Faculty 360: Dr. Gerald Mast
Bluffton University professor of communication
What is Anabaptism?
Anabaptism is the name of a spiritual and social movement arising from the Bible-centered activism of the 16th century European Reformation—especially in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. On Jan. 21, 1525, a Bible study group meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, defied the city authorities by renouncing their baptism into Christendom and receiving baptism upon confession of faith.
Next year we commemorate the 500th anniversary of this ceremony that is considered
the beginning of the Anabaptist movement and the church denominations that derive
from it such as the Amish, Mennonites, Brethren, Hutterites, Baptists and Apostolic
churches. The primary teachings of Anabaptism are focused on following Jesus Christ in a voluntary
community of faith grounded in peace with both God and neighbors.
How has it shaped Bluffton’s 125 years?
Bluffton was founded by one branch of Anabaptism—the Mennonite church, which is likely
the single most important influence on Bluffton’s character and priorities throughout
its history. For example, our four enduring values are expressions of Anabaptist values
of community relationships, service to others, respect for the creation and truth
discovery. Our mission statement is framed by the commitment to historic peace church
teachings—which is why there are many peace activities on campus: The Lion and Lamb
Peace Arts Center, a peace oratorical contest, two annual peace lectures, cross-cultural
experiences, signature general education courses on “War, Peace and Nonviolence” and
“Mennonite History and Thought,” —to name just a few examples.
What has your work been with the Anabaptist community Bible?
In 2022 I was appointed to the Anabaptism at 500 advisory group, whose task was to
provide support and discernment for MennoMedia’s publishing projects in connection
with Anabaptism’s 500th anniversary year. The centerpiece of those anniversary projects
is the Anabaptist Community Bible. I helped gather quotations from early Anabaptist
sources and wrote a short essay on Anabaptists and the Apocrypha that will be printed
in the back of the Bible with other essays on Anabaptist biblical interpretation.
I also led a group of Bluffton students in my religious communication class in a Bible
study that contributed to the crowd-sourced notes.
How can people continue to build on the peace church tradition today?
The historic peace church tradition initially emerged as a group of churches—such as the Quakers, Brethren and Mennonites—who opposed war and conscription as art of their Christian witness. But this opposition to participation in war was rooted in a deeper commitment to respecting the image of God in all human beings. We can build on this tradition of Christian faith and hospitality by helping to make our communities genuinely welcoming for all people, especially those who are vulnerable: immigrants, refugees, people with disabilities and all who struggle to belong. At Bluffton, we can build on the peace church tradition by working hard to welcome and support all our students—who come from increasingly diverse cultural backgrounds and who are looking for a place not just to study but to belong.