Anabaptist Teaching on Community and its Influence on the Ecclesiology of the Russian ECB Brotherhood

Authors

  • Viacheslav KIRILLOV Teaches Old Testament at West Siberian Bible College (Omsk, Russia), Russian Federation

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29357/issn.2521-179X.2017.18.59

Keywords:

Anabaptism, Congregation, Community, Baptism, Born again, Mutual aid, Evangelical Christians-Baptists

Abstract

In this article the author sets the goal of demonstrating the dogmatic connection between the Ukrainian-Russian ECB brotherhood and the Anabaptist movement of the sixteenth century. Although today this connection is not apparent to everyone, nor is it accepted by everyone, the basic ideas of Anabaptism, at least in the form that they were preserved by the Mennonite Brethren were nevertheless laid in the foundation of the ECB brotherhood.

In proof of this assertion, the teaching on the congregation (community) is examined, which is at the heart of the Anabaptist theological system, and also the likely influence of this teaching on the ecclesiology of the ECB brotherhood is demonstrated. In large part, the practical theological emphasis on congregational unity, conscious (adult) baptism by faith, the leading of the Holy Spirit, discipleship, fraternal love, and mutual aid came to us from the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition and made a significant contribution to the formation of those ecclesiastical distinctives of the Ukrainian-Russian ECB brotherhood, which to a great extent has been preserved to the present day.

Author Biography

Viacheslav KIRILLOV, Teaches Old Testament at West Siberian Bible College (Omsk, Russia)

Viacheslav Kirilov, Master of Theology (University of Wales). Teaches Old Testament at West Siberian Bible College (Omsk, Russia). He is the author of a number of articles published in Bogoslovskie razmyshleniia/Theological Reflections and Bogomyslie. Kirillov took part in writing The Slavic Bible Commentary.

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Theological Reflections #18 / 2017

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Published

2017-04-20

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KIRILLOV, Viacheslav. 2017. “Anabaptist Teaching on Community and Its Influence on the Ecclesiology of the Russian ECB Brotherhood”. Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology, no. 18 (April):35-81. https://doi.org/10.29357/issn.2521-179X.2017.18.59.

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No. 18 (2017): THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS: Euro-Asian Journal of Theology

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Copyright (c) 2020 Viacheslav KIRILLOV

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