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Nonconformity to the world, also called separation from the world, is a Christian doctrine based on , and other verses of the
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...
that became important among different
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
groups, especially among Anabaptists. The corresponding
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
word used by Anabaptists is ''Absonderung''. Nonconformity is primarily expressed through the practices of
plain dress Plain dress is a practice among some religious groups, primarily some Christianity, Christian churches in which people dress in clothes of traditional modest design, sturdy fabric, and conservative cut. It is intended to show acceptance of trad ...
and simple living.


Biblical basis

*"Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." *"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate." *"If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." *"Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity against God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." *"That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." *"Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people." *"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."


History

Even though not unique to
Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...
Christians (such as
Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the R ...
s), the concept of nonconformity has found an unusually intense and detailed application among these groups. Other groups that practice forms of separation from the world are the
Exclusive Brethren The Exclusive Brethren are a subset of the Christian evangelical movement generally described as the Plymouth Brethren. They are distinguished from the Open Brethren from whom they separated in 1848. The Exclusive Brethren are now divided i ...
and the
Church of God (Restoration) The Church of God (Restoration) is a plain dress Christian denomination founded in the 1980s by American evangelist Daniel (Danny) Wilburn Layne. Members of this group believe that they are ordained by both prophecy and divine command to restore th ...
. 20th century minister and religious radio broadcaster Carl McIntire stressed the doctrine of nonconformity to the world.


Practice by Christian denomination


Anabaptism

Among traditional Anabaptist groups nonconformity is practiced in relation to dress, the use of technology like
horse and buggy ] A horse and buggy (in American English) or horse and carriage (in British English and American English) refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two ...
transportation instead of cars, the rejection of Social aspects of television, television and radio, the use of language, that is German dialects like Pennsylvania German, Plautdietsch and others instead of English or Spanish, nonresistance, avoidance of oaths, avoidance of lawsuits, and other questions. Anabaptist groups that practice nonconformity to the world today, belong either to the Old Order Movement, the "Russian" Mennonites the
Hutterite Hutterites (german: link=no, Hutterer), also called Hutterian Brethren (German: ), are a communal ethnoreligious branch of Anabaptists, who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the early 16th centu ...
s or the Bruderhof. These groups live either in Canada and the US or in Latin America ("Russian" Mennonites).


Methodism

Methodist theology traditionally emphasizes the scriptural injunction "be ye separate", which lessens temptation. The doctrine of separation from the world continues to be emphasized by Methodist connexions in the conservative holiness movement, such as the Evangelical Methodist Church Conference, which in its 2017 Book of Discipline, teaches:


Quakerism


References


Literature

* John C. Wenger: ''Separated unto God: a Plea for Christian Simplicity of Life and for a Scriptural Nonconformity to the World''. Scottdale, PA 1951.


External links


Separation and Nonconformity Colloquy Essays (FBEP) -PDF
{{Anabaptists Anabaptism Mennonitism