The Naked Anabaptist, published on April 1, is not a joke. It is a remarkably accessible presentation of Anabaptism as good news for people today of all traditions who want to follow Jesus. Its author, Stuart Murray, is English and writes from the experience of the Anabaptist Network in the UK. The Network’s members, like Murray (a Baptist), did not grow up as Mennonites and are not Mennonites. But they have found that Anabaptism is relevant to their lives in a post-Christendom western society, and they are happy to call themselves “hyphenated-Anabaptists”: Anabaptist-Anglicans, Anabaptist-Baptists, Anabaptist-Pentecostals, etc. Their vision, according to Murray, is Jesus radicalism – or as he puts it, “a passionately Jesus-centered approach that impacts every area of life.”
The book is both modest in tone (we don’t have all the answers; we need other Christian traditions) and bold in content. The heart of book is an exposition of the “bare essentials” of Anabaptism, the seven core convictions that have emerged from lengthy conversations among members of the Anabaptist Network. I reproduce them below in a shortened form because they serve as a taster for the book. If you resonate with these convictions and are interested in a clear, earthy, undefensive discussion of them, and think that Anabaptism might have something to contribute to followers of Jesus today, The Naked Anabaptist could be an important book.
The Core Convictions of the Anabaptist Network (UK)
- Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer and Lord.
- Jesus is the focal point of God’s revelation.
- Western culture is slowly emerging from the Christendom era when church and state jointly presided over a society in which almost all were assumed to be Christian.
- The frequent association of the church with status, wealth and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness.
- Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountability and multi-voiced worship.
- Spirituality and economics are inter-connected.
- Peace is at the heart of the gospel.
You can read the foreword of the book by Greg Boyd on the Herald Press Web site.
– Alan Kreider
