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Question 5

The Anabaptists criticize other churches for allowing their own poor to beg while members live in “silk and velvet…pomp and splendor,” and they ask, “Where is the power of the Gospel you preach?”—what “sign of true Christianity” are they claiming was lost, and what would it require for your congregation to recover it in concrete, costly ways?

Another way to ask: What “sign of true Christianity” were the Anabaptists saying was missing when believers lived in luxury while their own poor begged? What would your church have to do to recover that in real, costly ways?

Direct Answer They are claiming the lost “sign of true Christianity” is practical mercy, love, and community that ensures needy believers are cared for as family. Recovering it would require costly, shared responsibility so that vulnerable members are not left to beg while others live in comfort.

Support from Transcript:

Bercot says Anabaptists stood out for “brotherly care for one another,” unlike other churches of the time.
They testify: “This mercy, love, and community we teach and practice… although our property has…been taken away… yet none… nor any of their orphaned children, have been forced to beg.”
They conclude: “If this is not Christian practice, then we might as well abandon the whole Gospel of our Lord.”
They accuse other churches of “intolerable hypocrisy,” with members in “silk and velvet…pomp and splendor,” while the poor “beg for bread at their doors.”
The rebuke is spiritual: “Where is the power of the Gospel you preach? Where are the fruits of the Spirit you have received?”

Discussion Follow-ups What systems (benevolence, shared meals, job help, housing, child care) would make it practically impossible for someone in your church family to be abandoned?

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