The History of the General Conference of the Mennonites of North America


Book Description

The History of the General Conference of the Mennonites of North America by Henry Peter Krehbiel, first published in 1898, is a rare manuscript, the original residing in one of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, which has been scanned and cleaned by state-of-the-art publishing tools for better readability and enhanced appreciation. Restoration Editors' mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life. Some smudges, annotations or unclear text may still exist, due to permanent damage to the original work. We believe the literary significance of the text justifies offering this reproduction, allowing a new generation to appreciate it.




Horse-and-buggy Mennonites


Book Description

Examining how the Wengers have cautiously and incrementally adapted to the changes swirling around them, this book offers an invaluable case study of a traditional group caught in the throes of a postmodern world."--Jacket.




The Americanization of a Rural Immigrant Church


Book Description

Cover page -- Halftitle page -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Title page -- Copyright page -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- TABLE OF CONTENTS -- LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS -- LIST OF TABLES -- CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION -- CHAPTER I - ENDNOTES -- CHAPTER II EUROPEAN BACKGROUND, 1525-1874 -- Anabaptism and Early Migration -- The Prussian Mennonite Church -- Settlement in Russia -- Life in Russia -- Economic Development -- Education -- The Church -- CHAPTER II - ENDNOTES -- CHAPTER III IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA AND SETTLEMENT IN KANSAS -- Causes of Immigration -- Establishing New Communities -- The Local Church -- CHAPTER III - ENDNOTES -- CHAPTER IV THE LANGUAGE TRANSITION -- The Role of the German Language -- Facilitators of the Language Transition -- American Mennonites -- Western District Conference -- Sunday School and Christian Endeavor Society -- Clergy -- Education -- Periodicals -- Evidence of Transition -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER IV - ENDNOTES -- CHAPTER V THE AMERICANIZATION OF MENNONITE EDUCATION -- The Immigrant School -- Mennonite Parochial Schools -- The Americanization of Mennonite Schools -- The Response of the Church to Public Schools -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER V - ENDNOTES -- CHAPTER VI THE IMPACT OF AMERICAN REVIVALISM, MODERNISM, AND SECULARISM -- American Revivalism -- Protracted Meetings -- Prohibition -- Church Schisms -- Modernist-Fundamentalist Controversy -- Secularism -- Nonresistance -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER VI - ENDNOTES -- CHAPTER VII THE AMERICANIZATION OF CHURCH CUSTOMS -- Ordinances -- The Clerical Transition -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER VII - ENDNOTES -- CHAPTER VIII THE FINE ARTS: MENNONITE ARCHITECTURE AND MUSIC -- Church Architecture -- Church Music -- Conclusion -- CHAPTER VIII - ENDNOTES -- CHAPTER IX CONCLUSION -- CHAPTER IX - ENDNOTES -- BIBLIOGRAPHY




From the Ground Up


Book Description

Finally, in a literature that is dominated by top-down, diplomatic, and political-level mediation, this volume provides graphic evidence of peacebuilding at the grassroots and middle levels of society, a rapidly growing arena in which the Mennonites have been vitally active.".







From Nonresistance to Justice


Book Description

The more things change, the more they stay the same. From Nonresistance to Justice explores how this is true when it comes to teaching about peace for the former Mennonite Church, now part of Mennonite Church USA. Has the church changed in regard to its beliefs and practices about peace over the past 100 years? Yes. Has it remained the same? Yes. Reading this book will show that both are true. Through the book, Ervin Stutzman shows how the church moved from an emphasis on nonresistance and nonconformity to engage in advocacy for peace and justice. At the same time, he presses for a greater emphasis on the way that God’s activity must guide our work in the world, arguing for a stronger link between God’s grace, justice, and peace. Volume 46 in the Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History Series.




Not Talking Union


Book Description

How does one write a labour history of a people who have not been involved in the labour movement in significant numbers and, historically, have opposed union membership? While North American Mennonites have traditionally been associated with rural life, in light of the adjustments demanded by post-1945 urbanization and industrialization, they in fact became very involved in the workforce at a time of important labour foment. Drawing on over a hundred interviews, Janis Thiessen explores Mennonite responses to labour movements such as Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers, as well as Mennonite involvement in conscientious objection to unions. This innovative study of the Mennonites - a people at once united by an ethnic and religious identity, yet also shaped by differences in geography, immigration histories, denomination, and class position - provides insights into how and why they have resisted involvement in organized labour. Not Talking Union adds a unique perspective to the history of labour, exploring how people negotiate tensions between their commitments to faith and conscience and the demands of their employment. Not Talking Union breaks new methodological ground in its close analysis of the oral narratives of North American Mennonites. Reflecting on both oral and archival sources, Thiessen shows why Mennonite labour history matters, and reveals the role of power and inequality in that history.




Anabaptist/Mennonite Faith and Economics


Book Description

The continuing conflict between the Anabaptist/Mennonite community and the expanding industrial culture of the modern world has not been investigated. This book addresses the issues which fuel that conflict, focusing on the implications of subordinating an economic system to the theological framework of a Christian society. Contributors: Gregory Baum, Lawrence J. Burkholder, Leo Driedger, Kevin Enns-Rempel, Norm Ewert, Jim Halteman, Leland Harder, Al Hecht, Jim Lichti, Jacob A. Leowen, John Peters, Cal Redekop, Walter Regehr, T.D. Regehr, Jean Seguy, Robert Siemens, Arnold Snyder, Willis Sommer, Mary Sprunger, and Laura Weaver. Co-published with the Institute of Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies.




The Waterloo Mennonites


Book Description

The Waterloo Mennonites is truly a communal book: the substance treats the communal aspect of the Mennonite community in all its complexity, while the book itself came about through communal effort from the students and researchers assisting Fretz, the various organizations and individuals providing support, the larger community including the two universities and Wilfrid Laurier University Press, and public funding agencies. This book seeks to derive a clearer understanding of the sociological characteristics of a single Mennonite community, beginning with the historical and religious background of the Waterloo Mennonites, reviewing their European origins, their ethnic identification, and their immigration experience. It also examines their basic institutions: religion and church, marriage and the family, education and the school, economics and earning a living, government and how they relate to it, their use of leisure time and methods of recreation. It also looks at the way Mennonites interact with the larger society and how that society responds.