T&T Clark Studies in Anabaptist Theology and Ethics – serie

This volume performs a critical and vibrant reconstruction of Anabaptist identity and theological method, in the wake of the recent revelations of the depth of the sexual abuse perpetrated by the most influential Anabaptist theologian of the 20th century, John Howard Yoder. In an attempt to liberate Anabaptist theology and identity from the constricting vision appropriated and reformulated by Yoder, these essays refuse the determinative categories of the last half century supplied by and carried beyond Harold Bender’s The Anabaptist Vision.While still under the shadow of decades of trauma, a recontexualized conversation about Anabaptist theology and identity emerges in this volume that is ecumenically engaged, philosophically astute, psychologically attuned, and resolutely vulnerable. The volume offers a Trinitarian and Christological framework that holds together the importance of Scripture, tradition, and the lived experience of the Christian community, as the contributors examine a wide variety of issues such as Mennonite feminism, Anabaptist queer theology, and Mennonite theological methods. These essays interrogate the operations of power, violence, exclusion, and privilege in methodology in this changed context, offering self-critical constructive alternatives for articulating Anabaptist theology and identity.

This volume performs a critical and vibrant reconstruction of Anabaptist identity and theological method, in the wake of the recent revelations of the depth of the sexual abuse perpetrated by the most influential Anabaptist theologian of the 20th century, John Howard Yoder. In an attempt to liberate Anabaptist theology and identity from the constricting vision appropriated and reformulated by Yoder, these essays refuse the determinative categories of the last half century supplied by and carried beyond Harold Bender’s The Anabaptist Vision.While still under the shadow of decades of trauma, a recontexualized conversation about Anabaptist theology and identity emerges in this volume that is ecumenically engaged, philosophically astute, psychologically attuned, and resolutely vulnerable. The volume offers a Trinitarian and Christological framework that holds together the importance of Scripture, tradition, and the lived experience of the Christian community, as the contributors examine a wide variety of issues such as Mennonite feminism, Anabaptist queer theology, and Mennonite theological methods. These essays interrogate the operations of power, violence, exclusion, and privilege in methodology in this changed context, offering self-critical constructive alternatives for articulating Anabaptist theology and identity.

Bold, faithful, challenging – this volume uncovers the social and political implications of the gospel message by looking at Anabaptist theology and practice from a female perspective. The contributors approach the gospel from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds, liberating the radical political ethic of Jesus Christ from patriarchal distortions and demonstrating that gender justice and peace theology are inseparable.Beautifully illustrated with pen drawings, Liberating the Politics of Jesus recognizes the authority of women to interpret and reconstruct the peace church tradition on issues such as subordination, suffering, atonement, the nature of church, leadership, and discipleship. The contributors confront difficult topics head-on, such as the power structures in South Africa, armed conflict in Colombia, and the sexual violence of John Howard Yoder. The result is a renewed Anabaptist peace theology with the potential to transform the work of theology and ministry in all Christian traditions.

Bold, faithful, challenging – this volume uncovers the social and political implications of the gospel message by looking at Anabaptist theology and practice from a female perspective. The contributors approach the gospel from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds, liberating the radical political ethic of Jesus Christ from patriarchal distortions and demonstrating that gender justice and peace theology are inseparable.Beautifully illustrated with pen drawings, Liberating the Politics of Jesus recognizes the authority of women to interpret and reconstruct the peace church tradition on issues such as subordination, suffering, atonement, the nature of church, leadership, and discipleship. The contributors confront difficult topics head-on, such as the power structures in South Africa, armed conflict in Colombia, and the sexual violence of John Howard Yoder. The result is a renewed Anabaptist peace theology with the potential to transform the work of theology and ministry in all Christian traditions.

What happens when a five-century tradition of Christian pacifism no longer needs Jesus to support nonviolence? Why does secularity cause this dilemma for Mennonites in their theology of peace? Layton Boyd Friesen offers an ancient theology and spirituality of incarnation as the church's response to the non-resistance of Christ. He explores three key aspects of von Balthasar's Christology to help Mennonite peace theology regain its momentum in the secular age with a contemplative union with Christ.This volume argues that the way to regain a Christ-formed pacifism within secularity is to contemplate and enter the mystery unveiled in the Chalcedonian Definition of Christ, as interpreted by Hans Urs von Balthasar. In this mystery, the believer is drawn into real-time participation in Christ’s encounter with the secular world.

What happens when a five-century tradition of Christian pacifism no longer needs Jesus to support nonviolence? Why does secularity cause this dilemma for Mennonites in their theology of peace? Layton Boyd Friesen offers an ancient theology and spirituality of incarnation as the church's response to the non-resistance of Christ. He explores three key aspects of von Balthasar's Christology to help Mennonite peace theology regain its momentum in the secular age with a contemplative union with Christ.This volume argues that the way to regain a Christ-formed pacifism within secularity is to contemplate and enter the mystery unveiled in the Chalcedonian Definition of Christ, as interpreted by Hans Urs von Balthasar. In this mystery, the believer is drawn into real-time participation in Christ’s encounter with the secular world.

Contemporary theologians tend to associate the Holy Spirit with the formation of local communities, social movements, and fluid relational networks—and not with institutions such as denominations or global church bodies. In this work, Jamie Pitts argues that this pneumatological-sociological picture misses important aspects of the Spirit’s work.Pitts draws on a wide range of theological and theoretical resources to depict the Spirit as organizing the complex, dynamic, and relationally entangled structures that constitute creation. Human organizing that seeks to participate in the Spirit can take a variety of analogous structural forms, including formal organizations or institutions. Organizational participation in the Spirit is not a function of an organization’s scale, mobility, or relative informality, but rather of its practical orientation toward the Spirit’s goals of life, solidarity, healing, and inclusive justice. A series of case studies clarifies and extends the implications of the argument in connection to organizing for environmental, gender, sexual, and racial justice. In the final chapter, Pitts addresses the role of a political theology of the organizing Spirit in imagining organizational alternatives to the global neoliberal order.

Contemporary theologians tend to associate the Holy Spirit with the formation of local communities, social movements, and fluid relational networks—and not with institutions such as denominations or global church bodies. In this work, Jamie Pitts argues that this pneumatological-sociological picture misses important aspects of the Spirit’s work.Pitts draws on a wide range of theological and theoretical resources to depict the Spirit as organizing the complex, dynamic, and relationally entangled structures that constitute creation. Human organizing that seeks to participate in the Spirit can take a variety of analogous structural forms, including formal organizations or institutions. Organizational participation in the Spirit is not a function of an organization’s scale, mobility, or relative informality, but rather of its practical orientation toward the Spirit’s goals of life, solidarity, healing, and inclusive justice. A series of case studies clarifies and extends the implications of the argument in connection to organizing for environmental, gender, sexual, and racial justice. In the final chapter, Pitts addresses the role of a political theology of the organizing Spirit in imagining organizational alternatives to the global neoliberal order.

This book examines, from a contemporary perspective, one of the most influential document in Anabaptist tradition: the Schleitheim Confession. Van Hoogstraten develops seven constructive readings of the Confession’s articles, each of which discuss practices to shape the church community.Written in the wake of defeat at the Peasants’ rising in 1527, the Confession represents the attempt by radical reformers to outline collective, nurturing practices in the wake of external catastrophe. Van Hoogstraten sets loose a lively conversation with this text that illuminates a sense of life and togetherness in trying times. In the of this hands sophisticated and interdisciplinary scholar, the Confession becomes a vital source for constructive theology and ethics in the Anabaptist tradition.This fresh take on the Confession is sure to be of interest to Anabaptist theologians as well as students of the wider fields of political theology, Continental philosophy and ecclesiology.

This book examines, from a contemporary perspective, one of the most influential document in Anabaptist tradition: the Schleitheim Confession. Van Hoogstraten develops seven constructive readings of the Confession’s articles, each of which discuss practices to shape the church community.Written in the wake of defeat at the Peasants’ rising in 1527, the Confession represents the attempt by radical reformers to outline collective, nurturing practices in the wake of external catastrophe. Van Hoogstraten sets loose a lively conversation with this text that illuminates a sense of life and togetherness in trying times. In the of this hands sophisticated and interdisciplinary scholar, the Confession becomes a vital source for constructive theology and ethics in the Anabaptist tradition.This fresh take on the Confession is sure to be of interest to Anabaptist theologians as well as students of the wider fields of political theology, Continental philosophy and ecclesiology.

Loewen takes up the task of recontextualizing the cross within the broader narrative of Jesus’ life and ministry, crucifixion, death, and resurrection. In doing so, she illuminates an expansive understanding of redemption.Many contemporary progressive Christians don’t know what to do with the cross. Tired of it being used to excuse or promote a violent and/or masochistic understanding of the faith, many advocate avoiding the cross altogether, and emptying it of its redemptive significance. But what if the cross can be reclaimed in ways that speak an empowering and liberating word to those experiencing trauma and suffering and those seeking to embody a Christian peace ethic?Using a Mennonite-feminist perspective which holds together historic peace church emphases on peace, nonviolence, and empowering discipleship, this book explores each stage of the narrative of Jesus. What emerges from this unique conversation is a peaceable reclaiming of the cross as a moment of Divine embrace and presence, reflected all the way from Jesus’ compassionate ministry of peace to his cross as a symbol of all of the ways people are crucified today.