Anabaptists

Anabaptists are a Christian movement that emerged in the 16th century during the Radical Reformation, with early activity in Zurich and surrounding parts of present-day Switzerland and southern Germany, and later communities in the Netherlands, Moravia, and other regions. They stressed believers’ baptism, arguing that baptism should follow a personal confession of faith by adults rather than infants. They also called for a renewed discipleship, a separation of church and state, and simple, community-oriented church life.

Key figures in the movement include Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, and Michael Sattler, who argued for adult baptism and church discipline based on voluntary faith. The term Anabaptist, used by opponents, means “rebaptizer,” referring to those who baptized adults who had already received infant baptism.

Doctrines and practices varied among Anabaptist groups, but common themes included baptism upon profession of faith, voluntary church membership, congregational governance, and an emphasis on ethical living modeled on the teachings of Jesus. Pacifism and nonresistance were characteristic of many groups, though positions on coercion, oaths, and civil engagement varied. Persecution by both Catholic and Protestant authorities forced many Anabaptists to practice clandestine worship and to migrate.

The Münster Rebellion of 1534–1535, a radical episode associated with some Anabaptist factions, produced a lasting stereotype of violence, even though mainstream Anabaptists rejected violence. Following persecution, communities developed in Moravia, the Netherlands, and later North America, where some groups prospered and diversified.

Today, Anabaptist-descended bodies include Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, and various Brethren and related churches. They share roots in the 16th-century emphasis on believer’s baptism, nonconformity to infant baptism, and a caution about the relationship between church and state, shaping later movements toward religious liberty and conscientious objection.