« Back to Issue 55

The Naked Anabaptist

Reviewed by Julian Reindorp.

This book is an excellent introduction to the Anabaptist movement, and a more qualified author could not be found. Stuart Murray has written extensively on the post-Christendom church, church planting and urban mission. He chairs the Anabaptist Network in Britain and Ireland, works as a mission consultant and helps co-ordinate Urban Expression.

The Naked Anabaptist takes a ‘warts-and all’ approach. While being honest about the strengths and faults of historical Anabaptism and its contemporary direct descendents, the Amish, Hutterites and Mennonites, Murray points to much that one would wish to emulate in today’s church: community, hospitality, peace, simplicity and Jesus-centered discipleship. He emphasizes that Anabaptism is not another denomination, nor a distinctive theology, so much as an agenda, and a way of living the Christian life; all conversionist churches can learn from it.

Beginning with the testimonies of those who have encountered the living Anabaptist tradition and been drawn to it, Murray addresses some of the misperceptions that have grown up around issues such as baptism, separatism and pacifism. He goes on to summarize the essence of Anabaptism: a Jesus-centred faith, unconnected with the establishment, unconcerned with status – rather helping the poor and the marginalized, living church life as community, money for sharing and non-violence as a way of life. There are chapters entitled “Following Jesus,” “Community and Discipleship,” “Justice and Peace,” and a really good history chapter summarizing the 16th century Anabaptists, which mentions some of the inspiring people and communities who suffered for their radical faith, and yet who, in a relatively short time, left  behind such a powerful legacy.

If you haven’t come across the Anabaptists before, are wishing to learn more or want to suggest a single book on the subject, there could be no better starting point. I wish The Naked Anabaptist had been written when I was at college!