Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS
AWAKE O ZION!
They too got a lot of criticism. ‘A time is coming when men
shall say you are mad, you are not like us!‘ 50 wrote another.
Many in the Catholic tradition have favoured communal living
as a good soil for spirituality. But it was persecuted pioneers
like the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century who really
stood out for truth, especially for baptism, separation,
brotherly love — and community.
The Hutterites were Anabaptists who lived simply and gathered
in large numbers with their families and children. They
were skilled in crafts and trades and even had their own
schools. Hutterite evangelists moved in power throughout
Central Europe and huge numbers were martyred for their
radical word. One of them wrote from prison: ‘Whoever wants
to join himself to Christ must forsake created things. This is
why the Holy Spirit began community in such a glorious way
at the beginning.’ Knowing that some conditions favoured
community more than others, he added, ‘If anyone should
say “It only happened in Jerusalem”, it doesn’t follow that
this should be the case now!’ 51
The Hutterites found that heretical groups spoiled their
reputation. Anabaptists were the cult scare of their time.
Nonetheless, they insisted that community was the ‘highest
command of love’, a treasure for which a man gives, not a
tithe, but all that he has.
We came to Ashburnham 1977 inspired by the example of
these radical brethren. We, too, had an identity and a ‘Zion
culture’ to be grateful for. Noel outlined our position as a
radical church and dealt with the matter of private ownership.
Our community lifestyle was built on personal sacrifice
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