This book presents selections from writings of the Anabaptist movement which illustrate their distinctive approach to Christian spirituality. The Anabaptists of the sixteenth century were for centuries disparaged as fanatics, revolutionaries and heretics, and ridiculed as the illegitimate "stepchildren" of the Protestant Reformation. Yet a close examination of their writings reveals a profound concern for Christian discipline, concrete and practical love for others and devotion to God. Their emphasis on free will, simplicity of faith, the corporate nature of Christian spirituality and the necessity to live according to the precepts and example of Jesus were themes they shared with the medieval monasticism of the Catholic Church. At the same time, they shared with Protestants their rejection of the penitential system of salvation. Increasingly, contemporary theologians and spiritual leaders are turning to Anabaptist sources for inspiration as they seek to articulate a Christian spirituality which place full confidence of salvation in God alone, while at the same time stresses the absolute importance of the ethically committed practice of love on the part of the human being.
Dr. Daniel Liechty says in his introduction, "Anabaptists did not dwell on the question, 'What must I do to be saved?' Rather, they were concerned with the question, "How should a Christian live?' To become a 'follower of Christ' in daily life, exhibited in active love, was at the very heart of their understanding of spiritual salvation. It was for them the highest meaning of human existence." Perhaps acquaintance with the genius of their spirituality will facilitate a deeper perception of the life of the Spirit for us today.
