Long ago, my dad read a short biography of Menno Simons during our traditional evening readings.  It’s been years, so I thought I would go and read it again and rediscover the man who’s name is imprinted on the Anabaptist denomination that I’ve chosen to be a part of.

Menno Simons - engraving by Jacob Burghart

Some highlights from his life that surprised or impressed me:

  •  Menno, like Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic priest for 12 years. He was actually influenced a fair bit by the writings of Martin Luther who was his contemporary in Germany (Menno was a village priest in the country of Holland).
  • Once Menno discovered the truth of what the Bible taught, he waited a full five years before abandoning his duties as priest. He still performed mass, infant baptisms, last rites, and all the other Roman Catholic Church initiated traditions during this time.
  • He was influential in dissuading people from joining the cult-like, sword-wielding Munsterite rebellion, showing from the teachings of Jesus that violence and war is not for the New Testament Christian.
  • Unlike Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin and other well-known Reformers, Menno lived on the run and was never very well-to-do as he fled the persecution that followed just behind him.
  • Though he was pursued so fiercely, Menno was never caught, and died a natural death. On the other hand, Ulrich Zwingli who was never persecuted ending up dying a violent death on the battle field of Kappel, Switzerland, fighting the Roman Catholics who he was trying to win to Christ?

I’m somewhat ambivalent about naming a local church or denomination after a man, nevertheless I appreciate the contribution Menno Simons made to the Christian Church.