Embodying the Way of Jesus

Embodying the Way of Jesus
Author: Ted Grimsrud
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2007-01-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1597529877

The Anabaptist tradition, originating as part of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation, has from its beginning presented an alternative approach to Christian faith. Jesus-centered Anabaptist convictions such as pacifism, simple living, and community remain of vital concern for twenty-first-century Christians. Embodying the Way of Jesus: Anabaptist Convictions for the Twenty-First Century traces the origins and historical expressions of Anabaptist faith and then suggests ways Anabaptist convictions speak to our contemporary world. Ted Grimsrud proposes a fourfold approach to interpreting Anabaptist theology, considering themes from the Bible, from the tradition's history, from present experience, and from envisioning a hopeful future. What emerges is an engaging portrait of a living tradition that speaks with urgency and relevance to a world badly in need of a message of peace.

The Anabaptist Vision

The Anabaptist Vision
Author: Harold S. Bender
Publisher: MennoMedia, Inc.
Total Pages: 29
Release: 1960
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0836197224

The Anabaptist Vision, given as a presidential address before the American Society of Church History in 1943, has become a classic essay. In it, Harold S. Bender defines the spirit and purposes of the original Anabaptists. Three major points of emphasis are: the transformation of the entire way of life of the individual to the teachings and example of Christ, voluntary church membership based upon conversion and commitment to holy living, and Christian love and nonresistance applied to all human relationships.

Nonviolent Word

Nonviolent Word
Author: J. Denny Weaver
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2020-02-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1725257017

This book displays how the nonviolent Word of God made visible in Jesus Christ is expressed in the contemporary idiom of the peaceable grain of the universe. Moving between historic Anabaptist understandings of Jesus as revealing the “Word of God” and more recent expressions of Jesus as disclosing the “grain of the universe,” the book invites a reading of Scripture centered in Jesus’ life and teachings as told by the narratives of the New Testament. This approach to the Bible discovers there a persuasive witness to the power of nonviolent action in both historic movements and contemporary settings. Beginning with the radical wing European Reformation, the book explores how new understandings of biblical authority expressed in the language of that era have relevance now over five centuries later when stated in a contemporary language for evangelical, ecumenical, and anti-racist Christian witness. To that end, chapters in Part One explore how Reformation-era Anabaptists expanded or went beyond the received understandings of Scripture and Word in confronting their crises. In Part Two the chapters apply this expanded understanding of the Word to contemporary understandings of the Bible and theology, dialogue across black-white lines, and in nonviolent witness and activism.

Freedom and Discipleship

Freedom and Discipleship
Author: Daniel S. Schipani
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2021-12-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1532688636

An appraisal of liberation theology from the Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective, Freedom and Discipleship brings together essays by prominent theologians of that tradition and responses by Protestant liberation theologians. Emerging from differing ethnic, socio-cultural, and denominational backgrounds, the contributors seek to promote an inter-Christian dialogue. This dialogue, in turn, locates foundations for both building and equipping the ecclesial community for mission, especially the witness of peace and justice. It spurs modern descendants of both traditions to reflect on their own radical roots, while simultaneously raising critical questions on such topics as violence and nonviolence. Freedom and Discipleship offers a unique assessment of liberation theology from the perspective of the “Radical Reformation”—that stream of Protestantism which has understood the discipleship of Jesus to imply commitments to peace and to justice. The contributors address the myriad dimensions of liberation theology—including hermeneutical, ecclesiological, christological, ethical, and eschatological concerns. In Part I, "Perspectives on Liberation Theology," essays evaluate liberation theology at various points and in different ways. Part II, "Dialogical Interface and Implications," reflects the ongoing conversation in a dialectical and dynamic fashion. In bringing together liberation theology and the Anabaptist perspective, Freedom and Discipleship makes a significant contribution to the engagement of two Christian traditions.

Anabaptist History and Theology

Anabaptist History and Theology
Author: C. Arnold Snyder
Publisher: Kitchener, Ont. : Pandora Press
Total Pages: 492
Release: 1997
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

"The unabridged version of Anabaptist History and Theology, published in 1995, received high praise from reviewers. One called the book "a masterful survey," while another concluded that the book "tells the Anabaptist story with impressive synthetic power." Anabaptist History and Theology: Revised Student Edition follows the same narrative format and story line as the unabridged book. But the text has been completely rewritten and redesigned to meet the needs of the non-specialist reader. This second, revised edition features larger print and numerous sidebars and text boxes for the benefit of students." --

The Naked Anabaptist

The Naked Anabaptist
Author: Stuart Murray
Publisher: MennoMedia, Inc.
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2015-10-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0836199847

Click here to read the introduction to The Naked Anabaptist. In churches and kitchens and neighborhood centers across the world, communities of Jesus-followers are crafting a vision of radical service, simple living, and commitment to peace. Many are finding a home in a Christian tradition almost five centuries old: Anabaptism. Who are the Anabaptists? What do they believe? Where did they come from? What makes them different from other Christians? And can you become an Anabaptist without leaving your own church? Follow Stuart Murray as he peels back the layers to reveal the core convictions of Anabaptist Christianity, a way of following Jesus that challenges, disturbs, and inspires. Glimpse an alternative to nationalistic, materialistic, individualistic Christian faith. If you are seeking a community of authentic discipleship, heartfelt worship, sacrificial service, and radical peacemaking, consider this your invitation. This new edition features: Voices and stories from North America and the global church. Updated and expanded definition and discussion of Christendom. Updated resource section. Free downloadable study guide available here.