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2008-02-05 issue:

Anabaptist vision of a meaningful faith covenant.

by Myron S. Augsburger, Washington

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Pastors still ask for rebaptism

Regarding “Mennonite but Not Anabaptist”: For the believers’ church, baptism was “believer’s baptism” as evident in the first baptismal service in Zurich and again the next day of George Schad in Zollikon and so on. For the early Swiss Brethren and later with Menno Simons, the primary concern was in being a new creature in Christ, a believer, a disciple in commitment, and baptism was a sign of this covenant. Similarly it is only a “sign” of cleansing from sin, not a sacramental cleansing. Yes, a textual literalism means a second baptism, and in Mennonite churches “believer’s” baptism is not a second one but is still true to the

But there are congregations and a good number of us pastors who, in welcoming people of other backgrounds in faith, still ask of them the considerations of rebaptism for membership. I have had the privilege numerous times of this covenant experience in the church in Washington. We did not see this as individualism, as a private matter, but as sharing in the covenant community.

I also have a problem with our reading the Anabaptist position as primarily challenging political identification. While this identification was the character of the state/church, I find no evidence that the Swiss Brethren saw this as the meaning for their move to believer’s baptism.

Associated Issue: Mennonite but not Anabaptist - Jan. 8, 2008

Associated Article: Mennonite but not Anabaptist