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Power, Authority, and the Anabaptist Tradition

edited by Benjamin W. Redekop and Calvin W. Redekop

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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...

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

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Reviews

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.

An impressive piece of scholarship.

A strong contribution to a little-studied aspect of Anabaptist/Mennonite life.

An important book [that] lays out the critical issues and highlights thought-provoking stories of misused power.

The editors are to be commended for presenting a well-integrated and thought-provoking book.

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Table of Contents

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

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

Author Bios
Featured Contributor

Calvin Redekop

Calvin W. Redekop is a professor of sociology emeritus at Conrad Grebel College, University of Waterloo, Ontario. His many books include The Old Colony Mennonites, Mennonite Society, Anabaptist-Mennonite Faith and Economics, and Mennonite Entrepreneurs, the last available from Johns Hopkins.
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