The Anabaptist movement dates its formal beginnings to 21 January 1525, when a group of young people gathered in a home close to the Grossmnster cathedral in Zurich, Switzerland, to commit adult baptism, a subversive act at the time.
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The Global Mennonite History Series consists of five volumes of history, one from each continental region. Writers from each region trace the origins, development and mission of the Anabaptist-related churches there, reflecting the experiences, understandings and perspectives of these churches.
This fresh offering of history is the first time some of these churches have cooperated in telling their story in their own voice. Themes in one book differ from those in another. This telling of the story of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches is intended “to stimulate the renewal and extension of Anabaptist Christianity worldwide.” This series helps readers to understand what the North American religious magazine Christian Century calls “the shift in church energy, leadership and numbers from North to South, from developed to developing nations.”
The Global Mennonite History Series was initiated by Mennonite World Conference at its thirteenth global assembly in Calcutta, India in January 1997. The series was guided by an international organizing committee whose members represent all five continental regions. General editors are John A. Lapp and C. Arnold Snyder.
The series includes the following five volumes:
(All volumes in English, with translations of some into selected languages)
1. Anabaptist Songs in African Hearts,
released in 2003 at the 14th global assembly in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (also available in Spanish and French).3. Mission and Migration,
the volume from Latin America, released in 2010 (also available in Spanish and French)4. Seeking Places of Peace,
the volume from North America, released in 2012.5. Churches Engage Asian Traditions,
the volume from Asia, released in 2011.English-language books are available at Mennonite Life (formerly Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society) (USA) and Pandora Press (Canada)
Dutch translation of Volume II, Geloof en Traditie beproefd, available at http://www.mennosimonsshop.nl
German translation of Volume II, Glaube und Tradition in der Bewährungsprobe, available at http://www.neufeld-verlag.de -
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Colonialism, Multatuli, and Mennonite History: A Drama Workshop. Brotherly Dialogues Between a Colonist Official and a Mennonite Pastor: Edouard and Pieter Douwes Dekker
Presenters: Chris Doude van Toostwijk and Nina Schroeder
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Global Mennonite History Series: Asia
released in 2011
Authors
I. P. Asheervadam, Adhi Dharma, Alle Hoekema, Kyong-Jung, Kim, Luke Martin, Regina Lyn Mondez, Chiou-Lang Pan, Nguyen Thanh Tam, Nguyen Thi Tam, Takanobu Tojo, Nguyen Quang Trung, Masakazu Yamade and Earl Zimmerman
General Editors
John A. Lapp, C. Arnold Snyder
- Asia: A Brief Introduction — Alle Hoekema
- Christianity in Asia — Alle Hoekema
- The Mennonite Churches of Indonesia — Adhi Dharma
- The Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches of India — I. P. Asheervadam
- The Mennonite Churches in Chinese-speaking areas — Chiou-Lang (Paulus) Pan
- The Mennonite Church in the Philippines — Regina Lyn Mondez
- The Anabaptist Mennonite Churches in Japan — Masakazu Yamade
- Anabaptism in Korea — Kyong-Jung Kim
- The Mennonite Church in Vietnam — Luke Martin with Nguyen Quang Trung, Nguyen Thanh Tam and Nguyen Thi Tam
- Conclusion: Asian Missions as Missio Dei — Takanobu Tojo
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Anabaptist Songs in African Hearts
released in 2003 at the 14th global assembly in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (also available in Spanish and French) -
Introduction
Do you remember any specific smell?
Our sense of smell is one of the most interesting senses we have. Smell can bring pleasant memories of a meal you loved as a child, and unpleasant odours can elicit disgust.
Church unity is like your sense of smell: it fills you with hope and strength when you experience it, or it makes you want to disengage and run away when poorly managed conflicts make it evaporate.
This is what Psalm 133 is all about.
Literary context
Psalm 133 is part of a group of 15 psalms referred to as “songs of ascents”.
The first psalm in the collection, Psalm 120, expresses the pain of discord and hostility while Psalm 133, at the end of the collection, responds to the question asked in Psalm 120: How can we speak about peace in the midst of a society that chooses war?
Historical context
It’s possible that the pilgrims who had lived through the exile used the songs of ascent when they would go to Jerusalem to celebrate a major festival. These are brief psalms that, when sung, reinforce beliefs and fundamental values that remind us of oppressive contexts and suffering like that of the Israelites in exile.
A study of the passage
The visible reality of unity
Even though some versions do not translate the first word following the title, hinneh, or “look”, is very significant. The invitation in the text to “look” indicates that the unity of God’s people is not merely something spiritual or something we only enjoy after death. The unity of God’s people is a tangible reality that can be seen and experienced in the here and now.
In the second century, Tertullian said, “Look how they love one another”.
The drawing reality of unity
Unity is a blessing that brings more blessings; it is a lengthy and abundant life; it is the aroma that spreads; it is the dew that soaks.
Just as a pleasant smell draws people, the unity of God’s people is something that everyone longs to experience and becomes irresistible when it is found. It is like when you are very hungry and pass by a restaurant that emits the aroma of your favourite dish.
In the same way, when you find unity in the middle of a sea of discord and conflict, you don’t want to let go of it.
The received reality of unity
The passage speaks of oil and dew that descend. The oil flows to the collar of the priest’s vestments where the precious stones on his chest symbolize the tribes of Israel. The dew brings coolness and fertility from Mount Hermon to Mount Zion.
This is what characterises the unity of the Israelites: It’s given by God and received by God’s people.
True unity is not built or reached through human agreements about doctrine and practice; it is a gift from God.
Application
Psalm 133 describes the reality of unity without explaining how to receive it in practice. Colossians 3:14 affirms that love makes unity possible. 1 John 4:7-21 explains that love is the only evidence that we know God. Divisions in the body of Christ are like a stench that repels others.
Meanwhile, church unity attracts others through the evidence of a supernatural love that unites disciples in harmony despite their differences.
We pray that the next 500 years in the history of the Anabaptist movement are marked with the love, reconciliation, and the gift of unity that draws those who are weary of a destructive world full of division, nationalism, political polarization and interminable wars.
—César García is general secretary of Mennonite World Conference. Originally from Colombia, he lives in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, with his wife Sandra Baez.
