Studies In Anabaptist And Mennonite History

""A major contribution to our understanding of Anabaptist history and the ongoing construction of Anabaptist identity."" -- Mennonite Quarterly Review.

A history of Anabaptist-Mennonite thought from the sixteenth century to the present, with a description of Mennonite life and thought around the world today.

Offers abundant examples of Mennonite humor, origin tales and urban legend, along with analysis of them in the context of Mennonite and Amish history, culture and beliefs. It also studies Mennonite and Amish art and folk festivals.

Klassen brings them to light and life by focusing on an unusual oasis of tolerance in the midst of a Europe convulsed by the wars of religion.

Explores the moral dilemmas faced by various religious sects and how these groups struggled to come to terms with the effects of wartime Americanization-- without sacrificing their religious beliefs and values.

In Anabaptism Revisited, distinguished Anabaptist scholars offer essays on important issues in Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies. Many essays focus on sixteenth and seventeenth century studies. They address various aspects of such key Anabaptist topics as baptism, the sacraments, conversion, and the ÒinnerÓ versus the ÒouterÓ word. Several essays bridge the gap between past theologies and the current applications. These essays focus on current trends in the life and thought of Mennonites, who are among contemporary descendants of the Anabaptists. Topics discussed include pluralism, changing identity, and the free church. In addition to offering material at the cutting edge of Anabaptist research, this volume honors Anabaptist scholar C.J. Dyck. Included are biographical vignettes from his life and a bibliography of his works.

Founded in part on a rejection of "worldly" power and the use of force, Anabaptism carried with it the promise of redemptive power. Yet the attempt to banish worldly power to the margins of the Christian community has been fraught with dilemmas, contradictions, and, at times, blatant abuses of authority. In this groundbreaking book, Benjamin W. Redekop, Calvin W. Redekop, and their coauthors draw on classic and contemporary thinking to confront the issue of power and authority in the Anabaptist-Mennonite community. From the power relationships of the sixteenth-century Peasants' War to issues of contemporary sexuality, the topics of Power, Authority, and the Anabaptist Tradition are sure to interest a wide audience. Contributors: Stephen C. Ainlay, College of the Holy Cross • J. Lawrence Burkholder, President Emeritus, Goshen College • Lydia Neufeld Harder, Toronto School of Theology • Joel Hartman, University of Missouri • Jacob A. Loewen, missionary, retired • Dorothy Yoder Nyce, Writer and former Assistant Professor, Goshen College • Lynda Nyce, Bluffton College • Wesley Prieb (deceased), former dean, Tabor College • Benjamin W. Redekop, Kettering University • Calvin W. Redekop, Conrad Grebel College, emeritus • James M. Stayer, Queen's University, Ontario