Radicals & Reformers: A Survey of Global Anabaptist History

by Troy Osborne

With Bibles and baptism, a movement was born. From renegade gatherings of Christian believers in the 1500s to a global communion of more than 2.1 million members, the Anabaptist-Mennonite movement has been marked by faithfulness and failure, continuity and conflict, radicalism and reformation. In this engaging history, Radicals and Reformers traces the origins and development of the Anabaptist and Mennonite movements from their beginnings in Europe through their spread across the globe. In this new authoritative introduction to Anabaptist history, historian Troy Osborne reflects on the ways that Anabaptists have defined their identity in new settings and in response to new theological, intellectual, geographic, and political contexts. Drawing from current scholarship and a range of written and visual sources, this book provides an overview of how Mennonites from Zurich to Zimbabwe have adapted to or resisted the world around them.

Genres: History

399 pages, Paperback

Published June 4, 2024

Reviews

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025 is considered to be the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism because it was in 1525 when a group of reformers in Zurich, Switzerland began baptizing each other as adults. Thus five centuries of history is covered by this book, beginning with the Radical Reformation of the sixteenth century and continuing on to the present. During that time groups adhering to its practices have spread from its European origins to other parts of the world until the numbers of Anabaptists living in Asia, African, and Latin American now exceed the membership living in Europe and North America.

The term “anabaptist” means “re-baptism” and was originally used as a demeaning nickname that has since evolved into an accepted identifying label for those groups. The descendants of the early Anabaptists are today generally identified as members of denominations such as Mennonite, Amish, Hutterite, Brethren in Christ and Church of the Brethren. Details of beliefs and practices vary widely among these groups, but they generally hold to an understanding of Christianity that practices adult baptism and non-participation in war. They also resisted cooperation with State Churches which at the time in the 1500s was considered to be disloyal and even an insurrectionist act. Consequently Anabaptists were often punished and even martyred.

The instigators of the German Peasants War of 1524-1525 and the Münster rebellion of 1534 were also referred to as Anabaptists thus were feared and hated by governmental officials and the State churches. The Anabaptists who survived were the ones who carried on the Anbaptist vision of non-resistance and peaceful life.

The subsequent history of Anabaptism is similar to other Christian churches in that they participated in sending of missionaries throughout the world during the colonial era and planted churches that are today growing while membership in many North American churches are becoming smaller. This book provides summary coverage of these centuries of growth and expansion, and in the concluding chapters discusses recent events in the story of Anabaptism.

Near the end of the book the author provides the following:

This book has tried to tell a complicated history of the Anabaptists—one that does not cover up or explain away moments of hypocrisy, failure, or conflict. Rather than self-flagellation, these stories are intended to inspire and instruct in a way that I hope can be usable to those who see themselves as part of the tradition.

The following is a list of chapter titles to give a feel for the breath of coverage:

1"Good and Right Order": Late Medieval Christendom
2 Repentance and Reform: Radicals in Swiss Lands
3 South German Anabaptists: Mysticism and Community of Goods
4 Apocalypticism in the North: Melchior, Münster, and the Mennonites
5 The Earth Is the Lord's: Seeking the Peace of the City
6 Renewal and Revitalization: Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Anabaptists
7 Movement and Modernity: The Nineteenth Century
8 To the Ends of the Earth: Anabaptist Missions
9 Age of Cataclysm: 1914-45
10 A Transformational Era: 1945-present
11 Continuity and Change: Anabaptists in Africa
12 Conversion and Adaptation: Anabaptists in Asia
13 Migration and Mission: Latin American Anabaptists
14 Renewed Identities and New Realities in the West
15 Faith in Changing Times: Evangelism, Anabaptism, and the Old Orders in the Twentieth Century
Conclusion: The Ties That Bind a Global Movement

[Simon Wiebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Troy Osborne spannt einen Bogen von der Reformationszeit bis in die Gegenwart. Das Besondere? Er fokussiert sich auf die migrantischen Phänomene. Er gibt einen sehr guten Überblick darüber, wie mennonitische Gemeinden im deutschsprachigen Raum, russischen Reich, in Indien, Indonesien, Paraguay, Simbabwe, Mexiko, … entstanden sind. Er betont, dass mittlerweile „der klassische Mennonit“ kein weißer Nordamerikaner ist, sondern eine afrikanische Frau. Habe viel neues gelernt und muss noch einiges an Hausaufgaben insbesondere über die Entstehungen in Asien und Afrika nachholen. Einen halben Stern Abzug würde ich geben, weil mir die Fußnoten an manchen Stellen gefehlt haben. Das ist echt schade!!

[Jeremy Garber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Troy Osborne, professor of theology and historical studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, provides a welcome and readable introduction to the world history of Anabaptism that looks beyond Germany, Russia, Canada, and the United States. Osborne utilizes the latest research (including his own) to chart the growth of Anabaptists to Amish, Mennonites, Brethren and beyond, from the Radical Reformation in Europe to South Korea, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and across the globe. An excellent introduction for casual readers and a prime textbook for undergraduate and graduate students alike.

[Shirley Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book performs an extraordinary service to students of Anabaptist and Mennonite history and cultures. Since so much identity comes from history, it also has real potential to influence the future of the churches it describes. To start in the year 1476, end in the year 2023, and to discuss literally hundreds of variations in scores of countries, is to tackle an enormous task! Troy Osborne is to Anabaptism what Diderot was to the Enlightenment.

In addition to the enormous scope and range this book attempts to make comprehendible, if not comprehensive, the author has to choose a stance. Will he select hagiography and write a litany of the saints? Or will he focus on the underside of history, exposing flaws, weaknesses, blind spots, sins? Osborne gently and skillfully guides the reader through familiar stories of courage while also lifting up recent exposés of compromise and harm (for example in Nazi Germany) both in the collective story of the past and in the failures of individuals.

From the consensus around "The Anabaptist Vision" to the recognition of counter stories and multiple influences in the original movement and from white, western historians to voices representing the diversity of the global church today, Osborne selects from the enormous bibliography and attempts to portray multiple stories in all their complexity.

This is especially hard to do in a single volume. Undoubtedly, some important stories were left out. Hopefully, some young historians will be inspired by this work and prepare to pick up the story again.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Troy Osborne has undertaken a very ambitious project—covering 500 years of Anabaptist history worldwide in one volume. His personal academic background in Dutch Anabaptist history shows in his review of the 16th-century Anabaptist movement, which included very diverse elements.

Parts of the later international story rely heavily on the Global Anabaptist Mennonite History volumes, but Osborne summarizes the many variations in the backgrounds and theological orientations in places like Latin America.

I wish the volume had more comprehensive documentation. Radicals & Reformers is, at heart, a survey of many narrower survey histories. To be more helpful to students, fuller and more frequent notes would be a great help. I wonder if the publisher restricted the number and details in the notes.