To Be or Not to Be Plain?: A serious call to Anabaptist cultural integrity

For many years, all Anabaptist groups embodied their Gospel beliefs and values in distinctive cultural norms to which all members were held accountable. We currently hear that such forms are imposed "man-made rules" that militate against a genuine personal experience with Christ. This booklet investigates the following questions:

• Has God ever endorsed "man-made rules"?
• Do distinctive cultural norms violate the Gospel?
• Does a relaxing of distinctive cultural norms lead to greater evangelistic success?
• If "the past is prologue," what can we learn from groups that relaxed their distinctive practices?

Answering these questions is important, because decisions have consequences, and wise believers base their decisions on the consequences they desire.