Marrying Someone With a Promiscuous Past

Christian ethics and theology with an Anabaptist perspective
Josh

Re: Marrying Someone With a Promiscuous Past

Post by Josh »

Ernie wrote: Mon Jun 03, 2024 11:15 am
Josh wrote: Sat Jun 01, 2024 10:59 pm Holdemans and Apostolic Christians do blind proposals. Although Holdemans do have a custom of sending a card first.
Did one group learn this from the other or how did this originate?
As far as I can tell, neither group really has had much contact with the other and most are surprised that there is any other group (let alone an Anabaptist group) with such similar practice. The history of how it developed in each group seems to be that it developed independently.

The one common thread is that both ACs and Holdemans reacted strongly against rumspringa during their formation in the 1800s, and specifically considered it a high priority to stop tolerating fornication amongst young people, including engaged people. This was a significant problem in some Anabaptist circles, where such behaviour was essentially winked at and basically the norm.

We sometimes like to criticise fundamentalists for up-ending the Old Order ways of doing things in the 1800s, but some people were attracted to revivalism because it had "answers" to things like rumspringa and immorality amongst the youth that many sincere believers were frustrated with. Revivalism, Holiness Methodist-type doctrines, or Holdemanism or Apostolic Christianity offered a solid response to how a church and its youth should be behaving.

As far as I know, there aren't other Anabaptist groups that do this particular practice.
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