A global Lutheran assembly in Germany has asked for forgiveness for the 16th-century persecution of Anabaptists, the religious reformers whose modern-day descendants include Mennonites.
“We remember how Anabaptist Christians knew suffering and persecution, and we remember how some of our most honored Reformation leaders defended this persecution in the name of faithfulness,” said Bishop Mark Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation, at a joint service of repentance with Mennonites on Thursday (July 22).
Anabaptists, whose originally pejorative name means “re-baptizers,” stressed the need to baptize Christian believers, including those who had been baptized as infants. Both Protestants and Catholics persecuted Anabaptists as heretics, and many fled to America.
Now I would like for Anglicans to apologize to Catholics for (at least) the theft/destruction of the monasteries in England and the theft of everything in Ireland. At least give back the Irish cathedrals. Reparations would be nice, too.
Then the Catholics can apologize for Matthew Fox.
I apologize for my ancestors Adam and Eve for eating the fruit. I apologize for my ancestor Cain killing Abel. (I feel much better now.)
I apologize for the ELCA. It’s just something I seem to do these days.
As a 21st century Anabaptist (Church of the Brethren) the apology is a nice gesture, but really means little to me – – I have never suffered as an Anabaptist. I will tell anyone who is interested, though, that I was once called “a heretic” on this blog; and that came from one person who posted, while many folks jumped to my defense and made apologies to me. I felt good about that.
jkc1945, just to be sure, are you Church of the Brethren (1894 Old Paths Conference, Reconstituted, Born Again Premillennial, Hyper-Arminian, Reformed Dissenting Dispensationalist)?
They apologized to you, as in, “I’m sorry you’re a heretic”? 😉
These Lutherans like to do penance. Our Confessions still condemn the Anabaptist, but then again the ELCA and the LWF don’t hold to the Lutheran Confessions.