Compare
LutheranismandAnabaptism
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 ordinancesLutheranismInfants are baptisedAnabaptismBaptism follows a personal confession of faith
- Scripture and authorityBothScripture as the supreme authority for faith and lifeAnabaptism alsoScripture interpreted together by the community of believers
Below: 1 difference of emphasis, 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.Lutheranism took shape in the Reformation of the Western church under Rome (1517–1530); 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).
- Later · Reconciliation · 2010Lutherans ask Mennonites for forgivenessRead the account in Anabaptism
- Connected today?In full: their relationship today
as of 2010
Separate traditions in a relationship of recorded reconciliation.
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
- Lutheranism
- Scripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
- Anabaptism
- Scripture as the supreme authority for faith and life; Scripture interpreted together by the community of believers
Sacraments and ordinances
Who is baptised
- Lutheranism
- Infants are baptised
- Anabaptism
- Baptism follows a personal confession of faith
Different emphases, not necessarily opposed (1)
Salvation and grace
Characteristic emphasis
- Lutheranism
- Justification by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith and not by works
- Anabaptism
- Faith lived out as discipleship and peacemaking
Where teaching varies within a tradition (2)
Sacraments and ordinances
Christ's presence in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper
- Lutheranism
- Christ's body and blood are truly present
- Anabaptism
- Anabaptist understandings of the Lord's Supper are not uniform and are not recorded here.
Church and ministry
Church government
- Lutheranism
- Episcopal in some churches, synodical or congregational in others.
- Anabaptism
- Government differs between Mennonite, Amish, Hutterite and Brethren churches.
Not yet comparable (8)
No sourced position is recorded for one side, so the Atlas does not say whether they agree:
- Christ (christ's divinity): not recorded for Anabaptism
- Christ (how christ's divinity and humanity are expressed): not recorded for Anabaptism
- Creeds and councils (the nicene creed): not recorded for Anabaptism
- Creeds and councils (the filioque): not recorded for Anabaptism
- Sacraments and ordinances (how the rites are understood and counted): not recorded for Anabaptism
- Sacraments and ordinances (how christ's presence is explained): 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
Reconciliation · 2010
Lutherans ask Mennonites for forgiveness
A formal act of reconciliation, such as lifting condemnations or asking forgiveness. It does not by itself restore communion.
Sixteenth-century Lutheran authorities joined in persecuting Anabaptists. In July 2010 the Lutheran World Federation Assembly in Stuttgart asked forgiveness at a joint service of repentance, and Mennonite World Conference responded with its own confession.Read in Anabaptism history
Their relationship today
as of 2010
Developments towards reconciliation
July 2010
Lutheran World Federation action on the legacy of Lutheran persecution of Anabaptists
Lutheran World Federation Assembly, Stuttgart, with Mennonite World Conference
At a joint service of repentance the LWF asked forgiveness for the 16th-century persecution of Anabaptists; Mennonite World Conference's general secretary responded that Mennonites also needed to repent of using their martyr tradition as a badge of superiority.An act of the LWF Assembly, received by Mennonite World Conference.
Explore further
Lutheranism
All citations link to the Atlas’s single source register.