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Radical Reformation History  /  Lecture 21: The 20th Century Anabaptist Mission Movement  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 1
Menno Simons described preaching “by day and by night…in prison and in dungeons, in water and in fire…with possessions and blood, with life and death,” and then concluded, “For this is the true nature of the love which is of God”; what does that claim suggest about God’s love, and how does it confront modern instincts to separate “love” from costly proclamation?
Another way to ask: What does Menno Simons’ description of preaching through danger and suffering say about what God’s love is like? How does it challenge the idea that “love” should be kept separate from hard, costly preaching?

Direct Answer Based on Dean Taylor’s use of Menno Simons, God’s love is not sentimental or private; it is a saving love that compels costly proclamation and sacrifice for others’ rescue. That confronts modern instincts to call something “love” while avoiding the danger, inconvenience, and public witness involved in preaching.

Support from Transcript:

  • Menno’s description ties love directly to proclamation in extreme hardship: “by day and by night…in prison and in dungeons, in water and in fire, on the scaffold…with possessions and blood, with life and death.”
  • The aim of that costly preaching is rescue and deliverance: “save all mankind from the jaws of hell, free them from the chains of their sins.”
  • Menno frames evangelism as adding people to Christ and the church: “add them to Christ by the gospel of His peace.”
  • Taylor highlights Menno’s conclusion: “For this is the true nature of the love which is of God,” treating mission as an expression of God’s own love.
  • Taylor paraphrases the impulse as “spreading the spark of fire to all nations,” implying love spreads rather than stays safe.
Discussion Follow-ups What “costs” are we most tempted to avoid (reputation, comfort, time), and how does that reshape what we call love? How would our church look if love was measured by willingness to suffer for others’ salvation?

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