- Schleitheim Confession
The Schleitheim Confession was a declaration of Swiss
Anabaptist belief, endorsed unanimously by a meeting of Swiss Anabaptists in 1527 inSchleitheim (Switzerland ). The meeting was chaired byMichael Sattler .The Confession consisted of seven articles, written during a time of severe persecution:;
Baptism : Baptism is administered to those who have consciously repented and believed that Christ has died for their sins. Infants, therefore, were not to be baptized.;The Ban (Excommunication ): A Christian should live with discipline and walk in the way of righteousness. Slip-ups are acceptable, but continual offenses are to be remedied with warnings and a ban as a final recourse.;Breaking of Bread (Communion): Only those who have been baptized can take part in communion.;Separation from Evil: The community of Christians shall have no association with those who remain astray in disobedience and a spirit of rebellion against God. This includes the pope and all his wicked, self-righteous underlings. ;Pastors in the Church: Pastors should be men of good repute. Some of the responsibilities they must faithfully carry out are teaching, disciplining, the ban, and the sacraments. ;The Sword: Violence must not be used in any circumstance. The Way of nonviolence is patterned after the example of Christ who never defaulted to belligerence in the face of persecution or in punishing sin.;The Oath: No oaths should be taken because Jesus prohibited oath-swearing.External links
* [http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/S345.html Schleitheim Confession text] in "Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online"
* [http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/S345ME.html Commentary on the Confession] in "Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online"
* [http://members.iquest.net/~jswartz/schleitheim/ Scholarly treatment of the Schleitheim Confession]
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