The Martyrs Mirror, a monumental work of Anabaptist literature, chronicles the lives and tribulations of faithful Christians throughout history. It is a profound reflection on faith, suffering, and the enduring spirit of those who stood firm in their beliefs. The persecution of Christians was begun by pagan authorities and later continued by the Roman Catholic … Continue reading The Martyrs Mirror: The Testimony of a Faith that would not be Repressed
Anabaptists
Letter from Menno Simons to the wife of Leenart Bouwens
The year is 1553, the Anabaptists in the Netherlands are being fiercely persecuted and Leenart Bouwens has just been elected to the ministry by the congregation at Sommeldyk. His wife fears for his life and writes to Menno Simons, hoping that he can relieve her husband from such a frightening responsibility. This is his replay. … Continue reading Letter from Menno Simons to the wife of Leenart Bouwens
Anabaptists were persecuted because of their purity
The following statement was made in 1538 by an unnamed Anabaptist leader during a meeting between the Swiss Reformed and Anabaptists in Berne: “While yet in the national church we obtained much instruction from the writings of Luther, Zwingli, and others, concerning the mass and other papal ceremonies, that they are vain. Yet we recognized … Continue reading Anabaptists were persecuted because of their purity
Let’s be Christians, not chameleons
[A slightly revised version of an article first posted March 31, 2019] Some members of the early church wanted Gentile converts to be chameleons. They thought that circumcising Gentile believers would make them appear to be converts to the Jewish religion, thus sparing Jewish believers from persecution by other Jews for associating with Gentiles. Such … Continue reading Let’s be Christians, not chameleons
The mode of baptism
From Introduction to Theology, page 239 by J. C. Wenger, © 1954 by Herald Press, Scottdale, Pa.: In 1899 a Christian minister from Pennsylvania (A. D. Wenger) visited the catacombs of Rome. One day he walked out the Appian Way to the catacomb of St. Callistus. “I had been in other parts of this catacomb … Continue reading The mode of baptism
There is a famine
Image by nancygebhardt from Pixabay Rural and small town churches across Canada are rapidly disappearing. Fifty years ago, the town where I grew up had five churches. Only two remain, and they are the churches where one is least likely to ever hear Bible-based preaching. Smaller towns nearby have no churches at all. This is more than a … Continue reading There is a famine
I will be true to Thee, Lord
"Fully surrendered, Lord divine, I will be true to Thee." It's an old hymn, expressing noble aspirations. I have sung it often and believed that I meant every word. Lately, I've been wondering, though. "Though it may cost me friends and home." It's easy to believe I mean that when there appears to be no … Continue reading I will be true to Thee, Lord
My Reading List
Here, in no particular order, are the books which I am currently reading, books that I have begun and intend to finish. The North-West is our Mother. The story of Louis Riel's people, the Métis nation. copyright 2019 by Jean Teillet, published by Harper Collins. (This is Métis history written by a Métis.)Beyond Order. 12 … Continue reading My Reading List
An imposter in the temple of God
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the … Continue reading An imposter in the temple of God
A Christian admonition from 600 years ago
[Barbe means beard. It came to be applied to the person wearing the beard, becoming a term of affection for an uncle and then became the term which Anabaptists in France and Italy used for their ministers. Pragela, a valley in the Alps west of Turin and near the French border was home to a … Continue reading A Christian admonition from 600 years ago
Flatlander Faith 