Fall 2025 · Vol. 54 No. 2 · pp. 282–290
Book Review
Anabaptist Community Bible
Harrisonburg, VA: MennoMedia, 2025. xxxix + 1618 pages.
Tabitha VandenEnden
January 21, 2025, marked the five hundredth anniversary of Anabaptist beginnings. From the outset, the Anabaptist movement has been influenced by Martin Luther’s appeal to sola scriptura (Scripture alone), which has shaped how Anabaptists have historically read, interpreted, and applied Scripture to daily life and practice. As Anabaptist communities studied Scripture together over time, a distinctive “Anabaptist hermeneutic” emerged. To commemorate five hundred years of reading and studying Scripture together, the Anabaptist Community Bible (ACB) project was born as the first attempt to create a study Bible from a distinctly Anabaptist perspective.
As a Mennonite Brethren (MB) pastor serving in southern Ontario, this review will consider the ACB from a pastoral perspective and discuss how this study Bible might be helpful for local congregations and church members. This review will not address Scripture texts specifically nor the choice of the Common English Bible translation. Rather, it will focus on the surrounding resources, including the introduction, marginal notes, and essays.
The Introduction to the Anabaptist Community Bible
Readers of the ACB should begin with the introduction. It excellently describes the impetus for this project and gives a brief summary of the Anabaptist movement with a focus on biblical interpretation. The introduction orients the reader to three guiding principles that Anabaptists have historically used to study the Bible: reading Scripture in Christian community, using a “Jesus lens” for interpretation, and expecting that faithful study of Scripture will lead to transformation in the lives of believers. These principles define what has been called an “Anabaptist hermeneutic”; understanding them will help the reader recognize how the marginal notes can guide them in practicing an “Anabaptist hermeneutic.” p. 283
From a pastoral perspective, the introduction is a valuable resource for discipleship in MB churches by addressing questions that surround biblical interpretation, such as, How do we read and understand Scripture? What does God’s Word mean for us today? What is a Christocentric hermeneutic and how does this affect our reading of Scripture? The answers to these questions are found throughout the ACB, as early Anabaptist writings, contemporary commentators, and study groups engage the “Anabaptist hermeneutic” with their insights, reflections, and thoughtful questions. In short, the ACB does what it describes; it is a work done by the Anabaptist community for the Anabaptist community.
Marginal Notes
The ACB includes extensive marginal notes that are drawn from three distinct sources: current biblical scholars, community reflections, and early Anabaptist witnesses. Almost every page of the ACB includes extensive notes and comments from all three sources. This feature is unique and is a significant element that makes this study Bible more than just a resource for private study and meditation. The marginal notes allow readers to enter a lively conversation with Christians who are seeking to follow Jesus faithfully in word and deed.
The Biblical Context notes draw on the work of Anabaptist scholars from a variety of institutions, primarily across North America. Mennonite Brethren will see familiar names from MB colleges and seminaries in Canada and the United States. The Community Reflection notes bring together the work of nearly six hundred Bible study groups from Anabaptist congregations around the world. While most of these groups are from North America, fifteen other countries are represented.
The collaborative effort that went into facilitating the marginal notes is both remarkable and praiseworthy. The result is a multivocal commentary on Scripture that is engaging and thought-provoking. It is only regrettable that there was not more global representation. Perhaps subsequent editions will improve with more input from sisters and brothers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
The Early Anabaptist Witness notes help the reader gain insight into the concerns and convictions that shaped the Anabaptist movement. They also shed light on the challenges these early Anabaptists faced as they encountered persecution and martyrdom. Reading the Bible alongside such companions can illuminate Scripture in ways that will challenge North American Christians who have not experienced suffering and oppression firsthand. For the average reader in the North American p. 284 context, the early Anabaptist witness challenges us to consider what it means to suffer for the sake of Christ and to trust God in radical, countercultural ways. Along the same vein, it may be difficult for the average reader to engage these notes because of their historical distance. There are times when it would be helpful if these notes were expanded further to give the reader a broader framework for understanding them. It is helpful that an index of early Anabaptist sources is included at the end for those who wish to learn more. Overall, the Early Anabaptist Witness notes are a treasure from believers within our shared tradition that can deepen our appreciation of Scripture from their historical perspective.
Essays
The back of the volume includes several essays that are worth perusing. These essays discuss important elements of biblical interpretation from an Anabaptist perspective. Each of these essays are beneficial for church pastors and lay leaders as they wrestle with a variety of issues.
The first essay in the collection, “Reading Scripture with Jesus,” is one that I would recommend to any Christian who wants to understand what an Anabaptist approach to reading the Bible might look like. This essay is highly accessible, engaging, and provides a helpful guide to understanding what it means to read Scripture through the lens of Jesus. I would also recommend this essay for all believers who struggle to understand how the Hebrew Scriptures relate to the New Testament or are troubled by its more violent images.
The essay on “Anabaptists, the Bible, and Antisemitism” critiques Anabaptist interpretations of Scripture that have led to antisemitic attitudes and predispositions toward Jewish people. It serves as an important reminder to pastors and teachers that the terms we use and the way we portray certain characters within the biblical narrative (e.g., the Pharisees) can have devastating consequences. John Kampen concludes this essay with a challenge to understand how Scripture has been used to foster antisemitism, hoping that this awareness will help us take steps toward the goal of becoming a people of peace (1559).
The section of essays is rounded out with a very helpful resource for church communities. “Reading Scripture Together in the Anabaptist Tradition” is a step-by-step guide for group Bible study. It is virtually the same resource that was sent out to the six hundred groups that participated in the initial project. As my own congregation joined this endeavor, I can say firsthand that this study method yielded rich conversation and p. 285 deeper insight into God’s Word. I would encourage local congregations to consider using this guide and making it available for small group study.
Conclusion
I found this study Bible to be a fresh resource rooted in tradition that could be very beneficial for our denomination as it continues to interpret its Anabaptist heritage. As the MB denomination plants churches and welcomes members who are new to the Anabaptist family, this resource would be a useful guide to help newcomers understand what makes Anabaptism unique as one among many Christian traditions. For those who have grown up MB but have not thought reflectively on the practices that have shaped our communities, the ACB opens a door to invite readers to deeper levels of engagement with Scripture in the context of community.
The Anabaptist Community Bible is a remarkable gift to Anabaptist communities in North America and hopefully around the world. The impetus of this project, to renew interest in reading Scripture together as we are guided by the Holy Spirit, brings together centuries of Anabaptists who have believed that Scripture should be read in community and lived out in community as we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. The words on the first page encapsulate the project well: “the Anabaptist Community Bible is an invitation to a renewed encounter with Scripture as a living text that has the power to transform our lives.” This invitation is one that extends to me and you.
Tabitha VandenEnden
Co-Lead Pastor
Grantham MB Church, St. Catharines, Ontario
Tom Byford
I am writing this review of the Anabaptist Community Bible (ACB) as a pastor. Over the course of many weeks, I read study notes from the ACB during sermon preparation and personal devotions. I imagined everyday Christians in my church and others utilizing the comments for deeper reflection and guidance. After much use and careful consideration, my summary is this: The Anabaptist Community Bible is an excellent concept that offers some good insights and tools and yet falls short in a few important places. p. 286
Introductory Matters
The book is sturdy and well-made; it feels like you are holding something substantial and durable. Yet it does not seem flashy or extravagant. In this way, even the construction and design reflect Anabaptist ideals. It also contains useful tools including a Bible reading plan, color maps, and a guide to reading Scripture together.
The translation is the Common English Bible (CEB). It is a highly readable translation that could serve as a companion to a more literal translation. The CEB embraces gender neutrality in most instances. Frequently, this is appropriate, but it obscures the meaning of texts like 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 where consideration of the male pronouns is considered by many, especially in Mennonite Brethren churches, to be important. I recommend a more literal translation for serious study rather than a dynamic translation such as this one. While every translation is a succinct commentary on the biblical text, more literal translations will usually better help us “say Bible things in Bible ways” and give us room to interpret and consider the meaning of difficult passages in community.
The introduction provides a solid summary of Anabaptist hermeneutics as well as important advice for how to use the study notes. I found the introductory comments to several books of the Bible useful and accessible.
Marginal Notes
The ACB offers three kinds of notes in the margins: Biblical Context notes, Early Anabaptist Witness notes, and Community Reflection notes. As with any study Bible, one should read study notes with a critical eye. It will be especially important to pay attention to the symbols indicating which kind of note you are reading.
Biblical Context notes are written by scholars and function like typical study Bible notes. Anabaptist Witness notes were drawn from the biblical commentary of historical Anabaptists. Community Reflection notes were derived from hundreds of study groups who worked through the Bible together. The Community Reflection notes are intended to model and encourage the Anabaptist ideal of studying the Bible in community. Each of the notes offers insights or thoughtful questions intended to help the discerning reader think more deeply about the passages being studied. Overall, I found the Biblical Context notes and Anabaptist Witness notes were sometimes helpful but often lacking in substance. p. 287
Essays
In the back of the book are found essays under the heading “Essays of Anabaptist Perspectives on Biblical Interpretation.” Most of these are helpful, especially Stuart Murray’s contribution titled “Early Anabaptist Understandings of Scripture: Distinct, Multivoiced, and Communal.” The opening line grabs hold of the reader and reminds us of the powerful convictions that birthed the Reformation: “A rallying cry of the sixteenth-century Reformers was that Scripture alone was authoritative for Christian faith and life” (1552). Murray goes on to outline the challenges of living out that conviction amidst disagreement without diminishing the authority of Scripture.
A few pages later, the article titled “Why We Need to Read the Bible in Its Own Context . . . and in Ours” displays the reality of a major disagreement among Anabaptists today. One perspective, shared by this reviewer, considers that Scripture is authoritative and that the gathered community, through the guidance of the Spirit, can discern the correct interpretation. Taking a different approach, Jonny Rashid’s article, in my judgment, both diminishes the notion of the authority of Scripture alone and undermines the power of a community hermeneutic. Rashid dismisses those who call for an authoritative reading of the text because they “generally come from social positions that enable them to be unaware of their own context in the world, usually because of their majoritarian status” (1564). Emphasizing that every interpreter and interpreting group speaks out of a specific context, he then advocates for reading the Scripture “from the margins” because the biblical writers wrote the text from a context of “poverty, oppression, and exile” (1564). By placing the perspective of certain groups (the marginalized) above others (the majority), Rashid threatens a fundamental principle of community Bible study: the Holy Spirit speaks through all of us.
Following a description of liberation theology, feminist theology, womanist theology, queer/LGBTQIA theology, and others, Rashid asserts, “a true Anabaptist reading would seek to understand God, Christianity, and the Bible from the perspective of marginalized groups, including those named in this essay” (1567). Rashid’s reminder of how the Bible can be used in abusive ways is important. However, his approach advocates interpreting the Scripture through a limited set of modern lenses, failing to consider that minority understandings can be flawed just as can those of the majority. Such a practice, rather than adding another perspective, risks diminishing the authority of Scripture by turning our eyes away from the original context. p. 288
Conclusion
Some may wonder why I would spend so much time on just one essay in a large study Bible. It is because I am reviewing this as a pastor. Although the concerns above are not found in any of the ACB’s marginal notes, the possibility of including this Bible in a church library or on a shelf in a Christian home gives me pause. I think of those who would pick it up, read Rashid’s essay, and not be aware of how it reflects a major disagreement for interpreting the Bible. The book does provide opportunity to engage this disagreement, notably by comparing it with the previously cited essay by Murray.
The Anabaptist Community Bible has wonderful potential. And yet I recommend caution. One of the essays in this Bible is best used with the guidance of mature believers who are alert to different perspectives on biblical interpretation present among the Anabaptist community.
Tom Byford
Lead Pastor
Parkview MB Church, Hillsboro, Kansas
Gordon Zerbe
The Anabaptist perspective of the Anabaptist Community Bible (ACB) is admirably expressed in a variety of ways. Each biblical book has a short, two-page introduction with segments titled Context, Central Themes, and Anabaptist Lens. And seven essays on “Anabaptist Perspectives on Biblical Interpretation” are found at the back (1535–1567), along with a practical guide for “Reading Scripture Together in the Anabaptist Tradition” (1568–1570).
Marginal Notes
The most distinguishing feature of the ACB are 7,200 marginal notes of three kinds, each marked by a special icon: Biblical Context notes, Early Anabaptist Witness notes (collated by six scholars), and Community Reflection notes. The introductions, supplementary essays on biblical interpretation, and Biblical Context notes are authored by sixty scholars, including seventeen women; these are mostly professors, but also pastors, independent scholars, and organizational leaders.
The Community Reflection notes, however—the most novel element of the project—are the product of almost six hundred Bible study groups p. 289 of lay Anabaptist Christians from a wide variety of Anabaptist communities (meeting in 2022 and 2023), each assigned specific passages. In the months following the August 2022 consultation that launched the ACB, invitations were sent to four thousand congregations from a wide variety of Anabaptist faith communities, encouraging them to form Bible study groups and to share their insights on the passages assigned to them. Other groups were also invited through advertisements to become part of the group study process.
While the goal was to have five hundred groups engaged, in the end, nearly a hundred more participated (listed in the front matter, some are international), producing three thousand pages of typewritten observations and reflections (xiii). Only a fraction of the total material could be included in the published Community Reflection notes. In most cases, these comments take the form of leading questions or observations for pondering or discussion, not offered as final pronouncements on the text’s meaning. The editors explain that through these Community Reflection notes, the ACB seeks to be “modeling communal discernment” and providing a “resource for additional conversation for anyone using” the ACB (xxii).
Concerns
Readers associated with the Mennonite Brethren may be interested to know that the U.S. Mennonite Brethren Leadership Board chose to distance itself from the project, through a press release issued on October 25, 2022, even though formal support at the denominational level was not sought. The news release cited the LGBTQ-affirming resolution of MC USA in May 2022 (“Repentance and Transformation”) as being “contrary to our confession of faith.” The news release highlighted the statement in the resolution that MC USA will “embody a theology that honors LGBTQIA people” when it works with other denominations (Anabaptist World online, November 3, 2022). In the end, only a handful of study groups (less than five) from MB churches or institutions contributed to the project. Still, at least six scholars affiliated with MB churches or institutions are among the sixty authors of the introductions and Biblical Context notes.
No major project like this, despite its significant value, is without some limitations. The decision to use the Common English Bible (2011) as a sort of “people’s Bible” was a very fine choice. But that translation, too, has flaws, including for instance the conversion of ancient linear dimensions into miles, feet, and inches (for its primarily U.S. readers), which results unfortunately in instances of prosaic literalism instead of symbolic meaningfulness. Thus, for example, the New Jerusalem in p. 290 Revelation 21:16 becomes a cube of 1,500 miles, not 12,000 stadia (the latter provided in a footnote).
The essay on “contextual interpretation” (“Why We Need to Read the Bible in Its Own Context . . . and in Ours”), which promotes solidarity with marginalized groups, appropriately (but perhaps controversially) includes “queer people” in a paragraph on “Queer/LGBTQIA Theology.” But the essay largely reflects a U.S. domestic agenda: missing are reflections on reading in solidarity with Indigenous people(s) or in line with Indigenous biblical interpretation, decolonizing or counter-imperial readings, or readings in conversation with religious “others” (crucial among some Asian Anabaptists). Helpful is an essay on Anabaptism and antisemitism, but missing as a necessary counterpart is an essay on the dangers of Christian Zionism, as it, too, claims to rest on biblical foundations.
There is no explanation for the decision to exclude the books of the Apocrypha in the CEB translation, after a compelling argument in a supplementary essay (“Anabaptism and the Apocrypha: ‘Useful and Good to Read’ ”) for why modern Anabaptists ought to read that material. The discussion of how the Bible came to be gives the standard account and timeline, but it largely avoids the question of the multiplicity of Jesus groups with different collections of sacred texts from the very beginning of the Jesus movement, and how specific issues confronting the early church affected the decisions by the eventually victorious “orthodox” wing as to which materials were to be included in the “New Testament.”
Finally, the decision to include a variety of marginal notes means that textual commentary is quite limited (the usual stuff of “study Bibles”): readers interested in more substantial Anabaptist-oriented biblical commentary will need to consult volumes in the Believers Church Bible Commentary series or the online Anabaptist Dictionary of the Bible (https://www.anabaptistwiki.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Anabaptist_Dictionary_of_the_Bible).
Conclusion
In sum, should the Anabaptist Community Bible simply result in increased congregational interest in the Bible and engagement around it among various Anabaptist groups (as it should), its purposes will have been admirably accomplished.
