Catholic originally meant a faith accessible to all people, in all countries, in all eras. Early in the Christian era, imperial pretensions developed in the church at Rome toward other churches in the empire. That process sped up when Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313, granting religious freedom in the Roman empire. Again it was … Continue reading A pure faith
Anabaptist
The Works of Antichrist
[From a Waldensian writing dating from the year 1120. The historical belief of the Anabaptist-Waldensian-Mennonite faith is that Antichrist refers to a counterfeit of Christ.] The first is that he perverts the worship properly due to God alone, by giving it to Antichrist himself and to his works, to the poor creature, rational or non … Continue reading The Works of Antichrist
The Christian nation heresy
Time was that most Canadians attended a church where Christian values were taught and claimed to govern their lives by those teachings. In such circumstances governments found it expedient to pay lip service at least to Christian principles and to legislate accordingly. Times have changed. A survey several years ago found that 16% of Canadians … Continue reading The Christian nation heresy
The fulness of the time – today
News reports are dismal: mass shootings; random killings; skyrocketing suicide rates; ethnic conflicts; antisemitism; recreational drug use on the rise, with fatal consequences for some; economic instability; political instability; refugees fleeing conflict in search of safety, many dying in the attempt; violence against women; and on and on. It would seem that the condition of … Continue reading The fulness of the time – today
Persecution of the Lollards
William Swynderby (sometimes spelled Swinderby) and Walter Brute were active exponents of Lollard beliefs in the last 20 years of the 14th Century. Swynderby was burned at the stake for his faith in 1401 at Smithfield, London. G. M. Trevelyan, while not entirely sympathetic, gives a glimpse of the views of Brute and Swynderby on … Continue reading Persecution of the Lollards
Seek the heavenly prize
Last Sunday Tiger Woods won the Masters golf tournament. An amazing triumph for a man who a few years ago thought his days of playing golf were over. Four surgeries and long months of rigorous training later, he is outplaying the best in the world. He has had to endure pain, ridicule and scorn, and … Continue reading Seek the heavenly prize
Fifty years ago
It is 50 years since the Jesus people movement began in California. It followed close on the heels of the Summer of Love, that brief period in time when disillusioned young people believed they had found the solution to all the world’s problems. “All you need is love” by the Beatles was their theme. They … Continue reading Fifty years ago
The inward and spiritual grace
What was it that I was looking for half a century ago? The Anglican Church had taught me that the sacraments were an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. In time I began to see that I was not receiving any inward and spiritual grace from the sacraments. Nor did I … Continue reading The inward and spiritual grace
A church of nobodies
Historians appear to believe that wherever there was something important going on there must have been some big shots behind it. When they look at the history of Christianity, the Catholics and Protestants had all the big shots. Since they find no big shots on the side of those we call Anabaptists, they assume that … Continue reading A church of nobodies
The blog formerly known as Antiquarian Anabaptist
After six years and 1,127 posts it is perhaps time to refurbish this site, and Canada Day, July 1, seems a good time to do it. The first thing I have done is drop the Antiquarian Anabaptist title. It seemed like a good idea six years ago but has begun to sound kitschy to my … Continue reading The blog formerly known as Antiquarian Anabaptist
Flatlander Faith 