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
Introduction
Chapter 1. Power
Chapter 2. Power and Religion in the Western Intellectual Tradition
Chapter 3. The Anabaptist Revolt and Political and Religious Power
Chapter 4. Power and Authority in Mennonite Theological Development
Chapter 5. The Abuse of Power Among Mennonites in South Russia, 1789–1919
Chapter 6. Power Under the Cover of Tradition: A Case Study of a "Plain Community"
Chapter 7. Mennonite Culture Wars: Power, Authority, and Domination
Chapter 8. Power and Authority in Mennonite Ecclesiology: A Feminist Perspective
Chapter 9. Power in the Anabaptist Community
Notes
Bibliography
Contributors
Index
Benjamin W. Redekop (Christopher Newport University), Calvin Redekop (Professor Emeritus, Conrad Grebel College)
Benjamin W. Redekop is an assistant professor of social science at Kettering University. Calvin W. Redekop is a professsor emeritus at Conrad Grebel College, Waterloo, Ontario. His books include Mennonite Society, Mennonite Entrepreneurs, and Creation and the Environment:An Anabaptist Perspective on a Sustainable World (edited), all available from Johns Hopkins.
This is a text whose time has come, and one that will be valuable for those from any faith tradition and likely required reading for Anabaptist scholars, pastors, and students in the coming years. Journal of Religion An impressive piece of scholarship. -- William H. Brackney Journal of Church and State A strong contribution to a little-studied aspect of Anabaptist/Mennonite life. -- Donald Durnbaugh Utopian Studies 2002 An important book [that] lays out the critical issues and highlights thought-provoking stories of misused power. -- John A. Lapp Provident Book Finder The editors are to be commended for presenting a well-integrated and thought-provoking book. -- Bruno Dyck Journal of Mennonite Studies 2003 It will... intrigue readers who enjoy delving into the ambiguities and controversies of contentious Anabaptist communities. -- Scott Sernau Mennonite Quarterly Review This is a text whose time has come, and one that will be valuable for those from any faith tradition. -- Keith Graber Miller Catholic Historical Review 2004