In 1534, a group of radical believers seized control of the German city of Münster—declaring it the New Jerusalem and promising paradise on earth. What followed was a nightmare of prophecy, starvation, and power gone mad. Like Mad King type of mad.

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This week on Ripples of Rebels, we step inside the walls of Münster, where faith turned to fanaticism and idealism dissolved into terror. We trace how ordinary people—disillusioned by war, corruption, and inequality—were swept into an apocalyptic vision that ended in fire and iron cages.

But this isn’t just a story about religion. It’s about absolute certainty, and what happens when belief becomes a weapon. As Europe burned with reformation and revolt, similar fires sparked across the world—from the Ottoman Balkans to the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Münster’s rebellion may seem medieval, but its echoes reach directly into the present—into modern cults, nationalist movements, and political extremism that still preach salvation through domination.

Through first-hand chronicles, historical context, and raw storytelling, this episode asks:

What drives people to trade their humanity for heaven?

And how far are we—right now—from doing the same?

Learn more:

“The Tailor King: The Rise and Fall of the Anabaptist Kingdom of Münster” by Anthony Arthur (2006)

Links Mentioned:

* Veterans’ About Face Instagram

* My Protest Photography

Citations:

* Arthur, Anthony. The Tailor King: The Rise and Fall of the Anabaptist Kingdom of Münster. St. Martin’s Press, 2006.

* MacCulloch, Diarmaid. The Reformation: A History. Penguin, 2003.

* Williams, George H. The Radical Reformation. Truman State University Press, 2000.

* Verduin, Leonard. Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries: The Story of the Anabaptists. Eerdmans, 1964.

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