О типологии христианских религиозных сообществ на примере меннонитов

Abstract

The article describes the evolution of the typology of religious communities from traditional to modern Western on the example of Mennonites. In the Russian Empire, the traditional typology distinguished between church and sect from a confessional position of the Russian Orthodox Church. A sect was defined as an organized community that thinks differently with the dominant church. Mennonites in this typology were regarded as a Protestant sect, same the Baptists. The typology was rooted not only in the sphere of religion, but in legislation, too, with significant limits for the sects. In Soviet times, this typology, essentially rooted in religion, was also dominant. Only at the end of 1970ies, a move from sect to religious community took place. Troeltsch’s “The Social Teachings of Christian Churches and Groups” (1912) changed the typology basis to a sociological one. The division into church and sect remained, with an addition of a mysticism element. Later, the typology was expanded considering the situation in North America by the denomination element placed between church and sect. The sociological typology promoted a confessionally unbiased research of Anabaptism.
 The modern Western typology in its German shape includes two parts – “Volkskirche” (National Church) and “Freikirche” (Free Church). The major differences between them are separation from church and state, a voluntary entry to the community through adult baptism, and democratic election of their congregation organs. To resolve the ambiguity between different kinds of Free Churches, the notion of Believer' Church was introduced. The new research also introduced the notion of Radical Reformation that is applicable to Mennonites.