Editor’s note: Anabaptism began in 1525 in Switzerland when bold young Christians challenged authorities with the radical idea that Scripture spoke clearly to ordinary people who studied the Bible together. Nearly five centuries later, plans are taking shape for a special Bible to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism and breathe new life into grassroots Bible study. Here, John D. Roth, a historian and former Goshen College professor who directs the project, answers some frequently asked questions. Participant quotes (p. 14) are as told to Jeanne Zimmerly Jantzi.

John D. Roth, project director of Anabaptism at 500, receives input on the Anabaptist Bible project from participants at a conference on Aug. 26-28 in Des Plaines, Illinois. (Jace Longenecker for MennoMedia)

What is an Anabaptist Bible?

The Bible is a gift that all Christians share. We are producing the first-of-its kind Anabaptist Bible by printing the CEB version of the Bible with contributions from Anabaptists embedded as notes, book introductions, and more. The Anabaptist Bible is an effort to help readers understand what it means to read Scripture through the distinctive “Jesus-centered” lens of the Anabaptist tradition. While drawing on the work of scholars, the Anabaptist Bible is unique in the trust it places in the collective wisdom of 500 lay study groups in a broad spectrum of Anabaptist faith communities who will share their perspectives, insights, and questions in the margins of the text.

A crucial feature of the Anabaptist Bible is the conviction that in Jesus “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). As the author of Hebrews puts it, “[God] has spoken to us by his Son. … The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:2–3). This means that every page of Scripture points to Jesus and is illuminated by his light. He is the Word by which all other words are interpreted.

Why do we need one?

For many Christians today, the Bible has either become a battlefield or regarded as irrelevant. Yet the central story of Scripture—that God has been revealed to the world in the person of Jesus Christ—is truly good news! Amid the confusion and anxiety over Scripture today, we need to be reminded that the Bible always puts us into a relationship with a living person. The saving message of Christ’s life, death and resurrection echoes throughout all of Scripture. The gift of this transformative story far exceeds our debates over specific verses and it still has the power to transform lives today.

Who thought of this?

The idea of an Anabaptist Bible is not unique to our tradition. Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists, Baptists and other groups have also created study Bibles designed to help readers understand Scripture in light of their theological traditions. In late 2021, MennoMedia, the publishing agency of MC USA and MC Canada, launched Anabaptism at 500 as a way of inviting a wide spectrum of Anabaptist groups to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Anabaptist beginnings (1525–2025).

Early in that planning process, MennoMedia became convinced that an Anabaptist Bible would be a crucial component of that commemoration, especially in light of the central role Scripture played in the emergence of the Anabaptist tradition in the sixteenth century and its development since then. Nevertheless, even though this project is central to the Anabaptism at 500 initiative, the Anabaptist Bible itself belongs to the whole church.

How will we create it?

The reflections, insights, questions, and commentary will be generated largely by ordinary congregation members. Any individual or congregation interested in participating can do so by forming a study group and registering their interest at www.Anabaptismat500.com.

We have divided the Bible into 500 clusters of texts—an Old Testament and New Testament passage, along with something from the Psalms or Proverbs. Once you have filled out the form, your study group will be assigned three biblical passages. Following the directions provided by Anabaptism at 500, your group will meet regularly (usually four times) for conversation. Someone in your group will then compile and submit your reflections, insights, and questions in the form of annotations to the relevant verse(s). Those annotations, along with other materials compiled by the editors, will become the core content of the Anabaptist Bible.

In the chapel at Casa Iskali retreat center in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines, Ill., 45 people gathered Aug. 26-28 for a working conference to launch the Anabaptist Bible project. (Jace Longenecker for MennoMedia)

Who will contribute to it?

The primary content of the Anabaptist Bible will be generated by Bible study groups from at least 500 Anabaptist congregations or faith communities who represent a diverse spectrum of contemporary Anabaptists. We also plan to translate the instructional materials into other languages.

We assume that participants in the Bible study group will be earnest Christians, ready to engage their assigned texts in thoughtful conversation with each other through the lens of an Anabaptist hermeneutic. But we do not expect participants to have seminary degrees or to possess unique gifts in biblical interpretation. Congregations may decide to participate with more than one Bible study group; or a Sunday School class or small group may choose to take on the assignment.

What’s the schedule?

The Anabaptist Bible website (www.Anabaptismat500.com) is live as of September 1, 2022. Groups interested in participating in this once-in-a-generation project will find further information about how to register here, along with detailed instructions for both the facilitator of the study groups and for each participant. Ideally, groups will complete their work in four to five weeks. Bible study groups will have approximately six months to register to participate in the project, with registration closing on March 1, 2023. All annotations must be submitted by June 15, 2023.

How can I and my congregation help?

The easiest way to help is by participating! If you are intrigued by the idea of helping to create the Anabaptist Bible, share your enthusiasm with your pastor. Let your congregation know that a group is being formed, or encourage your Sunday school class or small group to sign up. You can also help by supporting MennoMedia or the Anabaptism at 500 project with a donation.

No single group “owns” this celebration. Join the Anabaptism at 500 movement in whatever form it takes—you can share in the renewal of this 500-year-old tradition!

I hope that the Anabaptist Bible project allows us to stop “surrendering the field” when it comes to the public space of theology. Anabaptists have something to offer the Christian world. I think a lot of people deconstruct into Anabaptism but then they ultimately leave the church because we’re not out there to catch them. We should be telling them, “Hey, you are safe here. All those things you’ve been thinking; we’ve been thinking those things for 500 years. Come on in and we can revitalize the church.”

As a newer Anabaptist, I have mixed feelings about the 16th century history. Yes, the past is great. Let’s honour that. Let’s remember that. We need to remember that the map is not the territory. Let it be a map. We have things to work on right here right now and we need to make sure that our faith moves into the future.

I am an Anabaptist. I follow Jesus. I believe in community. I believe in reconciliation. I want to make the world a better place. Right now, that’s all I got, but it’s enough to go on.

– Lazaro "Laz" Martinez, Hyde Park Mennonite Fellowship, Boise, Idaho

I remember when I was in high school participating in a Sunday school class on Philippians 3. In that passage, Paul boasts, “I am a Hebrew of Hebrews … Now I count it all as loss in the face of Jesus.” That really hit me and had an impact.

At the time and in various ways throughout my life, I understood being a Mennonite as having parents and grandparents and great grandparents who were Mennonites and were connected with the institutions and had gone to the Mennonite schools and were related and embedded in the culture and in the community.

The CEB (Common English Bible) says, “What I lost I think of as sewer trash, so that I might gain Christ and be found in him.” That piqued my curiosity. If all of that is trash, what is actually going on here? What does it mean to be a Christ-follower if I need to relativize all those things I identify with being Mennonite? [The Scripture] offered me a serious challenge to my understanding of who I was and how I operated in the world. It was an invitation to dive in deeper to Scripture.

– Ben Woodward-Breckbill, associate pastor at Shalom Mennonite Church in Newton, Kansas

I was inspired by the radical faith of early Anabaptists, but I don’t want us to be stuck in the 16th century … Why do we ignore the continuing stories? Anabaptism now has a culturally diverse body. Anabaptist history in North America should also include the inspiring stories of Latino and Black Mennonites in the Civil Rights movement and the Migrant Workers Movement. Those were inspiring stories for me because that was the first moment that I could feel I could breathe. When I read Felipe Hinojosa’s book, Latino Mennonites, it gave me the courage to develop my own theology from an Asian migrant perspective.

My hope is that the Anabaptist Bible will have an intentional effort to include underrepresented groups. If immigrant Mennonite groups participate in the Anabaptist Bible project and their interpretation [of a passage] is included in the sidebar of an Anabaptist Bible, that means a lot. Usually European Mennonites are the authoritative ones. Now it’s time to change that. If our people’s interpretation is included in this Bible, it will shape our Anabaptist identity in a new way in the 21st century.

– Hyejung Yum, co-founder of Sowing for Peace, an intercultural peace ministry based in Toronto

Why an Anabaptist Bible?