Mennonite

The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons. They are one of the peace churches, which hold to a doctrine of non-violence, non-resistance and pacifism.

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Their core beliefs, deriving from Anabaptist traditions are:

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• Baptism of believers understood as threefold: Baptism by the spirit (internal change of heart), Baptism by water (public demonstration of witness), and baptism by blood (martyrdom and asceticism).
• Church discipline understood as threefold : Confession of Sins, Absolution of Sin, and Re-admission of Sinner in the church.
• The Lord's Supper as Memorial, shared by baptised believers within the discipline of the church.

One of the earliest expressions of their faith was the Schleitheim Confession, adopted in February 24, 1527.

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Its seven articles covered:

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• Believer's Baptism
• The Ban (Excommunication)
• Breaking of Bread (Communion)
• Separation from the Abomination (The Roman Catholic Church)
• Pastors in the Church
• Renunciation of the Sword (Nonviolence, pacifism)
• Renunciation of the Oath (Swearing as Proof of Truth)

Because the authority within the Mennonite Church does not flow from top-down, there is no concrete creed or catechism of which acceptance is required by congregations or members. However there are leadership structures and tradition that is taught and sometimes codified as in the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective.

Mennonite: Theology ►



 

Christian: :This article is about the religious people known as Christians; for the 1980s British music group, see The Christians.For other uses of the term Christian, see Christian (disambiguation)....

Anabaptist: Anabaptists (Greek ana+baptizo "re-baptizers", German: Wiedert?ufer) are Christians of the so-called radical wing of the Protestant Reformation. The term was coined by critics, who objected to the practice of performing baptism for adults whose previous baptism, as infants, the Anabaptists claimed w...

Menno Simons: Menno Simons (1496–1561) was an Anabaptist religious leader from the Dutch province of Friesland. His followers became known as Mennonites. Cf. Protestant reformers....




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