WCC News: WCC joins 500th commemoration of the Anabaptist movement

The World Council of Churches (WCC) joined the 500th commemoration of the Anabaptist movement with a sense of gratitude for the movement and for a new commemorative publication entitled “Daring! 500 Years of the Anabaptist Movement 1525-2025.” Flowers in a garden in Jerusalem. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 22 November 2023 WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay also expressed gratitude for the Anabaptist legacy of drawing upon tenets of faith. “The wider Christian family is richer for the stories of daring hope in the legacy of the Anabaptist tradition,” said WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay. “At a societal level, the Anabaptist movement dared age-old alliances between churches and monarchs.” The Anabaptist movement also declared autonomy from the state, noted Pillay. “Such daring is ever so relevant today when a growing sense of nationalism seeks to co-opt the Christian message as a tool for wars, violence, and discrimination,” he said. “May the social and personal ethics of a life of discipleship in Jesus Christ invite us all to a daring hope to serve humankind and all of creation through action.” WCC Greetings to “Daring! 500 Years of the Anabaptist Movement 1525-2025” See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland