--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Indeed, someone from the Anabaptist…" description: "\"“Indeed, someone from the Anabaptist tradition might argue that minority status and persecution are the natural and predictable outcome of attempting t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/philip-jenkins-10529_christian-life_indeed-someone-from-the-anabaptist-tradi_2614932.jpg" --- # Indeed, someone from the Anabaptist tradition might argue… ![“Indeed, someone from the Anabaptist tradition might argue that minority status and persecution are the natural and predictable outcome of attempting to live a Christian life, and it is the communities that coexist comfortably with state power that have departed from the norm. What matters is not…” quote by Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/philip-jenkins-10529_christian-life_indeed-someone-from-the-anabaptist-tradi_2614932.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/philip-jenkins-10529_christian-life_indeed-someone-from-the-anabaptist-tradi_2614932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/382/philip-jenkins-10529_christian-life_indeed-someone-from-the-anabaptist-tradi_2614932.jpg) > ““Indeed, someone from the Anabaptist tradition might argue that minority status and persecution are the natural and predictable outcome of attempting to live a Christian life, and it is the communities that coexist comfortably with state power that have departed from the norm. What matters is not the size or numbers claimed by churches, but rather the quality of witness demonstrated by Christians in their particular circumstances. Of course, Christians were persecuted in seventeenth-century Japan, and in many other places before and since. And just as evidently, Christians have often experienced the status of being persecuted minorities, or, commonly, persecuted majorities, sometimes in societies they had once dominated. Why should any historically informed observer expect matters to be different? As the letter to the Hebrews declares, here, we have no abiding city.”” [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Christians often face persecution regardless of size; true witness is measured by quality, not numbers. **In simple terms:** Quality of witness matters more than size. Key Takeaway Focus on authentic witness despite opposition. Themes persecution minority witness faith history Mood reflective serious Type theological historical When to use this quote - missionary work - church leadership - interfaith dialogue - human rights advocacy Key Concepts Christian theology social dynamics identity power relations Questions to Reflect On - How does your community demonstrate quality of witness? - What defines authentic Christian witness in hostile societies? A Different Perspective Even large, powerful churches can become persecuted minorities; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-life/) [Christians Persecuted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christians-persecuted-922317/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Persecuted Majorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persecuted-majorities-2059660/) [Persecuted Minorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persecuted-minorities-2059662/) [Status Persecuted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-persecuted-2059661/) [Status Persecution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-persecution-2059663/) ## Related quotes > [“How many Christians of the free world visit communist countries and other nations where Christians are persecuted but never ask permission to visit a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wurmbrand/how-many-christians-of-the-free-world-visit-communist-countries-and/) [Richard Wurmbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wurmbrand/) > [I think Barack Obama thinks that Muslims are the ones being persecuted, and he has to change that. 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Chaput](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-j-chaput/) > [“Life is but a prayer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/life-is-but-a-prayer/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) ## More by Philip Jenkins > [“Yet even when such languages did not face direct official sanction, speakers of older tongues knew that they had little chance of getting on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/yet-even-when-such-languages-did-not-face-direct-official-sanction/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [“Christianity offers similar stories, and the global Christianity that perished in the late Middle Ages has revived in the past century. 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Religion shaped the national identities and ambitions of several of the key players, especially Germany and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/religion-appears-in-so-many-contexts-in-ww1-religion-shaped-the/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) [Explore all 65 Philip Jenkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) ## More Christian life quotes > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [“Life is but a prayer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/life-is-but-a-prayer/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“The point of this work and the Christian life as a whole is not burden and drudgery, but joy. 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