Power, Authority, and the Anabaptist Tradition

This is an important and timely work, since discussions of power are central to contemporary social and theological theorizing. But it is also an important contribution to Anabaptist studies, because it makes power an explicit and central theme. Offering a variety of essays from several disciplinary perspectives, the breadth of approach is one of the book's strengths. -- Fred Kniss, Loyola University Chicago

Redekop, Conrad Grebel College, emeritus; James M. Stayer, Queen's University, OntarioFounded 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