"The Naked Anabaptist" Core Conviction #4

Today, I am returning to my discussion of Stuart Murray’s book The Naked Anabaptist. For today’s post, I will be focusing on Murray’s fourth core conviction of Anabaptism. He states “The frequent association of the church with status, wealth, and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness. We are committee to vulnerability and to exploring ways of being good news to the poor, powerless, and persecuted, aware that such discipleship may attract opposition, resulting in suffering and sometimes ultimately martyrdom.”[1]

In Luke 4:14-30, Jesus gives a summary of his call, reaching back to the words of the prophet Isaiah. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,” (Luke 4:18-19 NRSV). With this as the basis for his ministry, Jesus spends a large chunk of his ministry by tending to the needs of the poor, the hungry, the homeless.

Throughout the era of Christendom, which was the focus of my last post, the church found itself in positions of great power. And in so doing, it often failed to live up to the call of Jesus. This core conviction of Anabaptism recalls these words of Jesus, and reinforces their centrality to the mission of the church. Instead of focusing on power and status, our calling as the church is to serve the poor, the powerless, and the persecuted.

The Church of the Brethren has, at times, lived into this calling. Brethren Volunteer Service has many opportunities to serve the least among us.

Our congregation has opportunities for us to live into this calling of Jesus. Later today, members of our congregation will be participating in a ministry in Roanoke geared towards helping some of the least among us.

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[1] Stuart Murray, The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith, Scottdale, PA: Herald Press 2010, 179.