Some books will not go away.
They may not be bestsellers, but once a print run is exhausted, the book is
soon being requested. They have a lasting appeal, they say something no one
else is saying, or they say what everyone else is saying, only better.
Leonard Verduin's 1964 book,
The Reformers and their Stepchildren, is like that. Verduin wrote his
book to trace the conflict between the church-state alliance and those who believe
that a personal, voluntary commitment to Christ is the door to membership into
Christ's body. By the time the book was ready for publication in 1964, Verduin
had uncovered a startling episode in history, and given clear insights into
the church's true mission.
This book's personal voyage
is like its theme. It tells the story of the underground church of the Middle
Ages, and those unapproved, unrecognized, unannounced Christian fellowships
who prefer to be known as believers, brothers and sisters, or saints. It moves
among those posing a threat to the establishment in Christendom. Verduin himself
broke rank with his upbringing in the Christian Reformed denomination. He was
once insulted by a Christian Reformed clergyman when they met at a social function.
The clergyman arched his eyebrow at Verduin and loudly announced, "Art thou
he that troubleth Israel?" Instantly Leonard responded, "Remember who it was
who first spoke those words, and to whom he said it."
Eerdman ran several editions
before the Christian Hymnary Publishers received permission to reprint the volume
in August of 1991. They cater to the "plain people," such as Old Order Mennonites.
Since Verduin's book gives favorable press on the Anabaptist movement (which
Mennonites, Amish and Hutterites all claim as their ancestors), the plain people
are part of Verduin's cult following. "Anabaptist theology and conduct throughout
the centuries--by a non-Anabaptist scholar!"
The Christian Hymnary catalog
printed this rather partisan blurb: "In his brilliant volume, The Reformers
and Their Stepchildren, the Reformed historian, Leonard Verduin, has impartially
recorded the origin, beliefs, and continuity of the 'stepchildren' Anabaptists--the
ancestors and forerunners of the Amish, and some Mennonites. (The Anabaptists
are the only known historical bridge to the original apostolic N.T. church.)"
Verduin's outstanding volume
continues where Mennonite historians left off--establishing that those known
as Anabaptists were continuing what began in the first century and not in the
1520's.
Meeting the martyrs will
endear this book to all likeminded readers. But beware, all state-church lovers,
reconstructionists, and ecumenists. This is a hard pill to swallow, but a sure
cure.
This book should be in our
homes, alongside The Anabaptist Story, by William Estep, the old classic,
The Martyr's Mirror, and of course, E. H. Broadbent's The Pilgrim
Church. Broadbent follows the same theme with this difference: Broadbent
believed in the principles of the New Testament church before he began his book;
Verduin stumbled on them. Verduin did not even know there was such a person
as E. H. Broadbent, until he saw a recent edition of The Pilgrim Church, with
F. F. Bruce's foreword saying that Broadbent's theme had since been taken up
by other writers, citing Verduin's book.
The Stepchildren
is presently available in two editions: Eerdman's recent hardcover edition,
and the less expensive paperback from the Christian Hymnary Publishers. They
.
Call 1-800-952-2382 to order.