Anabaptist Essentials: Ten Signs of a Unique Christian Faith

by Palmer Becker

What is the essence of Anabaptism? Jesus. Community. Reconciliation. These sum up the core values of Anabaptist faith and life, writes pastor Palmer Becker in this concise new resource. In Anabaptist Essentials , Becker introduces readers to the key convictions and practices of Anabaptism, the Christian tradition of the Amish, Mennonites, and Brethren in Christ. From the believers within a sixteenth-century movement to those today who try to follow Jesus, create community, and practice peace, Anabaptists have a rich witness to offer the wider world. Designed for study by small groups and for use as a resource for Christian formation and conversation, this clear, readable guide to what makes Anabaptism unique will equip readers to live out a more radical commitment to Jesus.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology, Faith, Christianity

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2017

Reviews

[Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise look at the beliefs of the Anabaptists, of which I am one. Good review for those who already know this information and a good introduction for those who are beginning to inquire.

[Daniel Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to learn more about what Anabaptist believe. In that regard it was helpful! For that I give it 5 stars.

However, the Bible strongly disagrees that we are saved by faith and “joyful obedience.” Page 170. “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬. Obedience comes after salvation NOT before! Neither are we saved by obeying Christ commands for that is also a work. Ephesians 2:8-9 it’s very clear that we are not saved by works.

Also to interpret the Bible “through Jesus” as the author says is to ignore other Bible passages that contradict what Anabaptists believe(non violence for example). Jesus upheld that ALL the Bible is the Word of God not just the sermon on mount or the Gospels.

If you are an AnaBaptist, I would ask you why do you not emphasize justification by faith? It is the core tenant of salvation. See Romans 5:1, 3:26, Galatians 2:16, 3:24, etc.

[Jaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives an overview of some of the ideas emphasized within the Anabaptist tradition. I can imagine recommending it to both those in Anabaptist communities who wish for a better orientation to the vocabulary and categories in their environment or to those looking in from the outside who are trying to make sense of what they’re seeing. This book won’t explicitly help anybody make sense of cultural peculiarities within conservative Anabaptist churches. It’ll give some context, though.

[Sarah M. Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book for understanding what differentiates the “middle way” or “third way” of Anabaptists from other expressions of Christianity.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was some helpful information here regarding Anabaptist theology basics and an explanation of the tradition's emphasis on three points: 1) Jesus is the center of our faith; 2) Community is the center of our life; 3) Reconciliation is the center of our work. Becker did fairly well in explicating what these emphases look like in the everyday life of Anabaptists both in the past and currently. That said, I think many other Christians in the tradition would take issue with the way that other Christian traditions or readings of history are discussed , which is why I gave this a lower rating. I think this text could be most helpful for someone fairly experienced and well read in the larger Christian tradition who doesn't know much about Anabaptism and can make their own considered judgments about the author's claims.

[Vincent Waldron · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the beginning of most non-fiction books, I typically ask myself what audience the author is writing for. In this case, Palmer Becker seems to be writing for those who have limited experience with Anabaptist (mostly Mennonite) church groups. In this short book, he attempts to summarize what separates Anabaptist groups from Protestant denominations.

He says that Anabaptists (1) See Christ as central to their faith -- that is Anabaptists look at all of the Bible through the lens of Jesus. (2) See community as center to their life -- seeing accountability and presence in a group as crucial to discipleship. (3) See reconciliation as central to their work -- the Christian life is lived through grace and forgiveness.

All well and good, but I think the book is fairly simplistic, summarizes centuries of history in a few paragraphs, and trivializes the differences between conservative and liberal Anabaptist congregations. For all of the emphasis on reconciliation, Anabaptist history is littered with church splits and challenging relationships.

More than that, Becker speaks of other Protestant groups in ways that make me wonder if they would recognize themselves. Do other church groups have community? Do they not make Christ central? Because I attend a Mennonite church, I suppose I understand what he is trying to get at, but I have a feeling that many people would have difficulty seeing themselves and their Protestant groups in the broad brush with which he paints these groups.

I suppose this might be a decent primer to the subject, but I would try to get a different book -- maybe something by David Bercot -- to understand what makes conservative Anabaptist groups tick.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a good amount of fiction set in Amish or Mennonite communities. Because of this, I decided I needed to learn more about the actual core beliefs of these groups of people to understand them better. In one sense, this book was very helpful in that it helped me understand how Anabaptist beliefs came into existence and how they differ with those of Catholics and protestants during the reformation. In another sense, it left me feeling frustrated and a bit confused because it did not spend much time explaining the differences and similarities among the groups the book says it covers. In addition, most of the sources quoted come from Mennonite scholarship and Mennonite leadership, and I don’t think that allows the differences in beliefs to show clearly for people living in Amish or Bretherine communities. I freely admit that it is also possible that there are less differences among these groups then among denominations with protestants. However, Amish communities are more insular, and it seems that at least in some areas, they have rather sharply different beliefs or ways of living out those beliefs. Despite this, the book is worth reading because it does explain the core beliefs and how people who join Anabaptist communities are expected to live day to day.

[Moriah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one night. It inspired me to think about my faith more deeply. I was hoping to learn a little more about the history of the Anabaptists - and the quick overview of history was a delight to read, mentioning names like Menno Simons that I remember from childhood literature readings (from Rod & Staff). I appreciate how Becker distinguished the Munsterites from the rest of the Anabaptists -- I've seen online how the Anabaptists were allegedly violent, but no, it was a smaller group that broke away from the norm of nonviolence and martyrdom to take over one city.

I don't 100% agree with the author's presentation of theology as slightly relative, but I understand that the intention behind presenting the ideas non-dogmatically. Plus, not being argumentative might perhaps make the message more easily taken by a reader coming from another Christian perspective. There were several points at which I'm in line with Anabaptist viewpoints, a few I'm uncertain on, and perhaps one or two I am not currently in perspective with. The read of this book is prompting me to evaluate my theology and perspective and see if I can, perhaps, know with more certainty what I believe (and ought to believe) and which tradition best expresses my heart beliefs.

[Anieta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third way, Anabaptism: how it came about, and the essentials of Anabaptism explained simply and clearly. Author Palmer Becker begins with a brief history and theological premises, and then moves to the components of Anabaptists three key tenants. For Anabaptists historically, Jesus is the center of our faith; community is the center of our life, and reconciliation is the center of our work.

Jesus as center includes discipleship, interpreting scripture through Jesus, and Jesus as Lord.

Community includes community discernment, accountability to the community, and the essential element of forgiveness.

Reconciliation's key component includes peace making, not just pacifism and includes reconciliation to God and community, and uses nonmilitary efforts to work at conflicts with the world in a nonmilitary.

As a grafted in (not an ethnic Mennonite, a branch of Anabaptism), Becker confirmed what I see in the Mennonites I know, clarified my interpretation of observation, and affirmed my choice to belong to The Third Way.

[Lavon Herschberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and concise summary of the points of the Christian faith that Anabaptists tend to emphasize.

Can easily come across with a “holier than thou” attitude toward other faith traditions, even though the author specifically mentions this tendency and how he wanted to avoid it.

Also, I’m sure other denominations may take offense and say “but we believe that too!” for many of the Anabaptist essentials, such as Jesus being the center of our faith. However, like the author says, let’s learn from each other and remember that many of us have the same goal: bringing honor to God.

[Tim Chesterton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. A little over-simplistic at times, but I think that’s the nature of the kind of book he was trying to write. I would have enjoyed something twice as long and without the charts and diagrams, but that would have been an entirely different kind of book. And when it came right down to it, in 173 pages there were only two or three times when I found myself shaking my head and saying “No, that’s not right’. Three times in 173 pages can’t be bad (especially as I’m an Anglican!).

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great short, to the point, overview of Anabaptist beliefs and values. I found it good to read, some for the first time and some reaffirming, the core of how Anabaptists seek to live out their christian faith. We in our denomination (MB) seem to have forgotten the work of reconciliation. Recommend it highly.

[Adam Houser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frames the Anabaptist faith in an understandable and meaningful way. This book does not put down other faith streams, but does compare other traditions to the Anabaptist tradition. This really is an essential read for anyone curious about Anabaptist faith traditions, such as the Mennonites, Amish, Bruderhof, Brethren, etc.

[Laura Wiebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not finished yet, but this is a very short book which will take a long time to get through--as most chapters just kick off a whole new area of study. Best read with others in a discussion group. Thank you Palmer Becker for this wonderful resource.

[Daniel Stepke · Rating 5 out of 5]

phenomenal! this book codified for me many of my former intuitions concerning the nature of christianity, and thus was deeply validating--i think i can with confidence call myself an anabaptist christian if this book accurately represents christianity

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A more in depth look at what is important in Anabaptist faith, building off Becker's famous quote Jesus is the center of our faith, community is the center of our lives, reconciliation is the center of our work.

[marcus miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick reading summary of Anabaptist thought with a little bit of history.

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book that we worked through in my Sunday School class.

[Joshua Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very easily readable, clear, and concise. A great resource to use to articulate the distinctives of the Anabaptist traditions to those who are both old and new to them.

[A.J. Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise introduction with many helpful illustrations of the concepts discussed.

[GERALD GENTRY · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't agree with all their doctrine, but it did give me insight into what they believe.

[Matthew Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little primer

[Angie Barnes]

required reading that was helpful in recognizing and articulating the emphases of Anabaptism which shape my own theology.

[Ike Unger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful brief overview of essential Anabaptist theology. This is a great introduction to Anabaptism.

[Tim Cruickshank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this one, which make reading it tough. Becker is great at concisely communicating and providing a unified choice to Anabaptistism. At the same time, it's very, very simple at times and I feel like he could've pushed further with some ideas, such as reconciliation, which he only communicates as important vertically, horizontally with others, and in nonviolence. Anabaptists also have a tradition of working for justice, which hardly gets mentioned.

[Marika Gillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! This.

This book beautifully sums up the reason why I am an Anabaptist. My beliefs about God, Jesus, the Bible, and the way that we are supposed to "be" in this world are wonderfully represented by this short book. I will definitely read this one again and refer to it often!

[Larry Epp · Rating 4 out of 5]

11 chapters reviewing what makes Anabaptist's version of Christianity unique. Simple language, avoids jargon. Good graphics.