Anabaptist/Mennonite Illustrations
Radical discipleship, pacifism, believer's baptism.
Key question: “How does this call us to follow Jesus in daily life?”
14741 illustrations found
Stanley Hauerwas on Community Non-Conformity - Anabaptist (Romans 12:1-2)
"'Do not be conformed' requires an alternative community. We cannot resist the world's patterns alone. The church is the non-conformed community where minds are renewed together, where different value
Stanley Hauerwas on Community and Care - Anabaptist (Matthew 6:25-27)
"'Do not worry' is addressed to a community—we bear one another's burdens. The birds are fed; but we feed each other. Worry decreases as community increases. Together we practice trust, share resource
John Howard Yoder on Life Versus Death Systems - Anabaptist (Romans 6:23)
"Sin's wages include the death-dealing systems of violence, war, and coercion. The gift of life creates an alternative: communities of peace, sharing, and reconciliation. We choose which economy to li
John Howard Yoder on Nonviolent Courage - Anabaptist (Joshua 1:9)
"The courage God calls for is not military might but the strength to love enemies, to suffer rather than inflict suffering. Joshua's context was war; Christ's context transforms it. 'Be strong'—strong
Menno Simons on Grace That Transforms Community - Anabaptist (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"True faith—the faith through which grace saves—bears fruit. It creates a community of transformed people living differently. We are saved by grace, not works; but saving grace always produces the wor
Stanley Hauerwas on Community Through Affliction - Anabaptist (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
"We are renewed together—community sustains us when bodies waste. The martyrs knew this: visible suffering, invisible renewal. Eyes fixed on the unseen kingdom, the church endures. Light affliction, e
Stanley Hauerwas on Community Beyond Imagination - Anabaptist (Ephesians 3:20-21)
"The church imagines peace; God creates reconciled community exceeding our dreams. We ask for faithfulness; He gives witness beyond our courage. The power at work among us together exceeds what any in
John Howard Yoder on Cross-Shaped Providence - Anabaptist (Romans 8:28)
"The cross is the model of how God works good out of evil. The worst thing that ever happened—the murder of God's Son—became the best thing that ever happened. Romans 8:28 follows the logic of the cro
Stanley Hauerwas on Love That Creates Community - Anabaptist (John 3:16)
"God's love is not simply a feeling but rather an action that creates a people capable of witnessing to the world that God would have the world saved through the love shown in Christ." — Stanley Hauer
John Howard Yoder on Fearless Nonviolence - Anabaptist (1 John 4:18)
"Perfect love enables nonviolent witness—we fear no enemy because we love even enemies. Fear drives to violence; love drives to reconciliation. The early Anabaptists faced martyrdom without fear becau
John Howard Yoder on Diaspora Faithfulness - Anabaptist (Jeremiah 29:11)
"Jeremiah tells the exiles: settle down, don't rebel, seek the city's good. This is the way of the diaspora community—faithful presence, not conquest. God's plan isn't to restore political power but t
Menno Simons on New Birth - Anabaptist (Psalm 51:10)
"The new birth creates a clean heart—truly regenerate, truly changed. This is not external reform but internal transformation. The new creation lives differently: peaceably, simply, in community. A cl
Stanley Hauerwas on Martyrs' Witness - Anabaptist (Hebrews 12:1-2)
"The cloud of witnesses includes the Anabaptist martyrs—those who endured fire, drowning, sword for their faith. They ran the race unto death, eyes on Jesus. Their example calls us to costly disciples
Stanley Hauerwas on Faithful Community - Anabaptist (Lamentations 3:22-23)
"'Great is Thy faithfulness'—sung by communities, not just individuals. The church together experiences daily mercy, shares daily bread, witnesses daily faithfulness. God's mercies come through the br
Stanley Hauerwas on Following the Way - Anabaptist (John 14:6)
"Jesus says 'I am the WAY'—not 'I am the correct doctrine.' The way is walked, not merely affirmed. To claim Christ as the way is to follow His path of enemy love, nonviolence, and community. The way
John Howard Yoder on Nonviolent Victory - Anabaptist (John 16:33)
"Christ overcame the world not through violence but through the cross. His victory is love stronger than death, truth stronger than lies, faithfulness stronger than power. We face the world's trouble
Stanley Hauerwas on Community and Temptation - Anabaptist (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"The 'way of escape' is often the community itself—brothers and sisters who hold us accountable, who know our weaknesses, who pray for us. Individualist Christianity faces temptation alone; the church
Stanley Hauerwas on Communal Wisdom - Anabaptist (James 1:5)
"Wisdom comes through community. We ask individually but discern together. The brother, the sister, the gathered church—wisdom emerges through the body's counsel. God gives wisdom through one another.
Stanley Hauerwas on Communal Tasting - Anabaptist (Psalm 34:8)
"We taste and see together—around the table, in shared meals, through mutual aid. God's goodness is experienced in community; solitary tasting misses the fullness. The church is meant to be a foretast
John Howard Yoder on Love for the Persecuted - Anabaptist (Romans 8:38-39)
"The Anabaptist martyrs faced drowning, burning, imprisonment—and testified that nothing could separate them from Christ's love. Not persecution, not execution, not empire's wrath. This love sustained
Stanley Hauerwas on Community as Branches - Anabaptist (John 15:5)
"The branches are plural—we abide together. Individual spirituality divorced from community is a severed branch. The church abides in Christ as a body; we bear fruit through shared life. Isolated Chri
Stanley Hauerwas on Fearless Discipleship - Anabaptist (2 Timothy 1:7)
"The early Anabaptists faced drowning, burning, imprisonment—and testified that God gave them Spirit not of fear but of power. Fearless discipleship requires supernatural courage. The community embold
Menno Simons on Strength for Suffering - Anabaptist (Philippians 4:13)
"The true Christian can endure all things—persecution, loss, suffering—through Christ who strengthens. This is not strength for worldly success but strength for faithful suffering. Paul wrote this fro
Stanley Hauerwas on Communal Stillness - Anabaptist (Psalm 46:10)
"The church gathers in silence together—communal stillness, shared knowing. We are still before God as a body, not just individuals. In corporate silence we learn that God is God and we are His people