Curious Christian

Missio Dei explains the core values of Anabaptist Christianity as thus:

1. Jesus is the center of our faith.

2. Community is the center of our lives.

3. Reconciliation is the center of our work.

I was particularly drawn to this comment: 

Many Christians today have what is called a “flat” Bible. They assume that the words of God interpreted by Moses in the Old Testament are as authorative as the words of Jesus in the New Testament. People with this understanding of Scripture downgrade the importance of Christ’s life and words. They often go primarily to the Old Testament for their political and social ethics and to the Ten Commandments for their personal ethics. This way of seeing the Bible determines their stance on such issues as war, capital punishment and social justice.

From the early Anabaptists we can learn that the Scriptures need to be interpreted from a Christ-centered point of view. All Scripture is to be read and interpreted in the spirit of Jesus. This means that sometimes the teachings of Jesus transcend previous teachings. Jesus himself said, “You have heard it said … but I say to you.” Also, the writer of Hebrews says, “In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son … who is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being ….”

Anabaptist-minded Christians are not strict literalists. They seek to interpret all Scripture in the spirit of Jesus. The written word and the spirit of Jesus must be held in creative tension. Christians get into trouble when they either elevate the written word over the Spirit or raise the Spirit above the word. Word and Spirit need to be held together.

Jesus is Lord over the Scriptures. While the Scriptures are seen as the ultimate source of information, Jesus is nonetheless the fullest revelation of God and the ultimate authority for daily living. Because of this understanding, Anabaptist Christians get their primary guidance and ethics from Jesus rather than from Old Testament codes of law. Missionary Peter Kehler once said, “If all the Scriptures do is introduce me to Jesus Christ, that is enough!”

How “flat” is your bible?