Anabaptist Perspectives

[Note: After this episode, we will be shifting to a biweekly release schedule.] One YouTube commenter wrote: “In the Anabaptist worldview, we value community above almost everything else. We are often even reluctant to discuss controversial Bible passages for fear of disrupting our sense of community. In the academic world, on the other hand, promoting, debating, and defending your own controversial views is an essential skill.”   This was only one of the comments left on Vince Beiler’s episode “Does Academia Cause Loss of Faith?”. In this episode, Vince is joined by Roseanne Bauman to discuss questions around study, debate and disagreement, and living in communities where your field of work is an unusual choice. Find inspiration from Vince’s studies in Biblical Hebrew. Read here about the fascinating centuries when the Hebrew Bible was copied entirely by hand.Read Roseanne's reflections from teaching international medical professionals. This is the 166th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

A listener commented “I love the theology and cannot stand the exclusivity” in reference to John’s episode “The Kingdom of God in Anabaptist Thought.”  John affirms the existence of other Kingdom Christians. His comments also clarify what he means by Kingdom theology. We are to be a city set on a hill, which is a light to the world as a community, not just as individuals. We are to be a society of the redeemed demonstrating what the world should look like. This is the 165th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Whether, it’s a Sunday school lesson, topic, or sermon, teaching scripture can feel overwhelming. Verlon Miller gives helpful tools and pointers from years of preaching experience. Verlon calls us to diligence in study, whenever we have the opportunity to share. Tools discussed include cross-references, commentaries, and simple software. This is the 164th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Should Christians “own” all of church history? How do evil things done by those who take the name of Christ relate to us?  And switching gears, how does one become Mennonite? What if I want to be Anabaptist but there is no congregation near me? Jaran, Marlin, and Reagan discuss these questions that were posed on earlier episodes.Listen to Allen Roth’s discussion of what to do when there is no Mennonite Church. (This episode was released on Patreon and as Partner content on our website. You can support Anabaptist Perspectives through either link for access to more bonus content.) Here is the book by Becky McGurrin that Marlin referenced near the end. [affiliate link] This is the 163rd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Why do some church plants fail? How can an older church help start a new church? Allen Roth speaks from experience and observation. Church planting calls for much prayer, clear vision, and a whole lot of practical steps and hard work. Suggested Resources Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by Church Starts by Griffith and Easum [affiliate link]Global Church Planting by Ott and Wilson [affiliate link]Discovering Church Planting by J.D. Payne [affiliate link]Planting Churches that Reproduce by Joel Comiskey Places Allen periodically teaches on Church Planting Faith BuildersIGO Church Planters ForumThis is the 162nd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

The church planter is like a rubber tire between the bumpers of two vehicles.  Allen Roth describes the challenge of operating with integrity and with respect for both the sending culture and receptor culture while engaged in cross-cultural evangelism. Allen describes what he sees as Anabaptist core values, noting how we can easily be blind to our own spiritual heritage and to how we are shaped by our own culture. He also points us to key passages for cross cultural ministry such as Acts 3, Acts 10, Acts 15, Acts 20, and Romans 14 and 15. This interview is part of our series with Allen on Scripture, Culture, and Church Planting.This is the 161st episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

“How does one plant churches, teaching people to obey clear commands of Scripture that go in the opposite direction of many accepted norms of prevailing culture?” Allen Roth doesn’t stop with asking the difficult questions, but pushes us to be confident in scripture, humble in our understanding, and devoted to knowing scripture. “The Holy Spirit can’t bring to our memory scriptures we don’t know. This episode develops themes from Allen’s essay “Planting an Anabaptist Church in a City” which you can read here or listen to here.This is the 160th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Our founders, Reagan and Jaran, tell the story of Anabaptist Perspectives from their perspective. Why they started, humor and encouragement along the way, and what keeps them excited five years in. As they say in the episode, we are especially grateful for all of you who have sustained this ministry with your gifts. Recommended Resources:Plough Publishing HouseLife Together Podcast“A Change of Allegiance” on YouTube“A Change of Allegiance” on DVDs at Scroll PublishingThe first episodes we filmed: Mennonites and the Tech Revolution Mennonites and Social Media   Rachel Stella’s article about Anabaptist Perspectives on Mennonite World ReviewSound FaithEssays for King JesusOur partner program on PatreonThis is the 159th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

We should learn from monks and nuns. Monastics were responsible for the revival of agriculture, in addition to schools, libraries, and hospitals. These works of service accompanied their focus on the interior life and recovering personal wholeness. Stephen reminds us of the origins of monasticism in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 7 and 1 Timothy 5:9-12), and highlights the possibility that those who served a celibate calling helped bring the rest of the church back closer to God’s original design for sexuality.  This is the 158th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Kristi Mast highlights women, past and present, who have inspired her. As the conversation progresses, she highlights the power of reading scripture congregationally. Then she offers a brief review of egalitarian and complementarian ideologies in contemporary Christianity. Kristi encourages women to see themselves first as disciples, rather than any other identity. She calls all of us to keep coming back to the text of the New Testament as we navigate issues around the roles of men and women in the church.  Kristi’s conversation with Kingdom OutpostInterpreting the Bible in the Anabaptist Tradition by Stuart MurrayMartyrdom of Weynken narrated Martyrdom of Weynken from Martyr’s MirrorThis is the 157th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Are commentaries cheating? Marlin emphasizes first hand direct engagement with the text of scripture. If used carefully, commentaries can actually help this process. Marlin also discusses free study resources and biblical language tools. This conversation continues themes from Marlin’s essay “The Inside-Out Sandwich.” Read Marlin’s essay The Inside-out Sandwich: An Approach to Studying and Teaching the BibleListen to Marlin’s essay hereSee detailed tips for Bible study from Frank Reed's article Studying the Word of GodThis is the 156th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

What does humility mean for studying the Bible? Can only the educated understand scripture? Vince and Roseanne respond to audience comments from Vince’s prior episodes with Anabaptist Perspectives. How can we grow in our understanding of Scripture? Do we need to have an answer for every question? View prior episodes with Vince:  Does Academia Cause Loss of Faith  Why I’m Studying Hebrew This is the 155th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Sign-up for our monthly email newsletter which contains new and featured content!Join us on Patreon or become a website partner to enjoy bonus content!Visit our YouTube channel or connect on Facebook.Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more at anabaptistperspectives.org.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

What did a team of four students learn when they spent several days (and nights) on the streets of Dallas? Their goal was to hear from people experiencing homelessness and get a small taste of that Homelessness directly affects about 580,000 Americans, but most of us don’t encounter these individuals face to face. Our guests in this episode temporarily surrendered their comfort and ease to live among those who have been less fortunate.View the project website.Here is the testimony they mentioned from their emergency contact.This is the 154th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Visit our YouTube channel Connect with us on Facebook Read essays from our blog or listen to them on our podcast, Essays for King JesusSubscribe on your podcast provider of choiceSupport us or learn more about us by watching our about us video.The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Years ago John taught the book of Luke in a high school classroom. This launched his journey of faith into what he terms “voluntary poverty,” or non-accumulation of wealth. In this episode he shares some practical parts of this journey and comments on when the rubber meets the road in his later years. This is the 153rd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Visit our YouTube channel Connect with us on Facebook Listen to our episodes on our podcast Read our blog Support us or learn more about us!The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

It is good to work and to be invested in our work. Distributism fits well with traditional Anabaptist values, even though it has largely been articulated by Catholic thinkers. Stephen Russell urges us to “look at distributism and see how it fits with what we have traditionally tried to do, and learn from it”. These themes include valuing craftsmanship, family businesses, and widespread ownership of the tools and infrastructure needed for business. Recommended Resources:The Hound of Distributism edited by Richard Altman: What’s Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton: Economic Policy Institute, “CEOs were paid 351 times as much as a typical worker in 2020.”  Mandragora CorporationGuild of St. Joseph and St. Dominique: “Men rich in virtue studying beautifulness living in peace in their houses.” Social Credit PartyBarbara Peter’s Observations about MondragonPope Leo’s Statement on Distributism “Men always work harder and more readily when they work on that which belongs to them; nay, they learn to love the very soil that yields in response to the labor of their hands, not only food to eat, but an abundance of good things for themselves and those that are dear to them. That such a spirit of willing labor would add to the produce of the earth and to the wealth of the community is self evident.” Pope Prius XI’s statement on subsidiarity “Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do. For every social activity ought of its very nature to furnish help to the members of the body social, and never destroy and absorb them.  Watch Stephen’s testimony about exiting political engagement on YouTube.This is the 152nd episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Visit our YouTube channel Connect with us on Facebook Listen to our episodes on our podcast Read our

Is the kingdom message socialism? What does the New Testament say about interest and lending? What about interest on business loans? And what really is laying up treasures in heaven? John calls us back to the willingness to give and share as the foundational issue for all of these questions. This is the 150th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Visit our YouTube channel! Connect with us on Facebook! Listen to our episodes on our podcast! Read our blog!Support us or learn more about us!The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Money has rarely been far removed from the biblical narratives or major conversations of the church since the New Testament. Between the close of the New Testament and the protestant reformation, the church had much to say about usury. Stephen Russell, a student of history, orients us to the church’s premodern stance on usury. Recommended Resource: https://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/catholics-and-usury-a-tragic-history  This is the 149th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Visit our YouTube channel Connect with us on Facebook Listen to our episodes on our podcast Read our blog Support us or learn more about us!The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Kevin Brechbill urges business owners to pay employees well think carefully about where to give money, and to build accountability and transparency around their role as business owners.Recommended Resources: Money, Possessions, Eternity by Randy Alcorn. https://amzn.to/3ujopoyThis is the 148th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought. Visit our YouTube channel Connect with us on Facebook Listen to our episodes on our podcast Read our blog Support us or learn more about us!The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

What are the basic ideas for understanding how Christians should value and relate to money? John D. Martin points us to the Old Testament year of Jubilee and Jesus’s teachings about laying up treasures. He challenges us to embrace Jesus’s values and ensure we are worshiping him, not money.Recommended Resources: Through the Eye of a Needle by Roger Hertzler: https://scrollpublishing.com/products/through-the-eye-of-a-needle/Various works by James M. Stayer: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/82831.James_M_StayerAnabaptist Perspectives offers a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Visit our YouTube channel Connect with us on Facebook Listen to our episodes on our podcast Read our blog Support us or learn more about us!The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

Biblically, stewardship includes our skills and social roles, not just our use of money. It is about the role we play in God’s household. Marlin Sommers, Kyle Stoltzfus, and Reagan Schrock discuss these concepts and how they can practically play out. Marlin shows us how being a manager in God’s household is much more involved than it is often given credit for.This conversation is based around three essays Marlin wrote for our blog: “Essays for King Jesus.” Watch a short animated video based on the first essay: https://vimeo.com/605618387/a7a5591954 Manager’s in God’s Household: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/managers-in-gods-household/ Business People among God’s Servant-Managers:https://anabaptistperspectives.org/business-as-stewardship/ Entrepreneurs as Servant-Managers: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/entrepreneurs-as-stewards/This is the final episode of Season Three. Gain access to exclusive content on Patreon until we start releasing weekly episodes again: https://www.patreon.com/anabaptistperspectives This is the 146th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.Read our essays: https://www.anabaptistperspectives.org/blog/Visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/anabaptistperspectives/ Connect with us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anabaptistperspectives/ Support us: https://anabaptistperspectives.org/donate/ Music: "The Basket" by Blue Dot SessionsThe views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.