Recovering from the Anabaptist Vision: New Essays in Anabaptist Identity and Theological Method

This volume critically reconstructs Anabaptist identity and theological method in light of sexual abuse by John Howard Yoder, offering an ecumenical, philosophically astute, psychologically attuned, and vulnerable reconception. It explores issues such as Mennonite feminism, queer theology, and Mennonite theological methods, interrogating power, violence, exclusion, and privilege and offering constructive alternatives for articulating Anabaptist theology and identity.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 20 February 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

In the wake of the recent revelations of the profound sexual abuse perpetrated by the most influential Anabaptist theologian of the 20th century, John Howard Yoder, this volume emerges as a critical and vibrant reconstruction of Anabaptist identity and theological method. Seeking to liberate Anabaptist theology and identity from the constricting vision appropriated and reformulated by Yoder, these essays refuse the determinative categories of the past half-century provided by and carried forward by Harold Benders in his influential work, The Anabaptist Vision. While still grappling with the enduring impact of decades of trauma, this volume fosters a recontextualized conversation about Anabaptist theology and identity that is ecumenically engaged, philosophically astute, psychologically attuned, and resolutely vulnerable.

The volume presents a Trinitarian and Christological framework that harmonizes the significance of Scripture, tradition, and the lived experience of the Christian community. Contributors explore a diverse range of issues, including Mennonite feminism, Anabaptist queer theology, and Mennonite theological methods, while critically interrogating the operations of power, violence, exclusion, and privilege in these changed contexts. Through self-critical constructive alternatives, these essays offer a means to articulate Anabaptist theology and identity in a manner that is both responsive to the challenges of our time and faithful to the core values of the Anabaptist tradition.

Weight: 266g
Dimension: 139 x 214 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780567692733