CHRISTENDOM Series: Anabaptists / Hutterites

HUTTERITES

(Mainline Protestant/Anabaptist)

And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
Acts 2:44

Hutterites are named for Jakob Hutter. They originated in Austria during the "radical reformation" phase. Then moved around because of persecution.
They base their main beliefs on Acts 2:44 & the book of 2 Corinthians. They believe in 100% pacifism & refuse to pay war taxes. They were influenced by Russian Mennonites whom they lived among for awhile. They are based on a communal lifestyle. Communes, which Hutterites refer to as colonies, are headed at the top by a council of  bishops.
There are 3 subgroups of Hutterites. The differences are over technicalities in governing structure & dress. But doctrine is the same.----the Schmiedeleut, the Dariusleut and the Lehrerleut.
The Schmiedeleut fractured in the 1990's---One group is called the 'oilers', because of an issue over

an oil well. The other is the Prairieleut, who then defected and joined the Mennonites.
Hutterites wear colorful clothes-which make them stand out from the Amish.
Hutterites attend a half hour church service almost every day and a one & a half hour Sunday service. All money is held by the community. (No private bank accounts). But they do use electricity and some have cell phones and internet.
Early Anabaptist leaders, who the Hutterites trace their core doctrinal roots to, were Conrad Grebel,

Felix Manz, and Georg Blaurock. In a letter to Thomas Münzer, Grebel emphasized that (a) God and not the Pope is the final authority in matters of faith, (b) the faithful must not take up the sword for their own defense or that of others (as it is the case with the Catholics and the Protestants), (c) only human beings who had made a personal decision for a Christian life should be baptized--and this decision only adults can make. Therefore, the baptism of adults is the only correct one. Jakob Hutter himself was burned by the Catholic Church in 1539. Their hymns Älteste Chronik and the Martyr's Mirror tell of some of these happenings.
"Critics" have accused Hutterites of salvation by the works of communal living. Also, because they believe only Hutterites will be saved. But most critics believe that Jakob Hutter was truly searching for God, but his followers have strayed over the years. Who knows?

"However where the government or power expects something beyond the order of God and its demands... such as taxes in war and similar things which contribute to the destruction of men, then... we must obey God more than man."

Jakob Hutter (ca.1535)

Grave of Joseph Hofer-sent to prison during WW1 for his pacifism & died from his beatings there.

CHRISTENDOM series Outline Link:
http://master1844-dc.blogspot.com/2015/06/christendom-series-outline.html


The Hutterites demanded an apology from National Geographic for a "documentary" / ("reality show") they produced about them.....
"King Ranch colony minister John Hofer, Bertha's brother in law, wrote a July 31 letter to National Geographic Society chairman and CEO John Fahey that "American Colony: Meet The Hutterites" was supposed to be a National Geographic Channel documentary about the German-speaking

agricultural community of Protestants in central Montana.
Instead, Hofer said, the producers turned it into a reality TV show that encouraged discord within the community by pitting generations against each other. Situations and story lines were invented and the people were told what to do and say while the camera was on, he said.
The result was an inaccurate depiction that has damaged the reputation of Hutterites everywhere, he said.
"We feel we were ambushed and publicly humiliated by the producers of Meet the Hutterites, and by the National Geographic Society," Hofer wrote in his letter to Fahey. "King Ranch Colony did not sign up for this sort of abuse."