Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies Collection (15 vols.)

by Daniel Kauffman; John C. Wenger; William Klassen; Walter Klassen

and

9 more

Publisher:

Herald Press

, 1938–2010

Overview

If you’re involved in the study of Anabaptist and Mennonite history, theology, or identity, the Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies Collection will bring you a wealth of useful scholarly resources. Containing writings from the most important contributors to Anabaptist and Mennonite thought, including John Howard Yoder, Harold S. Bender, John C. Wenger, John D. Roth, and Thieleman J. van Braght, this collection is absolutely essential for the study of Mennonite and Anabaptist theology and history. It presents a compelling picture of classical Anabaptism alongside modern-day Anabaptism.

The Logos edition of this collection is fully searchable and easily accessible. Scripture passages link directly to your preferred translation, and important theological concepts link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library.

Key Features

• Contains first hand accounts of the birth of the sixteenth-century Mennonite and Anabaptist movements
• Explores the beliefs, practices, and structure of contemporary Mennonite and Anabaptist churches
• Brings in non-Mennonite/Anabaptist perspectives for a wider view of the impact of Mennonite/Anabaptist practices on Christianity
• Delves into the history of Anabaptism for a fresh look at its genesis

Product Details

• Title: Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies Collection
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Volumes: 15
• Pages: 5,660

The Anabaptist Vision

• Author: Harold S. Bender
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 1944
• Pages: 42

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The Anabaptist Vision, given as a presidential address before the American Society of Church History in 1943, has become a classic essay. While addressing the three major issues of the Anabaptist church of the time, Harold Bender makes a profound statement anyone who follows Christ can learn from. This essay is a fundamental account for the study of the Anabaptist church’s history.

The Anabaptist Vision was a fresh interpretation, a brilliant synthesis, which since has been recognized as a classic statement to be reckoned with for years to come.

—Ernst Correll, PhD, American University

Harold S. Bender (1897–1962) was the founder of the Mennonite Quarterly Review, which he served as editor until his death. He served as dean of Goshen College in 1933 and, from 1944 until his death, served as dean at Goshen College Biblical Seminary. He received his BS from Goshen College, his BD from Garrett Biblical Institute, his ThM from Princeton Theological Seminary, his MA from Princeton University, and his ThD from Heidelberg University. Always at the forefront of the Mennonite church, he received his ordination in 1944 and, in 1952, became president of the Mennonite World Conference, which he served on until his death.

Becoming Anabaptist: The Origin and Significance of Sixteenth-Century Anabaptism

• Author: J. Denny Weaver
• Edition: 2nd Edition
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 271

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“Anabaptist” and “Anabaptism” formerly designated a sixteenth-century movement and belief system. Now, in the twenty-first-century, we find these terms rising in popularity and Christians uniting again behind the Anabaptist cause. Seeking what it means to obtain a sixteenth-century identity in the modern world, J. Denny Weaver reconstructs the meaning of Anabaptism, true to the memory of its sixteenth-century heritage—its leaders and martyrs who ensured that its legacy would endure.

With Denny Weaver as your guide, I am sure that you will find it a great joy to walk through the adventure called Anabaptism.

—William H. Willimon, bishop, The North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church

Few books have a shelf life of a quarter-century, but for nearly that long Denny Weaver’s Becoming Anabaptist has stood as one of the outstanding historical interpretations of sixteenth-century Anabaptist beginnings. Weaver’s keen eye for chronological development and geographic polygenesis takes into full account the diversity of influences that made Anabaptists what they were in the sixteenth century and what they are today.

—Barry Hankins, professor of history and church-state studies, Baylor University

Weaver’s study is invaluable.

—Christianity Today

J. Denny Weaver has served as professor of religion at Bluffton University since 1975. He has taught at Goshen College and Canadian Mennonite Bible College, has authored many books, including Anabaptist Theology in Face of Postmodernity and The Nonviolent Atonement, and has written numerous articles.

Beliefs: Mennonite Faith and Practice

• Author: John D. Roth
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 169

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”—1 Peter 3:5

During the past century, we have seen the culture of a single nation shift drastically—and not just once, but multiple times. As postmodernism rises and challenges the cultural, ethical, and even aesthetic values Mennonites profess, the need increasingly arises for a defense of the precepts, doctrines, and practices Mennonites have always held true. This short book is a simple account of the Christian convictions that have endured in the Mennonite church throughout the centuries, in spite of the postmodern claim that there is no universal truth.

John Roth has written a wonderful introduction to Mennonite life and theology. With admirable candor he exposes the controverted and undecided aspects of Mennonite ecclesial practices and theology. This book will serve not only to introduce Mennonite life to Mennonites but to anyone wanting to know what makes Mennonites Mennonites.

—Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke Divinity School

Helpful both for persons coming to Mennonite congregations from other Christian denominations and for persons with deep Mennonite roots.

—Sue C. Steiner, lead minister, North Mennonite Church, Waterloo, Ontario

John D. Roth is professor of history at Goshen College in Indiana, where he also serves as director of the Mennonite Historical Library and editor for The Mennonite Quarterly Review. Roth is the editor of Engaging Anabaptism: Conversations with a Radical Tradition and the author of Choosing against War: A Christian View.

The Complete Writings of Menno Simons

• Translator: Leonard Verduin
• Editor: John C. Wenger
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 1984
• Pages: 1,089

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

This English edition of Menno Simons’ writings contains all of Menno’s known writings, including several tracts, letters, and hymns never previously translated. Representing a faithful English rendering of what Menno taught and wrote, The Complete Writings of Menno Simons is issued with the hope that it will strengthen the Mennonite Church, introduce the whole of Christianity to a new vision of discipleship, and bring you into a deeper loyalty to the Word of God. And once this is all accomplished, may it expose you to a revitalized Christian spirituality in this age of secularism.

It was the message of Menno Simons that made him a great leader in a great cause. He built no system of theology, nor did he discover any great new or long-lost principle; he merely caught a clear vision of two fundamental biblical ideals, the ideal of practical holiness, and the ideal of the high place of the church in the life of the believer and in the cause of Christ. . . . For him Christianity was more than faith only; it was faith and works. For him the church was the representative and agent of Christ on earth, and as such was to keep itself pure in life and doctrine, and was to give a faithful witness for Christ until he came.

—Harold S. Bender, Mennonite Quarterly Review

Menno Simons (1496–1561) was a Dutch Anabaptist leader from Friesland whose followers became known as the Mennonites. Simons was ordained into the Roman Catholic Church in 1516, even though he had yet to read the Bible. When Simons began questioning his beliefs, he began to study the Bible in earnest, as well as the writings of the Early Church Fathers. He was also influenced by the writings of Martin Luther and Heinrich Bullinger. In 1536, Simons officially rejected the Catholic Church and fell in with a group of Anabaptists after he moved to Witmarsum. In a turbulent time in Anabaptist history, Simons rejected the radical strain of Anabaptists, and instead expressed a theology based on peace, piety, and adult baptism. An influential leader and writer, Simons earned the loyalty of followers known as Mennonites. Menno Simons died in January 1561.

The Concept of the Believers’ Church: Addresses from the 1967 Louisville Conference

• Editor: James L. Garrett Jr.
• Series: Conrad Grebel Lecture Series
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 1969
• Pages: 342

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In 1967, hundreds of theologians, pastors, bishops, and church historians from hundreds of denominations were invited to participate in the Conference on the Concept of the Believers’ Church, investigating the meaning of the meaning of this “Believers’ Church” in light of the Free Church movement in Europe. Containing the public addresses of the speakers to the Conference, this volume compiles the findings of the conference and the collective identity of this American “Believers’ Church.” This compilation includes:

• “The Concept of the Believers’ Church” by Franklin H. Littell
• “A Believing People: Contemporary Relevance” by T. Canby Jones
• “A People in Community: Historical Background” by George Huntston Williams
• “A People in Community: Theological Interpretation” by William G. MacDonald
• “A People under the Word: Contemporary Relevance” by Dale Moody
• “A People in the World: Theological Interpretation” by John Howard Yoder
• And much, much more. . .

In every generation, some people have sought to return to the basic fundamentals of primitive biblical ministry. This pursuit of the ‘true church,’. . . has led Littell and others to speak of the concept of the ‘Believers’ Church.’ Such a church included people of various ages and regions who followed the same principles of commitment to apostolic truth. . . . For these people, the truth was an ongoing pursuit, not a closed book in a ‘sectarian’ sense. They ‘wanted fellowship with all who bore the Name and lived the covenant of a good conscience with God.’

—James F. Stitzinger from “Pastoral Ministry in History,” in The Master’s Perspective on Pastoral Ministry

James Leo Garrett Jr. was professor of Christian theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received his AB from Baylor University, his BD and ThD from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, his ThM from Princeton Theological Seminary, and his PhD from Harvard University. He has also studied at the Catholic University of America, St. John’s University, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the University of Oxford, and he has also taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective

• Published by arrangement with the General Board of the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church General Board
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 1995
• Pages: 110

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These 24 articles and summary statement were accepted by both groups as their statement of faith for teaching and nurture in the life of the church. These are the most commonly accepted articles of faith for Mennonite believers, and provide excellent source material for explaining the doctrine, values, and teachings of the Mennonite church.

Doctrines of the Bible: A Brief Discussion of the Teachings of God’s Word

• Editor: Daniel Kauffman
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 1956
• Pages: 639

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“The burden of this message is to hold up Jesus Christ, to magnify the Word of the Lord, and to endear the message of the Cross to the hearts of the readers.”—from the foreword

Originally published in 1928, this exploration of Mennonite biblical doctrine is a sincere apologetic treatise on Mennonite and Anabaptist beliefs. Clearly laying out each doctrinal statement with a thoughtful exposition upheld by scriptural support, Doctrines of the Bible is a classic and well cited catechism of Mennonite beliefs.

Daniel Kauffman (1865–1944) was ordained as a Mennonite minister in 1892 and as a bishop in 1896. Following this, he served as president of Goshen College, and he was a prolific writer, serving as primary editor for Bible Doctrine and Mennonite Cyclopedic Dictionary.

Engaging Anabaptism: Conversations with a Radical Tradition

• Editor: John D. Roth
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 212

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The recent reemergence of Anabaptist studies in the sphere of Christianity has had an undeniable impact on the thought and methodology of Christians worldwide. This collection of essays from 13 scholars explores the personal impact that Anabaptist theology and ethics has had on leaders in various denominations. Responding both analytically and autobiographically, these scholars have written an honest, heartfelt response to the Anabaptist-Mennonite witness in their lives. Readers will be delighted and astounded at the admiration and admonition of Anabaptist-Mennonite hermeneutics, ethics, and ecclesiology from these multi-denominational, scholarly perspectives.

Contents

• “The Radical Road One Baptist Took” by James Wm. McClendon Jr.
• “Confessions of a Mennonite Camp Follower” by Stanley M. Hauerwas
• “Following Christ Down Under: A New Zealand Perspective on Anabaptism” by Christopher Marshall
• “Anabaptist Science and Epistemology?” by Nancey Murphy
• “Grace as Participation in the Inbreaking of the Kingdom: Mountains of Grace Back Home” by Glen. H. Stassen
• “Latin America and Anabaptist Theology” by Samuel Escobar
• “Anabaptism and Radical Christianity” by Christopher Rowland
• “Anabaptism as a Conversation Partner” by Stuart Murray
• “Meeting the Radical Reformation” by Eoin de Bhaldraithe
• “Reflections on My Encounter with the Anabaptist-Mennonite Tradition” by Richard J. Mouw
• “Embodying the Gospel in Community” by Richard B. Hays
• “Anabaptism and the Obstacles That Make for Vocation” by Rodney Clapp
• “Sharing the House of God: Learning to Read (Scripture) with Anabaptists” by Michael G. Cartwright

These conversations are must reading for those who have forgotten the radical nature of Anabaptism or who consider the issues raised in the sixteenth century blasé in this postmodern time.

—Lydia Harder, adjunct professor, University of Waterloo

This intriguing and inspiring book provides evidence that Anabaptism—a voice silenced for centuries from the Christian choir—is again beginning to sing its part.

—Alan Kreider, emeritus professor of church history and ministry, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary

John D. Roth is professor of history at Goshen College in Indiana, where he also serves as director of the Mennonite Historical Library and editor for The Mennonite Quarterly Review. Roth is the editor of Engaging Anabaptism: Conversations with a Radical Tradition and the author of Choosing against War: A Christian View.

Glimpses of Mennonite History and Doctrine

• Author: John C. Wenger
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 2000
• Pages: 258

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

An incredible introduction to Mennonite history, Glimpses of Mennonite History and Doctrine is a well-crafted text, accessible to both beginning and advanced students. Starting with the rise of the Mennonite Church in Switzerland and Holland and progressing along to the Mennonite Church in America, Wenger tells a story of a denomination that has recaptured the spirit of Christianity with faithful followers, peaceful practices, and a Christ-like heart.

John C. Wenger, ThD, was a member of the Mennonite Historical Committee from 1945 to 1973 and the first editor of the Mennonite Historical Bulletin. He was ordained as a bishop in 1951, and he is considered one of the most prolific writers of the century.

An Introduction to Mennonite History

• Author: Cornelius J. Dyck
• Edition: Third Edition
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 1993
• Pages: 451

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An Introduction to Mennonite History has been a unique resource for a generation, the preeminent textbook in its field. This completely revised and updated edition interacts with the many changes in Anabaptist-Mennonite experience and historical understandings.

Cornelius J. Dyck pastored a Mennonite church in Kansas from 1951 to 1955. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago, and he has taught at various universities throughout North America and Europe. After holding a permanent teaching position at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in 1959, he became director of the Institute of Mennonite Studies, where he served for two decades. He later served as executive secretary of Mennonite World Conference from 1962 to 1973.

The Life and Thought of Michael Sattler

• Author: C. Arnold Snyder
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 1984
• Pages: 260

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This volume constitutes a major advance in the historiography of the Anabaptists. In studying Michael Sattler, his life, the Schleitheim doctrine, and his martyrdom, it becomes clear that this aspect of history has solidified the Anabaptist movement—neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant—in the pursuit of a community formed around Christ, Scripture, and the life-changing practices to which Anabaptists are called.

This book is another case study in Anabaptist origins, as well as being a biographical study of Michael Sattler. . . . The author of this volume is gentle, unassuming, and deceptively modest in his approach, but clear and incisive in his findings. The book is a model of careful historical method and scholarship.

—Cornelius J. Dyck, Institute of Mennonite Studies

C. Arnold Snyder was professor emeritus at Conrad Grebel University College, where he taught Christian history until he retired in 2011. He received his BA from the University of Waterloo and his MA and PhD from McMaster University. He also authored Following in the Footsteps of Christ: The Anabaptist Tradition and From Anabaptist Seed: Exploring the Historical Center of Anabaptist Teachings and Practices.

Marpeck: A Life of Dissent and Conformity

• Authors: Walter Klaassen and William Klassen
• Series: Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History Series
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 422

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In a world shaped by the messages of mass media, global marketing, and resurgent nationalism, a fresh look at historical and theological perspectives is critical for the survival of the Christian scholar. We find both in a glimpse at the life of Pilgrim Marpeck, a sixteenth-century Anabaptist leader, at home both in the urbanized city centers of Strasbourg and Augsburg and in the underground circles of radical religious reformers. After falling into obscurity for centuries, Marpeck’s legacy has reemerged as a voice of authority in theology, Anabaptist practices, and ethical discernment in this tumultuous age.

A major contribution to Anabaptist scholarship and to our common task of theological and ethical discernment for the living of these days.

—Steven M. Nolt, professor of history, Goshen College

Walter Klaassen is an adjunct professor at the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad and an adjuct professor of history at the University of Saskatchewan. He holds graduate degrees from McMaster University, McMaster Divinity College, and Oxford University. He is editor of the widely used source book Anabaptism in Outline.

William Klassen is adjunct professor and principal emeritus at University of Waterloo. He has been professor of New Testament and peace studies at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, the University of Manitoba, Simon Fraser University, the University of Toronto, and the École Biblique, Jerusalem. He is the author of The Forgiving Community and Judas: Betrayer or Friend of Jesus.

Martyrs Mirror

• Author: Thieleman J. van Braght
• Translator: Joseph F. Sohm
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 1,158

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Christians paid a high price for the preservation of their faith and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This colossal volume saves the songs, letters, confessions, and prayers of more than four thousand Christians in the first sixteen centuries of Christianity, most especially those persecuted during the birth of the Anabaptist movement in the sixteenth century. Martyrs Mirror is an unobscured window into the lives of those defenseless Christians who were able to love their enemies and return good for evil, at the cost of their lives and their loved ones.

This classic, gigantic work is the record of Christian faith and endurance from the first century to the persecution of the Anabaptists in the seventeenth.

—Christian Bookseller

What Foxe’s Book of Martyrs has been to the evangelical church, this volume is to evangelicals within the Anabaptist tradition of Christianity. It documents the martyrdoms of thousands of little-known and well-known believers from the first to the seventeenth centuries who publicly confessed their faith by adult baptism and refused to recant at the demand of the church or state officials.

—Tyndale House Publishers

Thieleman J. van Braght (1625–1664) was a widely celebrated Dutch Mennonite preacher, most known for compiling and publishing Martyrs Mirror in 1660. He was extremely well educated for the time, having thoroughly studied and learned Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, and German and engaged himself deeply with Scripture and theology.

Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith

• Author: Stuart Murray
• Series: The Third Way Collection
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 190

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“What does Anabaptism look like without the Mennonite, Hutterite, or Amish culture in which it is usually clothed in North America?”—from the introduction

Seeking a bare framework of Anabaptism, this book uncovers an identity for Anabaptists that is unique, introspective, and established in the history of the faith. Written for Mennonites, Amish, Neo-Anabaptist, Methodist-Anabaptists, Anglican-Anabaptists, Baptist-Anabaptist—and the endless other “hyphenated Anabaptists”—as well as for those peeking into Anabaptism from the outside, The Naked Anabaptist will expose the deepest truths to celebrate the faith of contemporary Anabaptism.

Yes, it is good to be naked. That’s a profound concession for a traditional Mennonite. Whether you have been steeped in Anabaptism from birth, as I have, or are just trying to understand a peculiar worldview, you will learn a lot from this study written by an English Anabaptist.

—James Toews, columnist, Mennonite Brethren Herald

Stuart Murray offers a compelling exploration of the heart of Anabaptism. For traditional Anabaptists, this book serves as a necessary reminder of a dynamic movement that cannot be claimed by anyone but the Spirit. Anabaptists-at-heart will be encouraged by the recognition that they are not alone. And everyone else will be confronted with a vision that, if taken to heart, has the power to revive the church and change the world.

—Mark Van Steenwyk, founder, Missio Dei community, Minneapolis

Stuart Murray, chair of the Anabaptist Network, has a PhD in Anabaptist hermeneutics. He has worked extensively as an urban church planter and has served as Oasis Director of Church Planting and Evangelism at Spurgeon’s College in London, where he continues to teach.

Who Are the Anabaptists: Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites

• Author: Donald B. Kraybill
• Publisher: Herald Press
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 47

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The Anabaptists of North America sport an amazing spectrum of religious and cultural diversity—from communal Hutterites to urban Mennonites, from low-tech Amish to acculturated Brethren. New members with Asian, African, and Hispanic cultural roots add spice and flavor to traditional Anabaptist ways. Counting more than 6,000 congregations and 100 different groups, the Anabaptists are known for their strong commitments to peacemaking, service, and community. In this concise text, a leading scholar of Anabaptist communities provides a sweeping overview of their beliefs and practices as well as their similarities and differences.

Donald B. Kraybill is a senior fellow at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (Pennsylvania), where he holds a joint appointment in the departments of sociology and religious studies. He has served as a pastor and held various leadership roles with Mennonite and Church of the Brethren organizations.

Widely recognized for his scholarship on Anabaptist communities, Kraybill is the author, co-author, or editor of many books and essays on Anabaptist faith and life, including Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (coauthor), The Upside-Down Kingdom, and the Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites and Mennonites.