Compare
AnabaptismandAnglican Communion
At a glance
- Common groundIn full: Common ground
- Common inheritanceBoth stand in the Protestant tradition, which grew from the 16th-century Reformation of the Western church, either directly or through later revival and free-church movements.
Source
- Christianity: The First Three Thousand YearsIdentified, not independently read
Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.
- GodOne God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- Scripture and authorityScripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
- Common inheritanceBoth stand in the Protestant tradition, which grew from the 16th-century Reformation of the Western church, either directly or through later revival and free-church movements.
- What distinguishes themIn full: What distinguishes them
- Sacraments and ordinancesAnabaptismBaptism follows a personal confession of faithAnglican CommunionInfants are baptised
- Scripture and authorityBothScripture as the supreme authority for faith and lifeAnabaptism alsoScripture interpreted together by the community of believers
Below: 2 topics where teaching varies.
- How their histories connectIn full: How their histories connect
- Common ancestry, no direct separation · Both lines lead back to the Western church under Rome; they did not separate from each other.Anabaptism began among radical followers of Zwingli's reform in Zurich (1525), which took shape in the Reformation of the Western church under Rome (1519–1560); Anglican Communion took shape in the Reformation of the Western church under Rome (1534–1559).
- Connected today?In full: their relationship today
Not yet researched
The Atlas has not yet researched their present relationship. This is a gap, not evidence either way.
Composed from each tradition’s sourced records. Where a topic is not yet recorded for one side, the Atlas says so rather than guess.
Structured comparison. Composed from each tradition’s sourced position records. No research has yet been written for this particular pair, so the Atlas shows only what those records establish.
Where they differ
Scripture and authority
Sources of authority
- Anabaptism
- Scripture as the supreme authority for faith and life; Scripture interpreted together by the community of believers
- Anglican Communion
- Scripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
Sacraments and ordinances
Who is baptised
- Anabaptism
- Baptism follows a personal confession of faith
- Anglican Communion
- Infants are baptised
Where teaching varies within a tradition (2)
Sacraments and ordinances
Christ's presence in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper
- Anabaptism
- Anabaptist understandings of the Lord's Supper are not uniform and are not recorded here.
- Anglican Communion
- Article XXVIII speaks of receiving Christ 'after an heavenly and spiritual manner'; Anglo-Catholic and evangelical Anglicans interpret Christ's presence very differently.
Church and ministry
Church government
- Anabaptism
- Government differs between Mennonite, Amish, Hutterite and Brethren churches.
- Anglican Communion
- Bishops; autonomous member churches joined in a communion
Not yet comparable (6)
No sourced position is recorded for one side, so the Atlas does not say whether they agree:
- Creeds and councils (the nicene creed): not recorded for Anabaptism
- Creeds and councils (councils received): not recorded for Anabaptism
- Salvation and grace (characteristic emphasis): not recorded for Anglican Communion
- Sacraments and ordinances (how the rites are understood and counted): not recorded for Anabaptism
- Church and ministry (ministry): not recorded for Anabaptism
- Mary and the saints (asking the saints to pray): not recorded for Anabaptism
How their histories relate
The Atlas has no researched record of a direct historical relationship between these two. Not every pair of traditions experienced a schism or union with each other. Each took shape in its own way:
Their relationship today
Not yet researched
The Atlas has no researched record of the present relationship between these two. That is a gap in the research, not evidence of any particular relationship.
Developments towards reconciliation
No documented agreement or formal dialogue between these traditions is recorded in the Atlas.
Explore further
Anabaptism
All citations link to the Atlas’s single source register.