What Is Reformed Pacifism?
The doctrine of pacifism is generally, though not exclusively, associated with the Anabaptists. The Anabaptists came out of the Radical Reformation and stressed adult or believer’s baptism (the prefix ana means “again”), communalism and a belief in the purity of the primitive church. Their association with pacifism came about largely as a result of their one experience with political power when in 1533 they gained temporary control of the city of Munster. They persecuted and expelled all non-Anabaptists and established what they believed was the messianic kingdom under the leadership of John of Leiden. The city was subsequently put to...