When church histories of Africa have been written, they've usually been done by Westerners. These writers have typically been missionaries or relief workers; their analyses and conclusions have reflected those perspectives. This book -- by contrast -- is written by Africans. Each writer is an African church leader or pastor, and they write about the emergence and development of the Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in the countries from which they come. "The story of God's work in Africa did not begin with the arrival of the missionaries, but rather -- from the African perspective -- their arrival continued, reinterpreted and re-shaped an ancient story," begins this honest collection. Themes of the churches claiming their particular expressions of faith, of achieving self-reliance, of coping with difficult governments, of discovering their gifts despite their material poverty, thread through the book. Anabaptist Songs in African Hearts is the third edition of the first volume in the Global Mennonite History Series.

What does Pentecostalism, the fastest-growing Christian expression worldwide, have to do with Anabaptism, whose Mennonite adherents have sometimes been called "the quiet in the land?" In this groundbreaking study, Joseph C. L. Sawatzky explores a mission history of North American Mennonites working with African Initiated and Pentecostal-type churches in southern Africa, illuminating points of divergence and convergence between Anabaptist and Pentecostal streams. Placing testimonies of African and North American participants in this history within a broader biblical and theological framework, this study proposes bases for an emerging Anabaptist-Pentecostal vision, with implications for the church, its leadership, and its witness in the world. This lively, interdisciplinary study will interest students of mission, interculturality, and the Christian faith itself.

With Bibles and baptism, a movement was born. From renegade gatherings of Christian believers in the 1500s to a global communion of more than 2.1 million members, the Anabaptist-Mennonite movement has been marked by faithfulness and failure, continuity and conflict, radicalism and reformation. In this engaging history, Radicals and Reformers traces the origins and development of the Anabaptist and Mennonite movements from their beginnings in Europe through their spread across the globe. In this new authoritative introduction to Anabaptist history, historian Troy Osborne reflects on the ways that Anabaptists have defined their identity in new settings and in response to new theological, intellectual, geographic, and political contexts. Drawing from current scholarship and a range of written and visual sources, this book provides an overview of how Mennonites from Zurich to Zimbabwe have adapted to or resisted the world around them.

Through Fire and Water presents the Mennonite faith story within the sweep of church history. This engaging text uses stories of men and women, peasants and pastors, heroes and rascals, to trace the radical Reformation from sixteenth-century Europe to today's global Anabaptist family. Written in an accessible and nonacademic style, this revised edition updates the story and incorporates new historical research and discoveries. "A superbly written introduction to Anabaptist-Mennonite history in contexts ranging from Kansas to Congo." —Perry Bush, Bluffton University "An accessible and engaging read for those who know little about Mennonites, and also for those who think they are familiar with this complex story of faith, culture, and action." —Marlene Epp, Conrad Grebel University College "Captivating personal stories, set alongside an honest portrayal of the Mennonite journey." —Doug Heidebrecht, Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies

Divided into 3 parts, this handbook provides a wide-ranging survey and analysis of the Christian Church. The first section addresses the scriptural foundations of ecclesiology; the second section outlines the historical and confessional aspects of the topic; and the final part discusses a variety of contemporary and topical themes in ecclesiology. Compiled and written by leading scholars in the field, the T&T Clark Handbook of Ecclesiology covers a range of key topics in the context of their development and importance in each stream of historic Christianity and the confessional traditions. The contributors cover traditional matters such as creedal notes, but also tackle questions of ordination, orders of ministry, and sacraments. This handbook is extensive enough to provide a true overview of the field, but the essays are also concise enough to be read as reference selections.

Cover -- Half-Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- PART I: The Prehistory and Production of The Bloody Theater -- CHAPTER 1. Anabaptism: Origins, Spread, and Persecution -- CHAPTER 2. Memorializing Martyrdom before The Bloody Theater -- CHAPTER 3. Thieleman van Braght and the Publication of The Bloody Theater -- CHAPTER 4. The Bloody Theater: Martyr Stories and More -- PART II: Van Braght's Martyrology through the Years -- CHAPTER 5. The Bloody Theater Illustrated: The 1685 Martyrs Mirror -- CHAPTER 6. A North American Edition: The 1748-49 Ephrata Martyrs Mirror

Indonesia is home to the oldest Mennonite community outside of Europe and North America. Author John D. Roth traces the 170-year history of Mennonites in Indonesia alongside the larger cultural and religious history of the country. By placing the legacy of European colonization from the sixteenth century to national independence in 1945 beside the history of the Dutch Mennonite mission to Indonesia in the nineteenth century, Roth creates a rich narrative tapestry. A Cloud of Witnesses traces the emergence of the three Mennonite-related groups found today in Indonesia. Like all churches, they have each integrated the good news of the gospel with the local culture, ethnic identity, religious currents, and national history in a distinctive way. In July 2022, these three Mennonite groups in Indonesia will collaboratively host the seventeenth global assembly of Mennonite World Conference in Semarang, Java. A Cloud of Witnesses helps to orient other members of the global Anabaptist-Mennonite church to the history and identity of this unique group of churches while also providing practical travel tips, recipes, reference notes on culture and language and tourist sites—making it the perfect accompaniment for those who plan to travel to Indonesia for Mennonite World Conference in the summer of 2022. ​ Selamat dating!

What happens when North American Mennonite Christians arrive in Islamic Somalia? The answer, according to Peter Sensenig, is that something new emerges: a peace clan. From the first schools and medical work in the 1950s up to the educational partnerships of the present day, Somalis and Mennonites formed a surprising friendship that defied conventional labels. Peace Clan is the story of two deeply traditional communities as they encounter change. How can Somalis apply the profound peacemaking resources of their culture and faith in a society fragmented by violence? And how can modernizing Mennonites make sense of their peace convictions in the context of civil war and military intervention? In struggling with these questions over the course of six decades, Somalis and Mennonites held a mirror up to one another. The author shows how the common quest to transform enmity brings out the best in both communities, and suggests what a fruitful partnership might look like in the present challenges. Students, academics, and lay readers alike will find on these pages a compelling invitation to join the peace clan.

In this groundbreaking study, the authors make an unsettling claim: Anabaptist churches of the Global South have more in common with the church of the first three centuries than they do with contemporary churches in Europe and North America that claim the Anabaptist name. With data from 18,000 church members in ten countries, they show how historical patterns of church renewal are repeating themselves today in the Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The study does more than crunch statistics; it probes the sources and nature of the renewal and growth. And it pushes readers to ask what these trends can teach the church of the North in their own quest for faithfulness and vitality. "A compact and informative thesaurus on emerging ecclesiastical and cultural meanings of ‘Mennonite.’ Christian faith today is not merely a world religion, but a substantially non-Western phenomenon." —Jonathan J. Bonk, executive director, Overseas Ministries Study Center

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the global Mennonite church developed an uneasy relationship with Germany. Despite the religion's origins in the Swiss and Dutch Reformation, as well as its longstanding pacifism, tens of thousands of members embraced militarist German nationalism. Chosen Nation is a sweeping history of this encounter and the debates it sparked among parliaments, dictatorships, and congregations across Eurasia and the Americas. Offering a multifaceted perspective on nationalism's emergence in Europe and around the world, Benjamin Goossen demonstrates how Mennonites' nationalization reflected and reshaped their faith convictions. While some church leaders modified German identity along Mennonite lines, others appropriated nationalism wholesale, advocating a specifically Mennonite version of nationhood. Examining sources from Poland to Paraguay, Goossen shows how patriotic loyalties rose and fell with religious affiliation. Individuals might claim to be German at one moment but Mennonite the next. Some external parties encouraged separatism, as when the Weimar Republic helped establish an autonomous "Mennonite State" in Latin America. Still others treated Mennonites as quintessentially German; under Hitler's Third Reich, entire colonies benefited from racial warfare and genocide in Nazi-occupied Ukraine. Whether choosing Germany as a national homeland or identifying as a chosen people, called and elected by God, Mennonites committed to collective action in ways that were intricate, fluid, and always surprising. The first book to place Christianity and diaspora at the heart of nationality studies, Chosen Nation illuminates the rising religious nationalism of our own age.