About Münster
Münster was the site of an horrific experiment in anabaptist history. It forever stands as a reminder of the ugliness of distorted beauty, the dangers of blind orthodoxy and the terror of religious violence. And the vital need to learn from the past…
Think of it as a 16th Century equivalent of Jonestown or Waco.
However, it was from the ashes of Münster that the future anabaptist leader Menno Simons arose. Simons had seen the horror of Christianity gone astray [his own brother was killed at Münster] and was determined that the fledgling anabaptist movement must forge a new path.
Leaving behind a State-empowered monopoly, the anabaptists began rediscovering what it means to follow the path laid out by Jesus. This is the way of discipleship, of service, of love and peace. It is unconventional, unpopular and very often untrod!
It is my belief that as the anabaptists felt that to rediscover Jesus they had to move beyond the Church as they knew, perhaps we today – if we seek the path or Peace that Jesus walked – must move beyond Christianity as we know it.
About this site
I am an ex-pastor who believes that Christianity was never meant to acquire the power of a world religion. In fact, I would suggest that Jesus was more interested in dismantling all religion, than in starting a new one. When Jesus asked his disciples to remember him after his death, he encouraged them to do it simply by gathering together for a meal!
My ‘faith’, if I can still call it that, is that Love is the most powerful force in the universe. (Of course, the Bible has said that all along!) My spirituality is pretty mundane, as a result. I am committed to helping peope live their lives to the fullest – which it turns out is a pretty fulfilling way to live.
This site is a simple “life-stream” of my rambling and ranting through the web. It includes posts from my anabaptist spirituality blog (for those few people interested in a post-Christian, non-theistic, cheek-turning British anabaptist!), as well as highlights from my Mental Health and Happiness blog (Think Happy!) and news from my Northampton Hypnotherapy practice (Forward Therapy).
