7 Core Convictions of Anabaptists

INTRODUCTION


Some years ago, members of the Anabaptist Network in Britain and Ireland put together seven core convictions, our attempt to distill the essence of Anabaptism. Each expresses something we believe and then spells out the commitment to which the belief leads. We hope that many readers will find these core convictions as inspirational and challenging as we do.



Before that, however, please note four disclaimers:

FIRST: These convictions are an attempt by Anabaptists in Britain and Ireland today to learn from the Anabaptist tradition and apply its insights to contemporary issues. They are not an updated version of historic Anabaptist statements, and they deal with some issues that previous generations did not explore.

SECOND: The Anabaptist Network is a diffuse and diverse community with no membership criteria. We do not ask those who join to subscribe to our core convictions. Those who join presumably endorse at least some of them, but they are not an ideological filter. The core convictions express the priorities, concerns, and commitments of those who founded the Network and those who have helped shape it over recent years.

THIRD: These are convictions, not a creed. Anabaptists have generally been wary of fixed statements of faith, which imply there is no need to listen to others or to continue to wrestle with the Scripture. Creeds are concerned only with beliefs, but Anabaptists are equally interested in behavior. Creeds have often been used to silence, exclude, and persecute dissenters, rather than inviting ongoing conversations. Anabaptists have produced confessions, statements that are not intended to be comprehensive, but set out distinctive convictions and practices. These are always provisional, open to review in light of fresh insights.

FOURTH: The commitments spelled out in the core convictions are aspirations rather than achievements. As the first conviction indicates, Anabaptists interpret discipleship as “following” and are very reluctant to claim that they have “arrived”. But, beliefs do need to have a “so what” attached.







ANABAPTIST CORE CONVICTIONS

1. Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer, and Lord. He is the source of our life, the central reference point for our faith and lifestyle, for our understanding of church, and our engagement with society.We are committed to following Jesus as well as worshipping him.

2. Jesus is the focal point of God’s revelation. We are committed to a Jesus-centered approach to the Bible, and to the community of faith as the primary context in which we read the Bible and discern and apply its implications for discipleship.

3. Western culture is slowly emerging from the Christendom era, when church and state jointly presided over a society in which almost all were assumed to be Christian. Whatever its positive contributions on values and institutions, Christendom seriously distorted the gospel, marginalized Jesus, and has left the churches ill equipped for mission in a post-Christendom culture. As we reflect on this, we are committed to learning from the experience and perspectives of movements such as Anabaptism that rejected standard Christendom assumptions and pursued alternative ways of thinking and behaving.

4. The frequent association of the church with status, wealth, and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness. We are committed to exploring ways of being good news to the poor, powerless, and persecuted, aware that such discipleship may attract opposition, resulting in suffering and sometimes ultimately martyrdom.

5. Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountability, and multivoiced worship. As we eat together, sharing bread and wine, we sustain hope as we seek God’s kingdom together. We are committed to nurturing and developing such churches, in which young and old are valued, leadership is consultative, roles are related to gifts rather than gender, and baptism is for believers.

6. Spirituality and economics are interconnected. In an individualist and consumerist culture and in a world where economic injustice is rife, we are committed to finding ways of living simply, sharing generously, caring for creation, and working for justice.

7. Peace is at the heart of the gospel. As followers of Jesus in a divided and violent world, we are committed to finding nonviolent alternatives and to learning how to make peace between individuals, within and among churches, in society and between nations.