The Roots Of Low Church Theology

Pointing out how widespread something like infant baptism or the perpetual virginity of Mary was in early Protestantism doesn't address the earlier sources. I'm not just referring to scripture. Advocates of low church theology can cite support for something like credobaptism or Mary's having other children in pre-Reformation sources other than the Bible. Proponents of high church theology can cite pre-Reformation support for their views on those subjects as well. But a lot of relevant pre-Reformation sources, including medieval ones, are often neglected in disputes between proponents of low church and high church theologies. Advocates of high church theology will often rightly recognize some of the roots of Protestant theology in those earlier sources and will be aware of and make some use of the work of groups like the Waldensians and the Lollards. But the low church elements of those earlier sources will often be neglected. Just as Protestantism didn't spring out of nowhere in the sixteenth century, neither did low church theology. When a low church view of an issue is found among individuals and groups who are considered forerunners of the Reformation and is found in earlier medieval, patristic, Jewish, and Biblical sources, it's misleading to frame the discussion by making negative references to the Anabaptists and citing negative comments their Protestant opponents made about them, all the while ignoring or inadequately addressing those earlier sources.