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Just finished Verdun's "The Reformers and their stepchildren" and have a copy of Broadbent's book coming. Is there anything else I should consider reading along the same vein. Amazing what you can get read with no TV in the house.

I have actually thought of getting my pastor a stick, because accd' to Verdun's book, early anabaptists would never trust a preacher who did not carry a stick.

J.M.

The Torch of the Testimony Paperback
by John W. Kennedy (Author)

"The 2,000 year history of those Christians - and churches - that have stood outside the Protestant-Catholic tradition. This book was originally published in India in 1964 and is little known in the western world. Beginning in the first century John Kennedy traces the history of Christian groups who remained outside formalized religion down through the ages. A stirring, passionate and sometimes heart-rending story of suffering to the centrality of Christ within the Body of Christ.

John W. Kennedy is from Great Britain, but has lived in India since 1952 ministering among indigenous and apostolic Christian groups."

Judas Maccabeus wrote:Just finished Verdun's "The Reformers and their stepchildren" and have a copy of Broadbent's book coming. Is there anything else I should consider reading along the same vein. Amazing what you can get read with no TV in the house.

I have actually thought of getting my pastor a stick, because accd' to Verdun's book, early anabaptists would never trust a preacher who did not carry a stick.

J.M.

One of the next books I read was Friedmanm's "The Theology of Anabaptism." Others were "Anabaptism in Outline" by Walter Klassen and "The Anabaptist Story" by William R. Estep.

Ernie wrote:The Torch of the Testimony Paperback
by John W. Kennedy (Author)

"The 2,000 year history of those Christians - and churches - that have stood outside the Protestant-Catholic tradition. This book was originally published in India in 1964 and is little known in the western world. Beginning in the first century John Kennedy traces the history of Christian groups who remained outside formalized religion down through the ages. A stirring, passionate and sometimes heart-rending story of suffering to the centrality of Christ within the Body of Christ.

John W. Kennedy is from Great Britain, but has lived in India since 1952 ministering among indigenous and apostolic Christian groups."

Thanks, this is the sort of thing I was looking for. I have had a bit of contact with Indian Initiated groups, mostly their branches in the Gulf. There was a definite difference between them and the western initiated groups.

Blessings,

J.M.

Hats Off wrote:

Judas Maccabeus wrote:Just finished Verdun's "The Reformers and their stepchildren" and have a copy of Broadbent's book coming. Is there anything else I should consider reading along the same vein. Amazing what you can get read with no TV in the house.

I have actually thought of getting my pastor a stick, because accd' to Verdun's book, early anabaptists would never trust a preacher who did not carry a stick.

J.M.

One of the next books I read was Friedmanm's "The Theology of Anabaptism." Others were "Anabaptism in Outline" by Walter Klassen and "The Anabaptist Story" by William R. Estep.

Great list. Read Estep in college some 40 years ago, the old purple cover. Loaned it out a few times lately, it was getting in poor shape, so I ordered a hardcover used from Amazon. Lo and behold, it is an autographed copy.

Read Klasssen as well.

Both are great recommendations .

J.M.

My experience with Indian apsotolic Christianity is that it basically reflects Oriental Eastern Christianity.

In the past 100 years, various Christian denominations have done a brisk business "converting" Indian apostolic Christians to their own flavour. So now you have Pentecostal Keralites, Baptist Keralites, and so forth. And then you even have diaspora groups such as the PCNAK (Pentecostal Keralites in North America). And you get all the joys of every split and division in America reflected in Kerala, so there are Apsotolic Pentecostals in Kerala as well plus their diaspora overseas which isn't in fellowship with PCNAK.

Of course, Indian apostolic groups aren't faring much better, and have lots and lots of splits and divisions of their own, most of which aren't in communion with broader Oriental Orthodoxy anymore.

Basically, imagine Holmes County but with better spices in the food.

Josh wrote:My experience with Indian apsotolic Christianity is that it basically reflects Oriental Eastern Christianity.

In the past 100 years, various Christian denominations have done a brisk business "converting" Indian apostolic Christians to their own flavour. So now you have Pentecostal Keralites, Baptist Keralites, and so forth. And then you even have diaspora groups such as the PCNAK (Pentecostal Keralites in North America). And you get all the joys of every split and division in America reflected in Kerala, so there are Apsotolic Pentecostals in Kerala as well plus their diaspora overseas which isn't in fellowship with PCNAK.

Of course, Indian apostolic groups aren't faring much better, and have lots and lots of splits and divisions of their own, most of which aren't in communion with broader Oriental Orthodoxy anymore.

Basically, imagine Holmes County but with better spices in the food.

I had to laugh at your last sentence- but in reality, it really isn't funny- the truth of it- is it?
Apostle Thomas is the one who brought Christianity originally to India- wonder what he would think of the 'universal' church now? Why would pagans there really feel like there is 'one' Church, and turned to Christ? I don't know how many are-but it sure would be confusing in the present day situation. Amy Carmichael (1867-1951) left beautiful Ireland to serve as a missionary there all her life- but as you say, even that was a particular 'sect' of Christianity-
We had stopped at at "Indian" Orthodox Church a couple of months ago, not realizing they had split from the Orthodox Church in the 5th century- but they really looked identical to Orthodox liturgical worship and church in every way-

https://orthodoxwiki.org/Fourth_Ecumenical_Council

Valerie wrote: Apostle Thomas is the one who brought Christianity originally to India- wonder what he would think of the 'universal' church now? Why would pagans there really feel like there is 'one' Church, and turned to Christ?

That's a good question; they have been in schism since AD 451 (or, in their view, Rome and Constantinople have been schism from them since AD 451). Regardless of that, many in Kerala have turned to the church and Christ anyway, despite all these schisms.

If One True Visible Church thinking and teaching really excites you, I invite you to come to services at the church of God in Christ, Mennonite any evening or morning on a Sunday. You will find lots of people who are very sure they are definitely the one church and are quite hopeful about all the other born again people out there eventually joining them.

Valerie wrote:Amy Carmichael (1867-1951) left beautiful Ireland to serve as a missionary there all her life- but as you say, even that was a particular 'sect' of Christianity-

Amy Carmichael went to Tamil Nadu which is an entirely different part of the Indian subcontinent from Kerala - different languages, religions, and until the British empire, different countries. The two have about as much in common as Ireland does with Serbia; they're both in the EU and a lot of people in both places speak English, but the similarities end there.

Carmichael mostly focused on helping the needy and wasn't very focused on proselytisation or perpetrating her own sect.

Josh wrote:

Valerie wrote:Amy Carmichael (1867-1951) left beautiful Ireland to serve as a missionary there all her life- but as you say, even that was a particular 'sect' of Christianity-

Amy Carmichael went to Tamil Nadu which is an entirely different part of the Indian subcontinent from Kerala - different languages, religions, and until the British empire, different countries. The two have about as much in common as Ireland does with Serbia; they're both in the EU and a lot of people in both places speak English, but the similarities end there.

Carmichael mostly focused on helping the needy and wasn't very focused on proselytisation or perpetrating her own sect.

Both Kerala and Tamil Nadu have a relatively large percentage of christians compared to north India, and they form separate churches in the gulf. The Malayalam (Kerala) speaking church was larger, and the joke was "will the last one to leave Kerala turn out the lights." The Tamil speaking church was much smaller. Both languages look like coils of barbed wire when written.

J.M.