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Anabaptist Theological Perspectives: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Jerry Eicher
The history and theology of Anabaptism
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- 1 weeks ago15 min
Amish vs. the State: New York's Vaccine Showdown and What’s at Stake
Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives examines the escalating conflict between New York state and Amish communities over the removal of religious vaccine exemptions for children. He summarizes the state-imposed fines for running unvaccinated schools, the Amish refusal to pay, and the legal trajectory that has reached the Supreme Court. Eicher places the crisis in historical context, recalling mid-20th-century fights over private Amish schooling that helped establish current rights to private and home education, and he recounts the famous photograph that shifted public opinion. He also contrasts responses within Amish communities (e.g., Lancaster) where some vaccination occurs, and notes recent measles outbreaks tied to the debate. The discussion moves from practical and legal tactics—parental rights, community authority, and individual bodily autonomy during COVID—to deeper theological questions about whether Amish objections rest on biblical grounds or a broader commitment to resisting state control. Eicher explores how these arguments might play out in court and what a Supreme Court decision could mean for the future presence of Amish in New York and beyond, with wider implications for religious liberty, state power, and cultural diversity.
- 1 weeks ago30 min
Why the Veil? Jerry Eicher on Glory, Hair, and Head Coverings
This is Jerry Eicher from Anabaptist Theological Perspectives. The subject this morning is, in a broad sense, the veiling of the head, particularly the woman, although I'm going to zero in on only one single point, which is the glory on the head, or the glory of the woman, the glory of the man, all that, the issue with glory. But some background first, I wrote it up as a Facebook post a week ago and was not expecting a whole lot, but it got 40,000 views and, it's not that extraordinary to me, but it appeared to generate a lot of interest. So I thought I should come on here, too, and give you the details of that in verbal form. And you can go on my Facebook page, it's public, and see it there. It's the latest post if you go on this week. And further background, so I opened up the little piece by pointing out, giving it some context, that, the issue of the head veiling, and particularly the woman, It sends to zero in on her while it's just as much an issue of the man. There's a big problem in religious circles, Catholics in particular, and the Jewish people still do it. Muslims do it. The men cover their heads during worship service, and that's a big issue. That's not made as much of an issue of as the woman is, but it still is, because they are representing the covering of Christ. Doesn't matter what they say, in their heart of hearts, that is the public persona they're presenting to the world, is they are still covering up Christ in some form or the other. But this issue was largely a dormant issue for over 1900 years. And I say dormant in the theological sense, not in practice. It was very broadly practiced, mentioned every once in a while by a church father. I think Calvin even mentioned it. It just was there. That's what women did, especially in church, but also outside church. It spread both ways and that's where things stood there was not a lot of theological development other than what Paul had said but, Paul's 15-17 verses there in the first Corinthians as he opens up the issue, is deeply complex and. To people who surfers read it incomprehensible at times And I remember back in my early days coming out of the Amish, going to United Bethel there and, Oh, it was the school that they had. Rosedale, yes, was big, big and conservative. Men in that circle. And the big argument then was over Paraballo and Cotoclipto. They were in the process of throwing off the veiling. So that's what they were arguing about. And one of the teachers at Rosedale, who is now gone because this is all a long time ago, a very highly respected man. And I heard him personally say, after going over all the Parabolo and Catecliffe, and by the way, those are the two Greek words for covering and bailing, the two different ones that are used. He said he doesn't know what it is. So here was this esteemed Rosedale Mennonite, teacher saying that with all this study of Greek and all his understanding. He doesn't understand it. That has always given me a bad taste of digging into Greek, even though I do it, because you still kind of see what you want to see. And if you don't want to see it, you don't see it, no matter how many Greek stuff is thrown at you. So that's my aside about Greek. Anyways, for my 1900 years up until the opening of the 20th century, not a lot of theological development. So the attack against the veiling started early 20th century. As you go into the woman's suffrage movement, pressure starts to build, and they, on the other side, see it very much as an authority issue. They are rejecting the authority of God and how the order of creation is done between not only man and woman, but as Paul says, Christ. God is supreme. Under him is Christ. That does not make... Christ any less God, and then the man is under Christ and the man and the woman. And because the woman is under the man, it does not make the woman of any less value. But that's where things stood going into the 20th, first part of the 20th century. And when the assault came, the bulwarks, the barrier just went down quickly. It's amazing how fast it went. By the early 1960s, when the the second wave of the feminist movement started, they had a burn your veil day, openly said what it was about. The issues was about authority, rejecting the submission under man. And that's where maybe some of the later theologies kind of swirled around was that the veiling is about expressing the submission under the man. And that was a rabbit trail done, which there was no benefit at all. That's not, what it's about. It's about recognizing authority of God over you and how you are to conduct your life individually. So it's the man acting individually and the woman acting individually. And that goes out and out and on and on. So the barriers went down rather quickly and has been my contention that it was partly because those who were practicing it didn't know why, they just did it. And I've heard other people mention that. And. I could speculate on why that was. I don't really
- Oct 10, 202625 min
Living as a “Living Sacrifice” — Anabaptist Reflections
Jerry Eicher concludes his Romans series by focusing on Romans 12:1–2 and the central theme of sacrifice woven throughout Paul’s letter. He argues that sacrifice is the foundational posture of the new life in Christ — presenting our bodies as a living, holy, acceptable service and being transformed by the renewing of the mind. Drawing on Anabaptist and Amish cultural examples, personal anecdotes (including family stories and a dramatic refugee bus journey), and practical concerns about gifts, obligation, and putting family first, Eicher explores how sacrificial service looks in ordinary congregational life and warns against lukewarm compromises. He also surveys historical missionaries and revival movements — from Hudson Taylor’s faith-based endurance to Amy Carmichael’s lifelong service — to show how sacrifice has driven mass spiritual change. The episode invites listeners to rethink sacrifice as the core expression of post‑baptismal Christian living and to consider how that commitment might be recovered today.
- Sep 26, 202626 min
Predestination and Human Will: Unpacking Romans 9–11
Jerry Eicher (Anabaptist Theological Perspectives) walks listeners through Romans 8–11, focusing on the thorny passages in chapters 9–11 often cited in Calvinist debates. He examines key examples Paul uses—Isaac’s twins (Esau and Jacob), Pharaoh, and the potter and clay—asking what Paul means by foreknowledge, predestination, and election. Eicher contrasts deterministic Calvinist readings with an approach that sees God foreknowing types of people God can work with, not detailed individual destinies. He explores biblical examples (Abraham’s intercession, Moses, Sodom and Gomorrah), the role of human will and surrender, and how God can incorporate the ‘unknown’ into his purposes. Practical application emphasizes surrender and participation with God’s shaping work.
- Sep 26, 202625 min
Romans 7 Unmasked: Wrestling with Law, Flesh, and Freedom
Jerry Eicher of Anabaptist Theological Perspectives tackles the difficult passages in Romans 7, setting them against Romans 6 and 8 to clarify Paul’s message about law, sin, and new life in Christ. He focuses on key verses (e.g., Romans 7:15), the baptism imagery of being "alive from the dead," and the marriage metaphor that explains freedom from the law through Christ’s death. The episode explores the struggle between flesh and mind: how engaging the law with our flesh leads to condemnation and spiritual death, while acknowledging God’s law with the inward mind and offering sacrificial surrender allows the Spirit to work. Practical points include using reason to discern God’s will, the role of sacrificial surrender over performance-based obedience, and how the Spirit enables victory. Listeners can expect a clear, pastoral unpacking of doctrine and application for everyday Christian living—honest wrestling with failure, steps toward surrender, and the hopeful transition into Romans 8’s promise of no condemnation and Spirit-led obedience.
- Sep 19, 202629 min
When God Believed in Himself: Romans 3 and the Faith of God
This is Jerry Eicher from Anabaptist Perspectives exploring Romans 3—particularly the phrase "the faith of God" in verse 3—and arguing for the plain reading that God himself has faith in and through his own purposes. Jerry traces biblical support (including Isaiah 63), examines how God’s faith relates to human failure, law, and conscience, and reflects on the cosmic stakes of redemption. Topics covered include the priority of faith before works, how the law exposes human failure, historical and liturgical echoes (Feast of Fools, medieval imagery), a Timothy Keller observation on moral truth as a matter of faith, and the development of atonement theories—from early church Christus Victor to Anselm’s penal-substitution emphases. Jerry argues that penal substitution is necessary but not the whole story: the goal of redemption is the defeat of Satan and the vindication of God’s truth through the shedding of blood. No guests; key points: God’s faith carried the redemptive plan, human unbelief does not nullify God, faith precedes sacrificial works, and the deepest meaning of the cross is cosmic victory over evil—not merely internal legal satisfaction. Listeners can expect theological reflection, biblical exegesis, historical background, and practical implications for why faith remains central.
- Sep 12, 202630 min
Sacrifice, Faith, and Romans
This episode features Jerry Eicher from Anabaptist Theological Perspectives taking a deep dive into Romans 2–3. He focuses on contested passages about judgment, works, and faith — distinguishing the works of the law from works of sacrifice — and explores how sacrifice, repentance, and baptism relate to justification. Eicher engages with historical and modern interpreters (including a note on Jordan Peterson), examines Paul and James on Abraham and works, and argues for a coherent reading that preserves both God’s righteousness and the believer’s path of patient, sacrificial faith.
- Sep 5, 202628 min
Romans Unpacked: God's Righteousness and the Corrupt Will
Host Jerry Eicher (Anabaptist Theological Perspectives) explores Romans chapter 1—especially verses 16–17—to ask what Paul means by “the righteousness of God,” surveying theological controversies about whether God’s righteousness is inherent in his nature or defined by his will. The episode traces the biblical foundation from Genesis through Paul: the fall’s effect on the human will, idolatry and God giving people over to sinful desires, the role of conscience vs. the law, and how moral choices relate to true righteousness. Eicher contrasts Anabaptist (Menno Simons) and Protestant/Reformed/Catholic readings, arguing for the necessity of a real new birth (dying to the old self) rather than merely forensic imputation or moral reform, and discusses pastoral implications—including sensitive treatment of sexual sin, human inclination, and the limits of moralism.
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About Anabaptist Theological Perspectives
The history and theology of Anabaptism
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