This paper begins by addressing two prevalent misconceptions that plague contemporary popular and scholarly understandings of the Anabaptist tradition. The first is that the early Anabaptist movement stems from a radicalization of the basic theological tendencies and practices of the Magisterial Protestant Reformation. This misconception will be countered by an examination of earlier Anabaptist understandings of divine grace and related theological emphases in comparison to the medieval Catholic and Magisterial Protestant options. The second misconception this paper challenges is the notion that Anabaptist thought and practice represent only minority and isolated tendencies in American life. The paper concludes with a reflection on Anabaptist understandings of community in relation to American religious pluralism.