Anabaptist Perspectives

Does communion involve the literal body of Jesus? Does baptism save us? Dean Taylor addresses listener comments regarding baptism and the Lord’s supper. These questions were responses to Dean’s episode “The Essence of Anabaptism” in which he emphasized believing scripture “without a complicated interpretation.” Some viewers argued that doesn’t fit with Anabaptist views of communion and baptism. You can view these and other comments, as well as the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcnIA_NDafY   (original episode on YouTube). This is the 167th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.  Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (Facebook) https://www.anabaptistperspectives.org/blog/ (Read essays from our blog) or listen to them on our podcast, https://essays-for-king-jesus.captivate.fm/liste

As our board and staff were together recently, we hammered out a vision statement.   “Using digital media to encourage allegiance to Jesus’s sacrificial kingdom.”  We also discussed operation improvements. Until now we have run this podcast by seasons and currently we are in Season 4.  Going forward, we will not be using seasons. We will instead release episodes biweekly and avoid extensive season breaks.  With more time between episodes, this is a good chance to check out our other podcast. “https://essays-for-king-jesus.captivate.fm/listen  (Essays for King Jesus)” consists of professionally narrated essays from our blog.  Also you can listen to the audiobook we produced last year in partnership with David Bercot. Find In God We Don’t Trust on Apple books or search any major audiobook platform. If you are interested in helping to financially support Anabaptist Perspectives, you can https://anabaptistperspectives.org/donate (donate here) or join our https://anabaptistp

[Note: After this episode, we will be shifting to a biweekly release schedule.]  One YouTube commenter wrote: “In the Anabaptist worldview, we value community above almost everything else. We are often even reluctant to discuss controversial Bible passages for fear of disrupting our sense of community. In the academic world, on the other hand, promoting, debating, and defending your own controversial views is an essential skill.”   This was only one of the comments left on Vince Beiler’s episode https://youtu.be/0ZhVhWUBZjw (“Does Academia Cause Loss of Faith?”). In this episode, Vince is joined by Roseanne Bauman to discuss questions around study, debate and disagreement, and living in communities where your field of work is an unusual choice.  https://youtu.be/DM0PdBQiJv4  (Find inspiration from Vince’s studies) in Biblical Hebrew.  https://anabaptistperspectives.org/series/adventures-hebrew-bible  (Read here) about the fascinating centuries when the Hebrew Bible

A listener commented “I love the theology and cannot stand the exclusivity” in reference to John’s episode “https://anabaptistperspectives.org/importance-kingdom-god (The Kingdom of God in Anabaptist Thought).”   John affirms the existence of other Kingdom Christians. His comments also clarify what he means by Kingdom theology. We are to be a city set on a hill, which is a light to the world as a community, not just as individuals. We are to be a society of the redeemed demonstrating what the world should look like.  This is the 165th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.  Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (Facebook) https://www.anabaptistperspectives.org/blog/ (Read essays from our blog) or listen to them on our podcast, https://essays-for-king-jesus.captivate.fm/listen (Essa

Whether, it’s a Sunday school lesson, topic, or sermon, teaching scripture can feel overwhelming. Verlon Miller gives helpful tools and pointers from years of preaching experience. Verlon calls us to diligence in study, whenever we have the opportunity to share. Tools discussed include cross-references, commentaries, and simple software.  This is the 164th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.  Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (Facebook) https://www.anabaptistperspectives.org/blog/ (Read essays from our blog) or listen to them on our podcast, https://essays-for-king-jesus.captivate.fm/listen (Essays for King Jesus) Subscribe on your https://anabaptist-perspectives.captivate.fm/listen (podcast provider of choice) https://anabaptistperspectives.org/donate/ (Support us) or https://an

Should Christians “own” all of church history? How do evil things done by those who take the name of Christ relate to us?  And switching gears, how does one become Mennonite? What if I want to be Anabaptist but there is no congregation near me? Jaran, Marlin, and Reagan discuss these questions that were posed on earlier episodes. https://player.captivate.fm/episode/62508c07-a25d-4d50-92b0-05c7a5e74d1e (Listen to Allen Roth’s discussion) of what to do when there is no Mennonite Church. (This episode was released on https://www.patreon.com/anabaptistperspectives?fan_landing=true (Patreon) and as https://anabaptistperspectives.org/partners (Partner content )on our website. You can support Anabaptist Perspectives through either link for access to more bonus content.)  Here is the https://amzn.to/3ymrLZI (book by Becky McGurrin) that Marlin referenced near the end. [affiliate link]  This is the 163rd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspec

Why do some church plants fail? How can an older church help start a new church? Allen Roth speaks from experience and observation. Church planting calls for much prayer, clear vision, and a whole lot of practical steps and hard work.  Suggested Resources  https://amzn.to/3Qv0X1G (Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts) by Griffith and Easum [affiliate link] https://amzn.to/3Hvtlww (Global Church Planting) by Ott and Wilson [affiliate link] https://amzn.to/3HwIJZw (Discovering Church Planting) by J.D. Payne [affiliate link] https://amzn.to/3Hw8PvM (Planting Churches that Reproduce) by Joel Comiskey  Places Allen periodically teaches on Church Planting  Faith Builders https://www.igoasia.org/  (IGO) https://churchplantersforum.org/   (Church Planters Forum) This is the 162nd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.  Visit our https://www.youtube.c

The church planter is like a rubber tire between the bumpers of two vehicles.  Allen Roth describes the challenge of operating with integrity and with respect for both the sending culture and receptor culture while engaged in cross-cultural evangelism.  Allen describes what he sees as Anabaptist core values, noting how we can easily be blind to our own spiritual heritage and to how we are shaped by our own culture. He also points us to key passages for cross cultural ministry such as Acts 3, Acts 10, Acts 15, Acts 20, and Romans 14 and 15.  This interview is part of our https://anabaptistperspectives.org/series/scripture-culture-and-church-planting  (series with Allen on Scripture, Culture, and Church Planting.) This is the 161st episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.  Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.fa

“How does one plant churches, teaching people to obey clear commands of Scripture that go in the opposite direction of many accepted norms of prevailing culture?” Allen Roth doesn’t stop with asking the difficult questions, but pushes us to be confident in scripture, humble in our understanding, and devoted to knowing scripture. “The Holy Spirit can’t bring to our memory scriptures we don’t know.  This episode develops themes from Allen’s essay “Planting an Anabaptist Church in a City” which you can read https://anabaptistperspectives.org/planting-an-anabaptist-church-in-a-city (here) or listen to https://player.captivate.fm/episode/6fdaface-3aab-4174-8ec0-04091841e308 (here). This is the 160th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (Facebook) http

Our founders, Reagan and Jaran, tell the story of Anabaptist Perspectives from their perspective. Why they started, humor and encouragement along the way, and what keeps them excited five years in.  As they say in the episode, we are especially grateful for all of you who have sustained this ministry with your gifts.  Recommended Resources: https://www.plough.com/ (Plough Publishing House) https://www.bruderhof.com/en/topics/life-together-podcast (Life Together Podcast) https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL_zSQMeqnoUY-WvlP-Tm75uyIl4hpcoN (“A Change of Allegiance” on YouTube) https://www.scrollpublishing.com/store/more-Change-of-Allegiance-DVDs.html (“A Change of Allegiance” on DVDs at Scroll Publishing) The first episodes we filmed: https://youtu.be/yzYEt2PkMTE (Mennonites and the Tech Revolution) Mennonites and Social Media    https://anabaptistworld.org/podcasters-fill-a-void-on-conservative-anabaptism/ (Rachel Stella’s article) about Anabaptist Perspectives on Mennoni

We should learn from monks and nuns. Monastics were responsible for the revival of agriculture, in addition to schools, libraries, and hospitals. These works of service accompanied their focus on the interior life and recovering personal wholeness. Stephen reminds us of the origins of monasticism in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 7 and 1 Timothy 5:9-12), and highlights the possibility that those who served a celibate calling helped bring the rest of the church back closer to God’s original design for sexuality.   This is the 158th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (Facebook) https://www.anabaptistperspectives.org/blog/ (Read essays from our blog) or listen to them on our podcast, https://essays-for-king-jesus.captivate.fm/listen (Essays for

Kristi Mast highlights women, past and present, who have inspired her. As the conversation progresses, she highlights the power of reading scripture congregationally. Then she offers a brief review of egalitarian and complementarian ideologies in contemporary Christianity. Kristi encourages women to see themselves first as disciples, rather than any other identity. She calls all of us to keep coming back to the text of the New Testament as we navigate issues around the roles of men and women in the church.   https://kingdomoutpost.org/engaging-women-with-the-bible-and-theology-off-script-with-kristi-mast/ (Kristi’s conversation with Kingdom Outpost) https://amzn.to/3yWR3zN (Interpreting the Bible in the Anabaptist Tradition) by Stuart Murray https://anabaptistperspectives.org/martyrdom-weynken (Martyrdom of Weynken narrated ) https://womenofchristianity.com/weynken-a-widow-daughter-of-claes-of-monickendam-burnt-to-death-in-the-hague-the-20th-november-a-d-1527/ (Martyrdom of Weynken) from Mar

Are commentaries cheating? Marlin emphasizes first hand direct engagement with the text of scripture. If used carefully, commentaries can actually help this process. Marlin also discusses free study resources and biblical language tools. This conversation continues themes from Marlin’s essay “The Inside-Out Sandwich.” Read Marlin’s essay https://anabaptistperspectives.org/the-inside-out-sandwich (The Inside-out Sandwich: An Approach to Studying and Teaching the Bible) Listen to Marlin’s essay https://player.captivate.fm/episode/3ca30f21-3321-41f8-a98e-7ef6eee9ffd1 (here) See detailed tips for Bible study from Frank Reed's article https://anabaptistperspectives.org/studying-the-word-of-god (Studying the Word of God) This is the 156th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.facebook.com/anabaptist

What does humility mean for studying the Bible? Can only the educated understand scripture? Vince and Roseanne respond to audience comments from Vince’s prior episodes with Anabaptist Perspectives. How can we grow in our understanding of Scripture? Do we need to have an answer for every question?  View prior episodes with Vince:   https://youtu.be/0ZhVhWUBZjw (Does Academia Cause Loss of Faith)   https://youtu.be/DM0PdBQiJv4 (Why I’m Studying Hebrew)  This is the 155th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.  Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (Facebook) https://www.anabaptistperspectives.org/blog/ (Read essays from our blog) or listen to them on our podcast, https://essays-for-king-jesus.captivate.fm/listen (Essays for King Jesus) Subscribe on your https:

What did a team of four students learn when they spent several days (and nights) on the streets of Dallas? Their goal was to hear from people experiencing homelessness and get a small taste of that Homelessness directly affects about 580,000 Americans, but most of us don’t encounter these individuals face to face. Our guests in this episode temporarily surrendered their comfort and ease to live among those who have been less fortunate. View the https://thehomelessawarenessproject.weebly.com/ (project website). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjir7OdT7Mc (Here is the testimony) they mentioned from their emergency contact. This is the 154th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.  Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (Facebook) https://www.anabaptistperspectives.org/blog/ (Read essays from our

Years ago John taught the book of Luke in a high school classroom. This launched his journey of faith into what he terms “voluntary poverty,” or non-accumulation of wealth. In this episode he shares some practical parts of this journey and comments on when the rubber meets the road in his later years.  This is the 153rd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.  Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (Facebook) Listen to our episodes on our https://www.soundcloud.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (podcast) Read our https://www.anabaptistperspectives.org/blog/ (blog) https://anabaptistperspectives.org/donate/ (Support us) or https://anabaptistperspectives.org/about (learn more about us!) The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist

It is good to work and to be invested in our work. Distributism fits well with traditional Anabaptist values, even though it has largely been articulated by Catholic thinkers. Stephen Russell urges us to “look at distributism and see how it fits with what we have traditionally tried to do, and learn from it”. These themes include valuing craftsmanship, family businesses, and widespread ownership of the tools and infrastructure needed for business.  Recommended Resources: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15798769-the-hound-of-distributism  (The Hound of Distributism) edited by Richard Altman: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/184565   (What’s Wrong with the World) by G.K. Chesterton: https://www.epi.org/publication/ceo-pay-in-2020/  (Economic Policy Institute), “CEOs were paid 351 times as much as a typical worker in 2020.”   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Corporation   (Mandragora Corporation) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guild_of_St_Joseph_and

What does Scripture have to say about loaning money at interest? Do Old Testament prohibitions apply to us? How does collecting interest fit with working with our own hands and being productive?  Stephen Russell gives us glimpses into how the church has thought about this over the last two millenia, and how Christian thinking changed as economic systems changed. Stephen calls us to see God’s heart as revealed in the Old Testament year of Jubilee.   Recommended Resource: https://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/catholics-and-usury-a-tragic-history (https://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/catholics-and-usury-a-tragic-history)  This is the 151st episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.  Visit our https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (YouTube channel) Connect with us on https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ (Facebook) Listen to our episodes on our https://www.soundclou

Is the kingdom message socialism? What does the New Testament say about interest and lending? What about interest on business loans? And what really is laying up treasures in heaven? John calls us back to the willingness to give and share as the foundational issue for all of these questions.  This is the 150th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Read our blog: https://www.anabaptistperspectives.org/blog/ Visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ Listen to our episodes on our podcast: https://www.soundcloud.com/anabaptistperspectives/ Support us: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/donate/ The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Money has rarely been far removed from the biblical narratives or major conversations of the church since the New Testament. Between the close of the New Testament and the protestant reformation, the church had much to say about usury. Stephen Russell, a student of history, orients us to the church’s premodern stance on usury.  Recommended Resource: https://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/catholics-and-usury-a-tragic-history (https://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/catholics-and-usury-a-tragic-history)   This is the 149th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.  Read our blog: https://www.anabaptistperspectives.org/blog/ Visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ Listen to our episodes on our podcast: https://www.soundcloud.com/anabaptistperspectives/ Support us: https://anab