Perspectives (Anabaptism@500 activities)
Activities for the commemoration of 500 years of the Anabaptist movement in Zurich on 29 May 2025 included 18 workshops over two periods. Rooms in several locations throughout the downtown generously provided by the Reformed church were bursting with participants to eager to engage with stories and analysis of Anabaptists living out “the courage to love” in history and today.
Workshops ranged from a full-participation sing-along drawn from Mennonite hymnody to a panel discussion on the trilateral dialogues on baptism with Catholic and Lutheran partners, to a survey of Mennonite engagement with peace and justice work in the Middle East, to sharing testimonies of communal living and loving enemies.
Here is a peek into one workshop:
Culture of memory within religious minorities
Like in many minority religious movements, the Anabaptist movement has a narrative – a shaping story. This story includes memories of persecution, discrimination and migration. If left unattended; these stories can easily lead into the lava eruption in a world which is already volatile.
Speakers for this workshop were Andrea Strübind, Astrid von Schlachta, and Danang Kristiawan.
Andrea Strübind, from within the Baptist tradition, is professor of church history and historical theology at Oldenburg University in Germany. Astrid von Schlachta serves as the General Council delegate for Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Gemeinden in Deutschland. She is also a research assistant with Arbeitsstelle Theologie der Friedenskirchen in Germany. Danang Kristiawan is a pastor at GITJ Jepara and lecturer at SSTAKW Bible School in Java, Indonesia.
Andrea Strübind and Astrid von Schlachta informed the audience of the Anabaptist history from its inception in 1525 and navigated through various global socio-political events which have taken place since then.
Danang Kristiawan shared his experience with minority Christians in his home country Indonesia where Muslims are the majority.
Main points
- A life of persecution and expulsion is more concerned with finding places to hide than to leaving visible monuments.
- The Augsburg Confession (Confessio Augustana) of 1530 condemns Anabaptists.
- In Indonesia, Christianity is linked with colonialism.
Initiatives to prevent the eruption of lava
In geography, a volcanic eruption is the expulsion of gases and molten lava from within the Earth through a vent onto the Earth’s surface or into the atmosphere. Equally, in real life, any issue that could lead to adversity among human beings could produce a metaphorical eruption – faith perceptions being one of them. This can lead to irreparable damage to not only the conflicting people but the world in general.
Although the city of Zurich and the Reformed Church were among the villains for the early Anabaptists, today there are dialogues between Reformed leaders and Anabaptists at various levels. (See “Seeking a common witness together.”)
For the Lutherans, the urge to dialogue with Anabaptists dates back to the 450-year commemoration of the Augsburg Confession in 1980. It was concluded by the Lutheran World Federation admitting that statements in the 1530 document were provocative to the Anabaptists and that the confessions do not reflect to the realities of the current believers of both faiths.
By the grace of God, during the 2010 Lutheran World Federation Assembly in Stuttgart, the Anabaptists received an apology for the past persecutions.
In Indonesia, the Mennonites in Jepara have come up with a Mennonite-Islam friendship initiative. It is an endeavour that is firmly embedded on Colossians 1:20, the incarnation of Christ, as well as contextualizing love creatively. The theological basis of Mennonite Islam friendship, especially creatively actualizing love, includes commitment to identity, openness to vulnerability and creative imagination.
In addition to the expertise and experience presenters shared in the topic, workshop participants asked questions and shared perspectives.
One participant who identified as of Pakistani origin, living in Canada, was opinion that, in most cases persecutions and discriminations result from leaders’ orchestrations.
Others asked about the persecution experiences of Indonesian Anabaptists. The growing church of young people has little direct experience, said Danang Kristiawan.
In answer to the question How can we respond to government foreign policies that uphold nationalism, workshops presenters emphasized that we need to earnestly build bridges and continue dialoguing.
Conclusion
The topic needed more extended time. Each country has its own scenario of persecution and discrimination. Courage is a process by which the conflicting parties maximise their mental and moral potentials to control impending danger. Therefore, persistent and open deliberations on the issues will be beneficial not only to the conflicting faiths but a more habitable earth. Thence enabling the event theme executable: the courage to love.
—Jumanne Magiri Mafwiri is a member of Kanisa Mennonite Tanzania. He serves as MWC regional representative for Eastern Africa. His impetus to attend the workshop followed the persecution of Christians in Uganda in 1885–1887, after which the Uganda government has declared 3 June each year as a martyrs’ day which draws pilgrims from various places.