For What Would You Die

The judgment again Michael Sattler read as follows:

"Michael Sattler shall be committed to the executioner. The latter shall take him to the square and there first cut out his tongue, and then forge him fast to a wagon and there with glowing iron tongs twice tear pieces from his body, then on the way to the site of execution five times more as above and then burn his body to powder as an arch-heretic."
It is almost hard to read and even harder to imagine what such suffering must feel like in action. The question of course arises as to the nature of his crimes. It is upon this answer which we must question our own resolve and commitments.

It was in the sixteenth century that a certain group arose to challenge the status quo in Europe. By that time in history, the Catholic Church commandeered the majority of power. However, such dominance had led to corruption and moral depravity. In like manner of lifestyle, the theology of the church had become tainted with man's quest for power and control. In the face of such corruption, a few men rose to challenge the church.

Men such as Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli raised questions based upon their understanding of Scripture. These men called in question many areas of faith and religion that had become normative. Their questions and subsequent revolution was aptly called the Reformation. This was largely an attempt to reform the church from within. It was not intended to destroy the church entirely.

However, on the tails of these great men, others arose who pursued the questions even further. Committed to the truth and authority of the Bible, these men stood all beliefs before the mirror of Scripture and did not allow tradition to dictate their interpretation. It was this group that looked upon infant baptism as a grave misunderstanding of salvation. They believed that baptism was a symbol to be performed upon the decision to accept the sacrifice of Christ. To baptize an infant was pointless and missed the point of baptism.

In their mind therefore, people should be baptized when they made a public profession of belief. Toward this end, they began to publically baptize adults who accepted or confessed faith in Christ. For this reason, they were dubbed "Anabaptists" or "re-baptizers." This action was an affront to the control of the church whose infant baptism confirmed people into their following. The affront to their control was akin to treason.

For this reason, they began to hunt and kill all who practiced or received adult baptism. For most individuals this involved public drowning as an ironic and cruel twist. However, certain individuals inflamed passion to such degree that they garnered more noteworthy deaths. One such individual was Michael Sattler.

Hundreds of thousands of Anabaptists were killed over the years as intolerance for the group followed every flight the group undertook. It was to the continent that many of such faith eventually fled in order to escape the persecution that continually followed them.

But the question stands for us today of the severity of our own beliefs. To many today, baptism is a trivial exercise. However, the blood of thousands testifies to a far greater story which is easily forgotten. These people gave their lives because they stood by their understanding of the Word of God. What weight would we have placed upon that distinction if faced with the same choices today? How important would baptism have been to us if placed in the same spot in history? Do we study the Bible to discover its truths and stand upon them? What line would we draw in our stands if the cost was our life?