Neo-evangelical Anabaptists

[Ken]

I believe I've read through most of this thread, but was Neo-Evangelical Anabaptists clearly defined? For my part, I'm NOT sure I know yet who we think they are and therefore I'm not sure I can answer this question.

I think it refers to mostly non-plain Anabaptists whose churches have become mostly mainstream evangelical.

Like, for example, the Anabaptist church that MAGA Christian Nationalist PA candidate for governor Doug Mastriano attends.

https://anabaptistworld.org/pa-governor ... -politics/

[cooper]

I believe I've read through most of this thread, but was Neo-Evangelical Anabaptists clearly defined? For my part, I'm NOT sure I know yet who we think they are and therefore I'm not sure I can answer this question.

I think it refers to mostly non-plain Anabaptists whose churches have become mostly mainstream evangelical.

Like, for example, the Anabaptist church that MAGA Christian Nationalist PA candidate for governor Doug Mastriano attends.

https://anabaptistworld.org/pa-governor ... -politics/

Ernie was describing LMC as mainline, and I did not think that fit. I suggested the term neo-evangelical as one way to think about the Anabaptists between Rosedale and MC USA that ordain women and may have a less conservative approach to scripture than Rosedale. Mastriano's church is Rosedale and doesn't fit the intended category.

I don't think neo-evangelical is a very helpful term, and I regret introducing it to the conversation. I think assimilated Anabaptist groups are much harder to categorize than unassimilated ones, because assimilated denominations allow a lot more diversity between congregations. LMC is all over the map.

I think classifying assimilated Anabaptists probably needs to be multi-axial.

[Ken]

I think it refers to mostly non-plain Anabaptists whose churches have become mostly mainstream evangelical.

Like, for example, the Anabaptist church that MAGA Christian Nationalist PA candidate for governor Doug Mastriano attends.

https://anabaptistworld.org/pa-governor ... -politics/

Ernie was describing LMC as mainline, and I did not think that fit. I suggested the term neo-evangelical as one way to think about the Anabaptists between Rosedale and MC USA that ordain women and may have a less conservative approach to scripture than Rosedale. Mastriano's church is Rosedale and doesn't fit the intended category.

I don't think neo-evangelical is a very helpful term, and I regret introducing it to the conversation. I think assimilated Anabaptist groups are much harder to categorize than unassimilated ones, because assimilated denominations allow a lot more diversity between congregations. LMC is all over the map.

I think classifying assimilated Anabaptists probably needs to be multi-axial.

Southern Baptists are basically the American Evangelical archetype. They don’t ordain women. And as far as I can tell, have a similar theology to Rosedale minus the non-resistance. At least with respect to things like Biblical literalism. I expect the average Southern Baptist would feel pretty comfortable in many Rosedale churches like the Pond Bank one mentioned above.

But I agree, some of these attempts to categorize Anabaptism into boxes along one conservative-liberal axis is probably misguided. It really is multi-axial.

For example, I would describe Fundamentalist and Evangelical as representing two different axis.

Amish could be described as fundamentalist but not evangelical. Whereas most Baptists could be described as evangelical but not fundamentalist. And then there are some groups like maybe Pentecostals that might be described as both.

[cooper]

Data showing that Shasta County had the worst Covid figures in California?

Here you go:

https://krcrtv.com/news/shasta-county-c ... te-average
https://krcrtv.com/news/local/shasta-co ... california
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/ ... 631004.php
https://www.mynspr.org/news/2021-09-16/ ... -the-state

It’s 2025 now. I think Bethel acted responsibly in 2021, as did my own church in California which had fully resumed in person church, K-16 schooling, and no social distancing nor vaccine requirements.

Bethel did not “kill people”.

This isn't my thread and I'm not a moderator, but why do we have a multipage discussion on Bethel Redding in a thread on Anabaptists?

[ohio jones]

This isn't my thread and I'm not a moderator, but why do we have a multipage discussion on Bethel Redding in a thread on Anabaptists?

Because we have posters who have not learned self-control.

[Jazman]

LMC is all over the map.
I think classifying assimilated Anabaptists probably needs to be multi-axial.

Yyyep!

[Ernie]

I think it refers to mostly non-plain Anabaptists whose churches have become mostly mainstream evangelical.

Like, for example, the Anabaptist church that MAGA Christian Nationalist PA candidate for governor Doug Mastriano attends.

https://anabaptistworld.org/pa-governor ... -politics/

Ernie was describing LMC as mainline, and I did not think that fit. I suggested the term neo-evangelical as one way to think about the Anabaptists between Rosedale and MC USA that ordain women and may have a less conservative approach to scripture than Rosedale. Mastriano's church is Rosedale and doesn't fit the intended category.

I don't think neo-evangelical is a very helpful term, and I regret introducing it to the conversation. I think assimilated Anabaptist groups are much harder to categorize than unassimilated ones, because assimilated denominations allow a lot more diversity between congregations. LMC is all over the map.

I think classifying assimilated Anabaptists probably needs to be multi-axial.

I agree.

But I think groups can be categorized according to

1. Who they affiliate with and share pulpits with.
or
2. Things they stand for and don't stand for.

For example. Let's say that a congregation is a part of Nationwide Mennonite Fellowship. But the congregation isn't tied very tight to Nationwide Mennonite Fellowship. If so, there is no need to force them into the Ultra-Conservative category. They can caucus with whoever they like. They don't need to be stereotyped. Same is true for congregations that are part of LMC or Rosedale.
For example, I refer to Washington/Franklin, the conference that I grew up in, as being an Old Order/Ultra conservative hybrid, even though Stephen Scott lists them as Ultra conservative. If a congregation or group of churches don't fit the box, no big deal. That is why I often ask questions about percentages in order to try to get a more accurate picture.

[Ernie]

I don't think neo-evangelical is a very helpful term, and I regret introducing it to the conversation.

I am glad to change the thread title. If we need to call them the group between Rosedale and Mainline for now, we can do that.

[barnhart]

I suppose it is fitting for outsiders to name this group, even the term Anabaptist came from detractors.

[JohnL]

Out of curiosity, outside of an academic exercise is there any real use to the different labels of a group’s traditional Va modern status? Are the labels used to “church-shop” for a place to worship?