Online Journal Article: "Biblical Inerrancy, Church Discipline, And The Mennonite-amish Split" JETS 60/3 (2017): 581–93

https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/60/60-3/JETS_60_3-581-593_MacGregor.pdf

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https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/60/60-3/JETS_60_3-581-593_MacGregor.pdf

JETS 60/3 (2017): 581–93
BIBLICAL INERRANCY, CHURCH DISCIPLINE,
AND THE MENNONITE-AMISH SPLIT
KIRK R. MACGREGOR

Abstract: Between 1693 and 1700 a schism unfolded between the Anabaptists in Switzerland over the matter of biblical inerrancy and its implications for church discipline. The majority of Anabaptists sided with the Mennonite Pastor Hans Reist, while a sizeable minority sided with Reist’s erstwhile colleague Jakob Ammann. This split, known as the Amish Division,
separated the Mennonites from Ammann’s followers, who became known as the Amish. This
paper will show that the split ultimately boiled down to the issue of whose interpretation of a
cluster of texts—Matt 9:11, Matt 15:11, Matt 18:15–20, and 1 Cor 5:6–11—proved
consistent with inerrancy. This article delineates the interpretations of both Reist and Ammann.
The article concludes by using the Reist-Ammann disagreement to assess two exegetical methods frequently used by evangelicals, namely harmonization and subordination of less clear texts
to more clear texts, in reconciling passages that appear opposed to one another.
Key words: inerrancy, church discipline, Mennonites, Amish, Anabaptism, Hans Reist,
Jakob Ammann, harmonization


From the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS)