Anabaptist Perspectives

How does one’s relationship with a brother affect his relationship with Christ? How is the Anabaptist view of church different than the Roman Catholic and Protestant views? In this episode, Val Yoder describes his understanding of how Christ calls his Church to operate within local congregations. To help understand the Anabaptist view, he compares and contrasts it with the Roman Catholic and Prote...

Who is Tertullian? What can we learn from him today? In this episode David Bercot gives an introduction about Tertullian, an early church Father who gave many writings to the Church in the early 3rd century. Tertullian was austere in taking the practice of Christianity seriously. He discussed many practical issues that still apply to us today. Tertullian’s Apology: https://ccel.org/ccel/tertullian...

Lesbos, Greece is an island with multiple migrant camps on it. Randall Graber and his family work in Lesbos under a network of conservative Mennonite churches. In this episode, Randall tells about the work in Greece and shares how individuals can become involved. He also recounts one refugee’s story of migration and coming to Christ. This is the 104th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast,...

In the early 2000s, Val Yoder and his family felt called to be involved in the development of a training place for young people. Several years later they moved to Thailand in order to help start the Institute for Global Opportunities. In this episode, Val shares the story and vision behind starting IGo and explains what the value is in having a school set in a culture that is different from the st...

Anabaptists have often emphasized the character trait of gelassenheit. In this episode, Chester Weaver describes what “gelassenheit” is. Gelassenheit is a German word that has no simple translation into English but is often described as yieldedness. Having this character trait is essential to having a strong relationship with God and his church. This is the 102nd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives...

What are things practiced today that reflect bad fundamentals? What is the interaction between fundamentalism and rules? This is the Q&A session from our live event on October 24, 2020. In this session, Chester Weaver, Matt Landis, and Marlin Sommers respond to questions that our audience asked in response to the first part of our live event (episode 101A). This is the second part of the 101st epi...

What was the fundamentalist movement? Why was the fundamentalist-modernist controversy so defining for the 20th century? This episode is a recording of our live event from October 24, 2020. In this episode, Chester Weaver, Matt Landis, and Marlin Sommers dive into and clarify topics from Chester’s episodes early in 2020. The Q&A session will be released shortly. Mennonites, Amish, and the Amer...

At one point Joshua Good was very interested, and willing to be involved, in politics. Today though, he views the Christian’s involvement in politics as contrary to the calling of those who follow Christ. Listen to Joshua share his story of change in this episode. Find Joshua’s video “Anabaptist Vision; Kingdom Gospel; American Nationalism, Racism, Next Steps...” at: https://youtu.be/G-38bs32YJc F...

UPCOMING EVENT NOTICE: On Saturday, October 24th we are doing our first ever live event. Join us on Facebook Live or our YouTube Channel at 7 p.m. Eastern time to hear two of our previous guests, Chester Weaver and Matt Landis, discuss “Fundamentalism and its Aftermath”. This will include a Q & A session. Find more information about this event and episodes related to this topic at: https://ana...

This episode is a lecture presented by Chester Weaver at a Mennonite high school. Chester discusses what happened to the Mennonites who submitted to the Nazi regime and Hitler in Germany. From this piece of history, Chester encourages each of us to follow our conscience and to not be silent in the face of evil. Find “Martyrs Mirror”: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/299702 Find “Houses on the S...

In this episode, Christina Gatewood shares her story of transformation from growing up in a family that was, in her words, discombobulated, to being part of a Christian community. Christina moved to Guys Mills, Pennsylvania to study at Faith Builders Educational Programs. Visit their website at https://www.fbep.org/. Christina is a member of St. Thomas Christian Fellowship. Visit their website at...

This is the first episode in Season Three of Anabaptist Perspectives. What part does the Kingdom of God have in the gospel? How does a Biblical understanding of God's Kingdom change one's view of Christian living? In this episode, John D. Martin describes what the Kingdom of God is. He shows us how a proper understanding of God's Kingdom and the gospel will give one a passion for the Church. John...

In this final episode of Season Two, Jaran Miller and Reagan Schrock share the story about Anabaptist Perspectives starting and their vision behind the project. Currently we are at about one-fifth of our $10,000 goal for our end of season fundraiser. Support us as we prepare for Season Three by becoming a Patron at: https://www.patreon.com/anabaptistperspectives You can see our fundraiser progress...

How was community practiced by the early Anabaptists? What is the proper vision behind living in a Christian community? In this episode, Dean Taylor discusses the presence of community in the early Anabaptists. He gives examples of communities that were successful and of ones that failed, showing that a proper understanding of the purpose of community is necessary in order for it to work well. “Th...

Chester Weaver was raised in a Lancaster Mennonite Conference church. As he considers the changes that happened within Lancaster Mennonite Conference in the 1960s, he traces the root causes back to ideas, especially the emphases on fundamentalism and liberalism. Chester observes that some of these very same ideas are being found in moderately conservative Mennonites today. He pleads with us to not...

Why is it important to learn Greek and Hebrew? What is the best method to use when learning languages? In this episode, Finny Kuruvilla shares how learning Greek and Hebrew helped to strengthen his understanding and practice of Christianity. This is the 93rd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and th...

Starting with what Jesus’ contemporaries would have thought of when they heard the term, Josh Nisly describes what it means for Jesus to be “The Prince of Peace”. He continues by describing how recognizing Jesus as The Prince of Peace should affect Christians politically, socially, and spiritually. Find “Freakonomics”: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1202 Find “Destroyer of the Gods”: https://...

Like any economic difficulty, a COVID-19 economy highlights the need to steward our resources, whether those resources be meager or vast. Hard times can actually clarify our understanding of basic Christian economics. In this episode, Marlin Sommers explores four themes which should be present in the Christian response to the present pandemic. This is a bonus podcast. Expect this week's regularly-...

In this episode, Zack Johnson shares his story of becoming a conscientious objector while serving in the United States Air Force. Once Zack came to understand Christ’s call to non-violence and not swearing, he applied for release from the Air Force. Learn more about Sattler College at https://www.sattlercollege.org/. This is the 91st episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube...

Reagan Schrock meets with Dr. Hans Burkholder, a surgeon in Brooklyn, and Richard Schwartz, pastor at Believers in Jesus Church in Bronx, to discuss how they and their communities are experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about ways to get involved in serving others during the pandemic, visit https://www.anabaptistcovidresponse.org/ and https://anabaptistperspectives.org/covid19...

In this interview, Allen Roth shares his vision for evangelizing to those who have immigrated to the United States. Allen encourages us to not view the influx of immigrants as a threat, but as a mission’s opportunity sent from God. This is the 90th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Rea...

In this episode, Corleen Bean shares about sewing personal protection equipment (PPE) for those in the medical field who are unable to use proper equipment. Corleen explains how she found out about the need for PPE and what she is doing to help fill it. For more information about the group Corleen is involved with: https://www.facebook.com/groups/KW.COVID.Medical. Supplies/ For more information ab...

How can one reach out to Muslims? What advantages do Anabaptists specifically have in relating to those from the Middle East? In this episode, Dean Taylor shares about evangelizing to Muslims. He shares both from his personal experience in Greece and from what others have shown him. This is the 89th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspe...

This episode is the second half of an interview with Patrick Matthews and Bill Shiley. In this episode, they share their vision for ministry and discipleship in small towns. Hearken House: https://hearkenhouse.org/ Contact Patrick: patrick@hearkenhouse.org Contact Bill: bill2teach@gmail.com This is the 88th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines vari...

In this episode, Matt Landis shares practical ways to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic. From restaurants packing lunches for healthcare workers to individuals sowing face masks, Matt presents a variety of ways to be involved in serving others during the COVID-19 Pandemic. For more information on how to get involved: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/covid19/ Anabaptist Perspectives is a p...