MennoNet.com

Individual leaders in the Restoration movement churches were influenced by Anabaptists according to Hicks and Valentine in their book "Kingdom Come".

"Historically, we are neither Catholic nor Protestant but rather a believers' church movement. (David) Lipscomb looked to the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century as models, and (James) Harding found a kindred spirit in George Mueller of the Brethren Church. For them, as for others in the believers' church tradition, discipleship-following Jesus- was the key dimension of kingdom life in the present evil age."

Also, I've heard that Tolbert Fanning, who was instrumental in the spread of the Restoration churches in the South also had been influenced by Anabaptists.

Fascinating, OA.
I'd prefer say that were influenced by the Holy Spirit.. The same as some of the Anabaptists they looked to were.
That's just my focus on words.

A big question I have is why they all eventually gave up on nonresistance. Restorationists used to have it, various denominations called “church of God” used to have it, Assemblies of God used to have it. None did by the end of World War II other than groups that chose to maintain a distinct identity - basically, Anabaptists and a few fringe groups like Christadelphians.

Some of the very conservative CoC congregations still practice non-resistance.

Once Again wrote:Some of the very conservative CoC congregations still practice non-resistance.

Interesting. We have some rather conservative CoC's here... they appear to have some sort of dress standard (whether official or not, I cannot say).
My DoC has got to be one of the most conservative left, considering how the denomination as a whole has gone (bad...). Perhaps that's cause we started in the early 1880's. In fact, we preach and maintain a pretty good degree of separation of church and state, considering.

Josh wrote:A big question I have is why they all eventually gave up on nonresistance. Restorationists used to have it, various denominations called “church of God” used to have it, Assemblies of God used to have it. None did by the end of World War II other than groups that chose to maintain a distinct identity - basically, Anabaptists and a few fringe groups like Christadelphians.

It'd appear that they simply lost some of the restorative Spirit that lead the advent of the churches, which isn't uncommon. I'd say that they just got a bit too close to the world/ politics and the big crisis and social mobilization for WWII sucked them in.

Jehovah's Witnesses are a fine example of a group with a distinct identity that held to nonresistance. Quite impressive, actually, how they convert so many to hold this view.

I think of Charles Finney's revival movement, which flowed over into the movement for the abolition of slavery through the work of some of its converts and supporters such as Theodore Weld and the Tappan brothers. The main institutional nexus between the two movements was Oberlin College.

Finney later (1836) counselled Weld to back off from promoting political abolitionism as his sole focus but that rather abolition should be promoted as an "appendage" to conversion. The only way to end slavery peacefully, he said, would be through revival and repentance. The alternative would be a bloody civil war.

These were prescient words because this was exactly what did happen. There was a deeper wisdom in Finney's advice also because Weld's failure to keep the gospel central led to the eventual loss of his faith.

Charles Finney's revivals had many good fruits, but I think that in the move from revivalism to abolitionism we see the beginnings of an almost exclusively ethical Christianity which segued into the social gospel movement and thence into today's progressive ideology.

Oberlin is now literally one of the most immoral places in Ohio. It’s amazing to think about how quickly things changed. It makes EMU look like a monastery.

Josh wrote:Oberlin is now literally one of the most immoral places in Ohio. It’s amazing to think about how quickly things changed. It makes EMU look like a monastery.

Contrast Oberlin's present condition with this:

After I was engaged to come, the brethren at Oberlin wrote, requesting me to bring a large tent, to hold meetings in; as there was no room in the place, large enough to accommodate the people. I made this request known to some of my brethren, who told me to go and get a tent made, and they would furnish the money. I went and engaged the tent, and they handed me the money to pay for it. It was a circular tent, a hundred feet in diameter, furnished with all the equipment for putting it up. At the top of the center pole which supported the tent, was a streamer, upon which was written in very large characters, "Holiness to the Lord."

- Charles Finney, Memoirs

It is heartbreaking to me to see how many institutions which were established - devoted - to the Lord's work have fallen so far as to be almost diametrically opposed to their original purpose. It leads me to propose this:

That any Christian organization or movement which does not keep Christ at the centre sooner or later becomes an anti Christ.