Tribute: David Ewert, 1922–2010
David Ewert: Bible teacher and scholar for the church
Few leaders have served the Mennonite Brethren church with greater commitment, sacrificial diligence and longevity than David Ewert. For 70 years, his considerable intellectual, public speaking, and leadership gifts have been used to serve the church.
His influence has been felt not only among the Mennonite Brethren in Canada, but also in the United States and, to a considerable extent, in Europe and on other continents.
Ewert’s years of leadership and influence took place during an important transitional period for Mennonite Brethren in North America…. [He] was part of a generation that began working and living in more urban centres. They were more interested in doing evangelistic outreach and church planting that might lead to the formation of multilingual and ethnically diverse congregations. And they were more actively involved in all aspects of North American culture, including politics.
As a highly respected Bible teacher, preacher, and scholar, he defined and embodied the convictions of the MB church. His voice spoke into a remarkable number of the theological issues facing the Mennonite Brethren during the second half of the 20th century. As a full-time teacher in at least five Mennonite Brethren institutions in North America, he shaped the theological views of literally thousands of students, many of whom became pastors, missionaries, and leaders within the church. Ewert tried to emulate an irenic balance between denominational loyalty and collaborative, cooperative relationships with a broad network of evangelical Protestants.
His influence helped to move the Mennonite Brethren away from both a particular, and often exclusive, German-Russian ethnicity, and from aspects of American fundamentalism that some had found attractive….
Long-time colleagues noted that “classroom teaching has always been Ewert’s most cherished endeavour and pursuit.” Within the MB tradition, teachers, and Bible teachers in particular, were highly revered, and were expected to live as examples for others. Ewert conscientiously attended to such expectations, and was known by his students and colleagues as a person of integrity. Ewert’s commitment to excellence in teaching flowed out of his firm conviction that the pursuit of learning is a worthwhile – even vital – exercise for becoming a healthy Christ-follower. He wrote:
His example continues to shine as a model worthy of honour and imitation for a younger generation of emerging Mennonite Brethren teachers, preachers and scholars.
Few leaders have served the Mennonite Brethren church with greater commitment, sacrificial diligence and longevity than David Ewert. For 70 years, his considerable intellectual, public speaking, and leadership gifts have been used to serve the church. His influence has been felt not only among the Mennonite Brethren in Canada, but also in the United States and, to a considerable extent, in Europe and on other continents.
Ewert’s years of leadership and influence took place during an important transitional period for Mennonite Brethren in North America…. [He] was part of a generation that began working and living in more urban centres. They were more interested in doing evangelistic outreach and church planting that might lead to the formation of multilingual and ethnically diverse congregations. And they were more actively involved in all aspects of North American culture, including politics.
As a highly respected Bible teacher, preacher, and scholar, he defined and embodied the convictions of the MB church. His voice spoke into a remarkable number of the theological issues facing the Mennonite Brethren during the second half of the 20th century. As a full-time teacher in at least five Mennonite Brethren institutions in North America, he shaped the theological views of literally thousands of students, many of whom became pastors, missionaries, and leaders within the church. Ewert tried to emulate an irenic balance between denominational loyalty and collaborative, cooperative relationships with a broad network of evangelical Protestants.
His influence helped to move the Mennonite Brethren away from both a particular, and often exclusive, German-Russian ethnicity, and from aspects of American fundamentalism that some had found attractive….
Long-time colleagues noted that “classroom teaching has always been Ewert’s most cherished endeavour and pursuit.” Within the MB tradition, teachers, and Bible teachers in particular, were highly revered, and were expected to live as examples for others. Ewert conscientiously attended to such expectations, and was known by his students and colleagues as a person of integrity. Ewert’s commitment to excellence in teaching flowed out of his firm conviction that the pursuit of learning is a worthwhile – even vital – exercise for becoming a healthy Christ-follower. He wrote:
I can see it more clearly now than in my younger years, that intense academic efforts do not endanger a person’s devotion to God. In fact, I have found the opposite to be true. When one offers one’s academic activities up to God as a daily sacrifice, they become a means of grace….
His example continues to shine as a model worthy of honour and imitation for a younger generation of emerging Mennonite Brethren teachers, preachers and scholars.
