"worldly" realm of politics; the necessity of voluntary rather than infant

baptism, based on an adult commitment to follow in the way of Christ;

rejection of "the sword"; and autonomy of the church from the state in matters

of worship and religious practice. While many early Anabaptists were highly

educated, leaders in the fledgling movement were martyred by the hundreds

in the early years, and gradually the Anabaptists became relatively anti-

intellectual, a perspective which persisted into the 20th century. Sociologists

from Max Weber to Robert Bellah have identified Anabaptists as classically

"sectarian" in their orientation, rejecting compromise, stressing purity,

demanding loyalty, and renouncing the goal of dominating the world, opting

instead for intimate intergroup fellowship.¹²Though generally recognized

today as a denomination rather than a sect, Mennonites maintain a sectarian-

size constituency, with less than 200,000 church members in North America.¹³

While small and, until recently, limited primarily to European ethnic

ancestry, Mennonites and their institutions have developed a remarkably

international perspective. Such internationalism can be traced, in part, to

persecution which frequently forced Mennonites to move from their

12_{Bellah and his associates also add:"Modern sectarianism, remaining aloof}
from the world, has nevertheless been highly congenial to capitalism,
liberalism and democracy. The tightly structured sect has released the energy
of autonomous enterprise in the secular world. Though highly intolerant
within and quick to expel deviants, sectarians have often collaborated with
secular liberals in support of civil liberties as against the pressures of a
coercive church. Perhaps unintentionally, the sects have played into the
liberal drive to privatize and depoliticize religion."Bellah, Richard Madsen,
William M. Sullivan, Ann Swidler and Steve Tipton, Habits of the Heart(San
Francisco:Harper & Row, Publishers, 1985):245.

13_{I'm speaking here of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference}
Mennonite Church, the two largest Mennonite denominations. The two are in
the process of merging. There are a score of other Mennonite and Amish
groupings under the larger Anabaptist umbrella, with a total of nearly 1
million members around the world.

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