Scot McKnight has said, "the sort of evangelicalism the Emerging Church Movement is striving for is anabaptist." Anna who?! Many know I spend a lot of my time teaching, preaching, ranting and running workshops about eco-justice and confrontational nonviolence, as integral to an engaged gospel spirituality. What people might not be aware of is that I continue to encounter a growing movement of young people (not just young people!) who are deeply seeking to follow Jesus in ways that witness to God's Reign. A spirituality of "justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" in the midst of a world where injustice, war and misery seem to reign.
One example of this was late last year running nonviolence training for the G20 summit in Melbourne. Out of that has grown the "Christian Activist Network". Our Peace Tree Community with the Waiters Union has also been involved in the planning of the first "Christianity and Anarchy Conference" in Australia. Then there is also the courageous actions of the "Pine Gap 6" and the deep stirring in Quaker circles about what Wess Danielshas articulated around explorating the "Early Friends Imagination" for the 21st century. 
And not to forget the leadership of my sis Jess Morrison around the Peace convergence to end the Talisman Sabre War games.
These are just a few of many things happening in this part of the world. When asked for a label to describe this fresh fire, the "emerging peace church movement" and the "Open Anabaptist impulse"are terms I've found helpful to give people a feel for what's happening.
Why "Anabaptist Impulse"?
In the 16th century one of the only thing that Calvinist, Catholic and Lutheran church establishments (and the nations and militaries that backed them) shared in common was the mass murder of those who rejected their agenda. These groups, they labelled, "Anabaptists". This diverse, largely peasant movement of women and men who, like the early church and the Catholic 'base communities' of South America, Africa and the Philippians (that sprung up in the 70's and 80's) formed communities of spiritual resistance. The strength of this resistance was found in their claim of allegiance to Jesus and not the Rulers of the (so-called) "Christian Empires," with their oppressive economics and politics of violence.
The enduring legacy of this important 16th century multifaceted movement which, "insisted that any "spiritual" reformation that needed the backing of a military knew nothing of the power of Spirit", (Ray Gingerich) is not monopolised by any one tradition. I was sad to hear from a friend who initiated www.jesusradicals.com that many of the modern-day descendants of the tradition, including some Mennonites communities, have forgotten their identity. They have traded in their prophetic witness, a reflection of the nonviolent Jesus, in for Constantinian spirituality, a reflection of the American Empire in 'Christian drag'. (Identifiable in the absence of the reign of healing justice, transformative peace and joy found in the presence of God.)
Why "Open"?
I've described the 'impulse' as 'open' because it is invitational, ie. "Come join us in seeking." This 'open impulse' necessitates a listening and humility that can't exist where coercion is present. Open also in it's stance toward those who might even be described as "enemies". The tragic story that lies behind the picture above is that of Anabaptist Dirk Willems, who after escaping from prison for "Anabaptist heresy" stopped to rescue his pursuer when he fell into the ice. As a direct result he was recaptured and burned at the stake in Asperen, The Netherlands 1569. This I believe is the "open Anabaptist impulse", where communities support one another in the hope of the Spirit's transformation, " loving our enemies", even when they seek to destroy us.
This impulse is not monopolised by any one movement but found across the spectrum (I'm finding this "emerging peace church" among the mainstream, evangelical, and charismatic, the Quakers... you name it!). There is a large shift to an understanding of "church" not as 'institution' but as community. Rejecting the sword and all other forms of domination and oppression because of their deep immersion in an alternative to the stories seeking to name us as simply "citizen" or "consumer". The impulse is found in places where people have been named, and have found their identities as children of the God, revealed fully in the nonviolent Jesus. Thus through the empowerment of the Spirit, allowing them to follow Jesus into the nonviolent transformation of all things ("the kingdom of God").
In a post-Christendom setting their may be no more important stories to draw on than this '
Open Anabaptist impulse' and other similar traditions such as the Early Friends. A witness to the reality of the early churches "power" not being found in positions of prestige but with those in a position of need. The "power" of the early Church did not come from the Empire's domination but the Spirit's nonviolent power of resurrection.
For more on Contemporary 'Open Anabaptism':
Becoming Anabaptist: The Origin and Significance of Sixteenth-Century Anabaptism by J. Denny Weaver
