The Dordrecht Confession of Faith was adopted April 21, 1632, by a Dutch Mennonite conference held at Dordrecht, Holland. It consists of eighteen articles addressing their beliefs titled: 1) Of God and the Creation of All Things; 2) Of the Fall of Man; 3) Of the Restoration of Man Through the Promise of the Coming Christ; 4) Of the Coming of Christ into This World, and the Purpose for Which He Came; 5) Of the Law of Christ, i.e., the Holy Gospel or the New Testament; 6) Of Repentance and Reformation of Life; 7) Of Holy Baptism; 8) Of the Church of Christ; 9) Of the Election, and Offices of Teachers, Deacons, and Deaconesses in the Church; 10) Of the Holy Supper; 11) Of the Washing of the Saints’ Feet; 12) Of the State of Matrimony; 13) Of the Office of the Secular Authority; 14) Of Revenge; 15) Of the Swearing of Oaths; 16) Of the Ecclesiastical Ban, or Separation from the Church; 17) Of Shunning the Separated; and 18) Of the Resurrection of the Dead, and the Last Judgment.
Anabaptists did not get caught up in the nuanced theology found in most other Christian denominations. They were more concerned with good living. This is reflected in the Mennonite Dordrecht Confession of faith from the seventeenth century, which states in part: “The Law of Christ is the Holy Gospel or New Testament. . . . [All men] if they are obedient through faith, and follow, fulfill and live according to the precepts of the faith, are His children and rightful heirs.”
See an English translation of The Dordrecht Confession of Faith.
