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The Reformation and
the Anabaptists
Steps to Reconciliation
26 June, 2004, Zurich, Switzerland
___________________________________
In Response to the Confesson
Coming from the Reformed Church of Zurich,
Given by Ernest
Geiser, President of the Council of Elders
of the Swiss Mennonite Church
Dear members of the Reformed
Church of Zurich, our brothers and sisters in Christ
We are very touched to have been
invited to prepare and live out this day with you. Already in 1925 and
in 1952, other international Mennonite representatives were officially
welcomed here in this place which represents a very significant moment
at the beginning of our history. Though issuing from the same source in
the Reformation, Anabaptism has been marked by the breaking off and
rejection of the accents of a radical theology and the “following” of
Christ. Persecution, in Zurich and in other places, provoked the
scattering of the Anabaptists in many other countries where our way of
understanding were lived out and tested in many different situations.
As of today, Swiss Mennonites as
such are no longer present in the land around Zurich. Throughout the
last few centuries, we have been influenced in different ways. Having
been pushed to the side, we have become used to – and even finding some
satisfaction in – being a bit cut off from the world and society. We
confess that the reality of our communities do not always correspond to
our interpretation of the Gospel; we can find there conformism,
atrophy, withdrawal, and pride.
History may designate us as
victims, and could incite us to find satisfaction in that. However,
those here among you today, descendants of those Anabaptists persecuted
in the past, no longer feel as victims. We do not ask for material
retribution for the past: that would seem to us to be contrary to the
Spirit of the Gospel. But the fact that you recognize the difficult
points of your history in relation to ours helps us to see ourselves
and to meet you differently. We receive your confession with a
forgiving attitude.
For many years now, and in many
places, many opportunities for collaboration between members of
Reformed and Mennonite churches have demonstrated a common will to
overcome our old conflicts and to live out our belonging to the same
body of Christ. This is why it is sometimes embarrassing for us to be
once again asked for forgiveness. Maybe it is a sign that it is the
moment for all of us to revisit our past, with the help of the Holy
Spirit? There is no longer any church for us to oppose, and you no
longer have any believers to reintegrate by force. We maintain however
strong convictions, which are often shared by other free church
movements issued from successive Revivals, in particular to that which
pertains to more ethical and ecclesiological questions, that we would
like to see more widely shared throughout the body of Christ. We would
like to see them shared more broadly in the body of Christ and we would
like to engage in a longer dialogue concerning our church and
theological traditions in order to reinforce our common witness to
Jesus Christ and his gospel.
The 26th of June 2004 will remain
an important step forward on the road of reconciliation. The plaque
that will be unveiled today in this city of Zurich attests that actions
have been taken with determination. We feel concerned by your words and
deeds and we want to express our gratitude. Dear brothers and sisters
of the Reformed Church of Zurich, may God bless you and give you his
grace and his peace!
Swiss Mennonite Conference