Acts 15:18 *Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world*.
*THE STREAMS IN REFORMATION: ANABAPTISTS* (J)
Reformation history is deep. It should be studied by all believers and taught in churches. It will open our eyes to so many things. History is very important. It can serve as a compass for the future because of the benefit of knowledge gained from the past.
In reformation, after the Lutheran and Reformed tradition/ Calvinist, the third stream is known as the Anabaptist.
III.*ANABAPTISTS*
The founders are Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock in Zurich 1525. Modern Anabaptists are Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, and some Baptist and Brethren traditions.
The Anabaptists are known as re baptizers. That is the meaning of their name. They rejected the idea of infant baptism because they believe baptism should be done after conversion as an adult.
They held that infants and young children are not accountable for sin until they become aware of good and evil and can exercise their own free will, repent, and accept baptism.
They believe in the total separation of the state and church. They see state as worldly. They don't believe in occupations that use force like military and police. They rejected wars and oath taking. They live in communal groups.
The unfortunate thing is that they were persecuted by Catholics and other protestants(Lutheran&Calvinists) because they undermined state religious control, rejection of infant baptism and pacifism. The persecution they faced is the reason they remained small till date.
Over 4000 Anabaptists were killed mostly by drowning. Oral tradition account says most of them were taken to the middle of river by their executors who said, "Baptism you want, baptism you shall get". Thereafter, they were forcefully drowned.
This is one of the sad aspect of the reformation history. It is unfortunate that fellow reformers killed one another and even joined forces with Roman Catholics (the institution they stood against) to kill their own.
*When doctrine divides to the point of shedding blood or to a point where hatred for one another sets in, God is no longer involved. At that point, Satan is happy and fulfilling his ministry. We need love to build God's kingdom on earth not hatred or name calling*.
Today, I see the same bad energy on social media when some are teaching or preaching doctrines. Some start an issue-based presentation but end up in name calling using bitter words that is unfit for a believer. There is no room for activism in the body of Christ.
They take a posture of 'everyone is wrong, I am right'. They nullify and cancel the ministry of others because of little things that can be ignored.
1 Corinthians 8:1 says, *"Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up*"( NIV).
*God is not glorified in any doctrinal argument that leaves us divided more than we should be united*.