Behalt!

The picture here is a small cut from a very large cyclorama done by a man named Heinz Gaugel. He bagan this 10' x 265' circular mural in 1978 and finished it in 1992, eight years before his death in 2000. You can find the story that was done on this cyclorama here.

This cyclorama is a pictorial depiction of the development of the Anabaptist faith through the centuries. Of course not all Anabaptists (rebaptizers) came from the Amish, as pictured here in this cut My ancestors were Amish/Mennonite, but I traced my wife's ancestors back to the 16th century and found them to be Amish who came from Switzerland.

I often wish I knew more about the faith of my ancestors, and of the Amish of that early era of history. About the only objective thing I know is that my paternal great grandfather, Christian C. King, was a minister in the Amish Mennonite Church. I know also that somehow, someway, the faith I learned in my home was passed down from generation to generation which has given me the opportunity to learn about the Christian faith and make it my own. I desire that for all my descendants, and in our home we tried to provide an atmosphere where that could happen.

I do not know specifically what part(s) of the Anabaptist faith has been retained by my descendants. What I do know is that our children all have claimed the Christian faith as their own and have developed that through the years. Theirs is the responsibility to pass that on to their descendants, and to my knowledge they have been faithful in doing that. I would hope that this would continue as further generations come and go.

Many fear that Anabaptism per se is passing away, even in our churches which claim to hold the Anabaptist faith. I see some of that perhaps, but I do not see Anabaptist teachings totally disappearing from Mennonite Church USA churches. At least I would hope that would not be the case. I still believe that the true teachings of the early Anabaptists were basic truths of the Scripture and that they should not be lost to the church for any reason. I seek always to conform my life to the teachings of Jesus first of all and believe that of all the doctrines, teachings and traditions out there, Anabaptism is the one I will always seek to adhere to.

Those are some of my thoughts for today. I welcome any response you readers may have to share. I continue to press on as

Pilgrim on the way