of traditional gender roles, modesty, and readiness to work and serve, and to preserve communal identity and separation from the immodest, ever-changing fashions of the world. For men, this often takes the form of trousers secured by suspenders, while for women, plain dress usually takes the form of a cape dress along with a headcovering.

Conservative Mennonites include numerous Conservative Anabaptist groups that identify with the theologically conservative element among Mennonite Anabaptist Christian fellowships, but who are not Old Order groups or mainline denominations.

A Seeker is a person likely to join an Old Order Anabaptist community, like the Amish, the Old Order Mennonites, the Hutterites, the Old Order Schwarzenau Brethren or the Old Order River Brethren. Among the 500,000 members of such communities in the United States there are only an estimated 1,200 to 1,300 outsiders who have joined them.

Brethren is a name adopted by a wide range of mainly Christian religious groups throughout history. The largest movement is Anabaptist.

Charity Ministries, also called Charity Christian Fellowship, is a Conservative Anabaptist network of churches that was formed in 1982 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kapp (headcovering)</span>

A kapp is a Christian headcovering worn by many women of certain Anabaptist Christian denominations, as well as certain Conservative Friends and Plain Catholics, in obedience to Paul the Apostle's command in 1 Corinthians 11:2–10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanging veil</span> Type of Christian headcovering

A hanging veil, also known as a flowing veil or charity veil, is a type of Christian headcovering, which is worn by some Christian women continually, in obedience to Paul the Apostle's command in 1 Corinthians 11:2–10. Hanging veils enjoy popularity in a diverse array of Christian denominations, especially those of the Anabaptist Christian tradition. In certain Conservative Mennonite Anabaptist congregationations of the Beachy Amish Mennonite tradition, an opaque hanging veil is permitted as an alternative to the kapp if it covers as much or more hair as the kapp, which traditionally is "of ample size to cover most of the hair". Opaque hanging veils are usually white or black in colour for modesty. Hanging veils are designed to drape over the natural curves of a woman's head and hang down a woman's neck. Certain denominations of Christianity provide guidelines regarding the headcovering; the Ministry Training Center of the Biblical Mennonite Alliance, for example, teaches:

A veiling shall be worn by the sisters. We believe the best application of the headship principle as taught in I Corinthians 11 is for the veiling to be worn as a part of their regular attire to cover hair that is allowed to grow to its natural length. Ladies shall wear all their hair neatly up, avoiding fashion extremes, covered with a hanging veil, scarf, or traditional Mennonite covering of sufficient size to substantially cover the hair. Hanging veils and scarves must cover at least from the crown of the head to the bottom of the hair bun.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Weaver-Zercher, David (15 March 2016). Martyrs Mirror: A Social History. JHU Press. pp. 222–223. ISBN   978-1-4214-1882-7.
  2. ↑ Anderson, Cory; Anderson, Jennifer (2019). Fitted to Holiness: How Modesty is Achieved and Compromised among the Plain People. Millersburg: Acorn Publishing. pp. 210–211.
  3. ↑ Hartzler, Rachel Nafziger (30 April 2013). No Strings Attached: Boundary Lines in Pleasant Places: A History of Warren Street / Pleasant Oaks Mennonite Church. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN   978-1-62189-635-7.
  4. ↑ Bronner, Simon J. (4 March 2015). Encyclopedia of American Folklife. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-317-47194-3.
  5. ↑ Myers, Tim. "Why I Am a Conservative Mennonite". Pilgrim Mennonite Conference. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  6. ↑ Brunn, Stanley D. (3 February 2015). The Changing World Religion Map: Sacred Places, Identities, Practices and Politics. Springer. p. 365. ISBN   978-94-017-9376-6.
  7. ↑ Kraybill, Donald B. (1 November 2010). Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites. JHU Press. p. 240. ISBN   978-0-8018-9911-9.
  8. ↑ Lewis, James R. (March 2001). The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions. Prometheus Books. p. 139. ISBN   978-1-61592-738-8.
  9. ↑ Kurian, George Thomas; Lamport, Mark A. (10 November 2016). Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 216. ISBN   978-1-4422-4432-0.
  10. ↑ "About Us". Charity Christian Fellowship. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  11. ↑ Roth, John D. (24 November 2014). "Devoted nonconformity". Anabaptist World. Retrieved 16 May 2022.

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