Five hundred years ago today a group of young believers gathered in the home of Anna Manz in Zurich, Switzerland. During the meeting Conrad Grebel baptized George Blaurock who then baptized the others. The attendants had been baptized as infants and their decision to be re-baptized as adults was a radical and illegal act that challenged the state’s control of religion.

And it came to pass that they were together until fear began to come over them, yea, they were pressed in their hearts. Thereupon, they began to bow their knees to the most high God in heaven and called upon him as the knower of hearts, implored him to enable them to do his divine will and to manifest his mercy toward them. For flesh and blood and human forwardness did not drive them, since they well knew what they would have to bear and suffer on account of it.

After the prayer, George of Jacob arose and asked Conrad to baptize him, for the sake of God with the true Christian baptism upon his faith and knowledge. And when he knelt down with that request and desire, Conrad baptized him, since at that time there was no ordained deacon to perform such work. After that was done, the others similarly desired George to baptize them, which he also did upon their request. Thus, they together gave themselves to the name of the Lord in the high fear of God. Each confirmed the other in the service of the gospel and they began to teach and keep the faith. Therewith began the separation from the world and its evil works.

Soon thereafter, several others made their way to them, for example Balthasar Hubmaier of Friedberg, Louis Haetzer, and still others, men well instructed in the German, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages, very well versed in Scripture, some preachers and other persons, who were soon to have testified with their blood.

The aforementioned Felix Manz they drowned at Zurich because of this true belief and true baptism, who thus witnessed steadfastly with his body and life to this truth.

–The Reminiscences of George Blaurock, The Hutterite Chronicles (1542)

The date January 21st, 1525 is considered to be the start of the branch of Christianity known as the Anabaptists (literally re-baptizers) which includes denominations like the Mennonites, Amish, Hutterites, Brethren in Christ, and others. However, the early Anabaptists did not believe that they were starting a new way of being Christian and did not intend to start a new denomination, but instead believed that they were reviving the practices of the early church before it became the state religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine. During the Reformation the Anabaptists were lonely advocates for the separation of Church and State and they were persecuted for this stance by other Christians. Today, freedom of religion and belief is a right that many of us enjoy but there was a long struggle to get to this point.