INTERVIEW WITH DR. LAYTON FRIESEN

What is important about community being centred on Jesus rather than on another human core?
Layton states that in anabaptist history community was entered into through adult believer’s baptism—and that fellowship is kept alive through the Lord’s supper. Is this a new idea for you? What are the positive implications of that view? Where might there be concerns?
Anabaptist discipline, such as excommunication, often seems cold and harsh to us, but Layton points out that it was seen as a way to have accountability that avoided violence and defended the community. Do you believe the modern Anabaptist church does accountability/discipline more or less effectively than in the past? Should we recapture some or all of the mindset of our ancestors?
Layton talks about how the anabaptist community became communal. Do you find the idea of living communally appealing? If not the whole package, how about living more communally than we do now as Steve Bell describes his church?

Jesus Centred Community