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Episcopal Bishop Mark Dyer has observed that the only way to understand what is currently happening to us as twenty-first-century Christians is to realize that the church feels compelled to have a massive shakeup about every five hundred years. He describes this shakeup as a rummage sale. Five hundred years back from our 21st century places us in the 16th century and what is now being called the Great Reformation. Theologian Tickle names this 21st-century rummage sale as the Great Emergence. To some extent, this is happening globally but is most visible in countries of western culture. Tickle believes that those experiencing the great emergence, and that, of course, includes us, are fortunate to be alive such a time. Rejoicing in God’s new work is a characteristic of today’s movement and was, for many, an element of the Great Reformation.
Emerging Church Narrative
Emerging churches are part of the great emergence narrative. Expressions of the church form in response to cultural changes. All emerging churches are part of the same narrative with some significant overlap, and some expressions focus on more radical, cultural and political elements.
Emerging churches often form away from the inherited church; these churches can be self-forming and independent from the established church Shared themes include participation and non-hierarchical patterns of organization, and a call to work out what it means to live as a Christian in today’s culture. Some fresh expressions of church have these features.
A fresh expression of the church (often found within the parish) is a form of contextual church for our changing and challenging times. Through a process of discernment, these churches are primarily for those who are not yet members of any church.
The Radicals of the Reformation
The Reformation began in 1517, when Martin Luther marched up to the castle church in Wittenberg and nailed his 95 theses to the door, thus lighting the Reformation’s flame. At the heart of this Reformation is the printing press, and Luthers passion for translating the Bible from Latin into the language of the people. Through printing came an increase in literacy. It enabled people to question ecclesiastical traditions and disciplines.
Ecclesiology
The ecclesiology of the emerging churches is as varied as the churches themselves. We cannot rely on our understanding of church to locate or pin down these emerging churches. Therefore, we cannot start with our preconceived notion of church. Furthermore, many of these worshipping communities meet in pubs, gardens, people’s homes, village halls, and virtually. They all start with an open invitation of hospitality and love; it is ‘the church that comes to the people’. Emerging churches are always contextual, and most are mission-focused. These churches are very often come from a prophetic sense that the church needs to change. This change is seen as paramount for the churchs survival.
The financial survival of the church was the catalyst that brought forward the change that started the Reformation. However, the needs of early Christian radicals living in a time of Christendom differed from todays post-Christendom emerging churches. The Protestant reformers wanted to see the church reformed, to tear apart the Catholic Church, refusing to accept authority from the Pope. Other reformers refused to follow Luthers line; for them, the Reformation was just not radical enough.
It could be said that the printing press that sparked the Great Reformation is today called the Internet. Social media did not exist in 1517 when Luther nailed his ’95 Theses’ to the church door. However, the church door itself was a form of social media. This was the place where people would post items they wished to be discussed by the church.
The world has been transformed by the digital age, social media and online worship commonplace. Emerging churches and 16th-century radicals both had a shared frustration rooted in the ecclesiology of the established church of the time. The early radicals went against the law and the authority of the church. Whereas today the church is on board with most of these changes brought forward by the great emergence. The UK fresh expressions movement comes with authority from the bishops. It is the bishops empowering the people to bring about change, as opposed to the people working against the authorities.
The Anabaptists wanted to restore the church to its original beginnings; they believed the church had fallen beyond reform. The Anabaptists agreed with the reformers about the Bible’s authority but disagreed strongly about its interpretation and application. Likewise, many emerging churches agree with the authority of the Bible but strongly disagree with its interpretation. One example of this would be the House of All Sinners and Saints, a Lutheran emergent church in America, started by Nadia Bolz-Weber (a Lutheran minister). It evidences all the characteristics and concerns of an emergent (contextual, fully inclusive) church, but also maintains a great deal of Lutheran traditions.
The Anabaptists formed churches of committed disciples; early gatherings have been described as charismatic and unstructured. The fluidity of this charismatic chaos (holy chaos) can be seen in many emerging churches. It is this holy chaos that is vital for these churches to survive and adapt to changes in culture.
In 2004 the mission shaped the church report identified the need for a new type of leadership role for the fresh expression of churches, to equip these new missional forms of the church for a changing culture. In comparison, the Anabaptists embraced the role of women in the church. Women received the same call as a man to salvation, baptism, discipleship, and leadership and could participate much more actively than was customary in the contemporary church or society.
What’s more, another radical movement of that time, the Quaker movement, also valued women’s role within their church. Quaker women prophesied and publicly preached. This practice was supported by the movement’s firm concept of spiritual equality for men and women. In the 1660’s the Quaker movement held separate women’s meetings. During these meetings, women discussed community and domestic life. It seems the early Quaker meetings may have had many similarities to our emerging churches. These meetings where contextual, they sought to listen to the culture of the time, teaching the women about faith life and living within their communities. In Quakerism’s early years, Quaker founder George Fox faced resistance from fellow the Quakers who resented women’s power in the Quaker community.
Likewise, we see controversy in some fresh expressions of the church, as the church might be seen as a threat to the inherited church building and the parish system. This controversy stems from a belief that parish systems need to die so new forms of being the church can live. Here again, we can draw some comparisons with the Great Reformation.
The Reformation brought forth a divide in the Roman Catholic Church. Once divided, it could not or would not be put back together again.
Theology
Many emerging churches of today come into being through incarnational ministry. For this family of churches, incarnational theology is a fundamental doctrine. This theology has its heart for those that live on the margins; it’s a Jesus-centered, organic web of prayer, networks and relationships which come together as a worshipping community.
The Anabaptists taught strict discipleship for every believer. The atonement theology was the transformation of the believer’s life, and the Anabaptists emphasized Jesus’ teachings and example. They insisted that following in Jesus’ earthly footsteps was essential to salvation. Indeed, the Anabaptists were developing a disciplined way of life in the spirit.
It seems that the atonement theology of the Anabaptists and the incarnational theology of emerging churches are contrasting models of theology, lived in different contexts and cultures set 500 years apart. Furthermore, the theology of the radicals and emergence churches have both been considered radical theology, both seen as a threat to the existing social order to the church of their time.
The Anabaptists were heavily persecuted by state churches, mainly for their interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. Putting them at odds with the official state church and local government control. Most Anabaptists adhered to a literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, which teaches against hate, killing, violence, participating in the use of force or any military actions, and against participation in civil government. Therefore, most of the peaceful Anabaptists were pacifists on principle and would not allow the manufacture of weapons. This pacifism can be seen in many early Christian radicals groups, including the Mennonites, Waterlanders and Quakers.
Although it seems pacifism may not be a value of today’s emerging churches, many are actively involved in social justice. To illustrate this, Foundation is a contemplative and radical Christian community in Bristol, whose worship is shaped by ancient and contemporary sources and which, engages with social justice issues.
In addition to the theology of pacifism, the Anabaptists insisted on believers baptism as opposed to infant baptism. This was because the New Testament does not describe instances of infant baptism. At this time in history, believers baptism was a capital crime. For this crime, the Anabaptists were persecuted, killed, and many lived in exile. Under persecution, the Anabaptists wandered as pilgrims, spreading the good news. They met in house meetings with the mission to bring entire families to Christ. Together they read the Holy Scriptures, worshipped together. In addition, all community members could read the Holy Scriptures, pick leaders, and become leaders themselves. Furthermore, the Anabaptists leaders were frequently imprisoned and persecuted.
Another radical persecuted for his belief was Michael Servetus. Michael was also seen as a threat to the social order for his belief in the theology of nontrinitarianism. Nontrinitarianism rejects the Trinity, believing that God is one being made up of three distinct persons who exist in co-equal essence and co-eternal communion as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Forms of nontrinitarianism began to surface among some radical Reformation groups. In 1553, Servetus published a religious work with anti-trinitarian views. Servetus was burned at the stake for heresy.
During the time of the Reformation, Christendom was alive, yet the Anabaptists rejected the idea of Christendom. They believed that every believer was sent by Christ and had an active role to play. Christ sends the church into the world, so the church sends the missionary. Today Christendom is dead. Without the Christendom system, the mission field is among the unchurched. It seems both the Anabaptists and modern emerging churches are called to join in God’s mission, to follow the spirit, and that might mean meeting in peoples houses, going overseas or over the road both work to see people free and to put this call into action. Today it seems that we are set free to put this call into action; the radicals did not experience this freedom. For them, persecution was part of their way of life and part of their faith.
Conclusion
The diverse radicals of the 16th and 17th century were persecuted and martyred and burned at the stake for their beliefs. The bloodshed and persecution of the Reformation are very removed from the joys and wonders of the messy church, or the love felt in the silence of a contemplative community worshipping together. It is evident from my research that we have more in common with these early brave, outspoken radicals of the 16th-17th century than imagined. Furthermore, there are many more radicals and individuals that I have not been able to include examples being the Spirtualizers and Lollards. They all played their part in the Reformation and deserve a mention. We are living the history of the great emergence, with no idea how or where it will end. We know the Anabaptists’ story, how this reform movement of Huldreich Zwingli began in Zurich, and that Anabaptism started formally in 1525 and spread into nearly all European countries. This story is written in the history books along with the stories of the anti-Trinitarians and the Quakers. We are privileged enough to know how their stories continue in the world today. The Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites are direct descendants of the Anabaptists. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Church of Christ are descendants of the anti-Trinitarians. In contrast, the Quakers continue to be a peaceful worshipping community today. There is much to learn from early Christian radicals. As we look beyond Luther to those on the edges of challenging authority. However, their ecclesiology and theology may not have brought forward a direct change for the Protestant church today, their bravery, faithfulness and forward-thinking, their inclusion of woman, and their openness to encourage leadership from within their communities leaves a legacy picked up by all those pioneering on the edges of the church today.
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