The Anabaptist Vision - Harold S. Bender

“All the evangelical scriptures teach us that the church of Christ was and is, in doctrine, life and worship, a people separated from the world.”
(From Menno Simmons pg. 27 of “The Anabaptist Vision”)

The quote utilized by Harold S. Benner in his influential booklet “The Anabaptist Vision” is from the namesake of our Mennonite church Menno Simmons. In the context of his booklet, it seemed to me that Benner was directing his audience to a modern understanding of Anabaptistism where “Absonderung” is considered the focus and norm. Under the guise of separatism modern Anabaptism understood holiness and our faithfulness to God to be accomplished only in isolation from the world. Quite understandably, persecuted Anabaptist and then their off spring (2nd, 3rd etc) gravitated to this understanding of separatism (“quiet in the land”) from the years of severe persecution and martyrdom!
However I question the appropriate use by Benner of Menno Simmons quote. Obviously without having the full context in which Benner drew the quote from Menno Simmons it is difficult for me to exegete his original intent. However, a more familiar quote from Menno would seem to contradict the one above:
True evangelical faith cannot lie doormat, it clothes the naked, it feeds the hungry, it comforts the sorrowful, it shelters the destitute, it serves those that harm it, it binds up that which is wounded, it has become all things to people.”

Which one is it? Will the true Menno Simmons please stand up! Somewhat supspringly I believe Menno is standing up in both statement. In the first statement I believe a more accurate understanding of what Menno is stating is less to do with our modern Anabaptism and closer to the Anabaptism of the Reformation. In this understanding Menno is seeking to declare that true people of faith we will indeed become alien (separated) to the world. Yet as aliens in our world, we will belong to a community that isn’t limited by man mad borders, language, economics, ethnicities and this beloved community is called the church. However, where I differ from Benner and his use of Menno Simmons is that our alien status of belonging to Christ will compel us to behave in the spirit of “True Evangelical Faith” inside the church and outside its walls – even unto to death.