The Anabaptist Vision Analysis

A Summary and Interpretation of “The Anabaptist Vision” In 1944, Harold S. Bender wrote the “The Anabaptist Vision”, which was to reassure the Anabaptists faith, especially during the era of war and poverty in World War II. Violence, hardship, and suffering was felt by the entire world and many people felt lost and restless. Bender encouraged people, particularly the Anabaptists and Mennonites, by retelling the history of the Anabaptist faith which was also full of hardships and suffering. Consequently, it was to explain the origin and reason behind the Anabaptist faith and to possibly remind the people of why they had chosen to become Anabaptists. Bender mentioned the following three distinct points to prove his argument: new conception of the essence of Christianity as discipleship, a new conception of the church as a brotherhood, and a new ethic of love and non-resistance (14). First, Bender stated that Christianity, in an Anabaptist’s perspective, is a form of discipleship to Christ. They believed that faith must be expressed in an outwardly manner. For example, if a person were to experience repentance, then s/he must prove it by actively making a positive difference in his/her daily actions. Furthermore, due to their pious actions, Anabaptists often garnered hatred and criticism

He reminds the Anabaptists of 1944 that their faith is rooted upon peaceful thinking. They should not and do not engage in violent actions such as war, vengeance, and/or taking arms contradictory to the environment that existed in World War II. They believe that all of these actions are unnecessary because they are “no longer under the Old Covenant” (21) and as previously stated, Jesus have already overcome the world. Therefore, Anabaptists, despite the hardships of the war, remained pacifists because of their love of God and love of their