Quite a Peace of Work
From Nonresistance to Justice: The Transformation of Mennonite Church Peace Rhetoric 1908–2008
Ervin R. Stutzman
Herald Press, 2011
The executive director of Mennonite Church USA traces the shift in Mennonite Church peace language from the isolationist “nonresistance and nonconformity” to the active promotion of God’s kingdom, not through scholarly writings, but through official statements and the varying voices in denominational periodicals. Affirming the current rhetoric of “justice and peace” and advocating a balance between divine gift and human responsibility, Stutzman challenges “grace resistant” Mennonites to add God’s grace to their pacifism vocabulary.—AS
