Articles
Two authors, Porter and Murray Williams engage with Haymes and Gingerich Hiebert’s piece from the last issue of the journal:
Fran Porter highlights how the three forms of “misremembering” God are deeply interconnected. She stresses that who remembers God—and how—shapes theology, which is always influenced by power, privilege, and the risk of injustice. She warns that appeals to unity can silence marginal voices.
Stuart Murray Williams challenges the claim that post‑Christendom critiques of Christendom are caricatured. He argues that the After Christendom series offers nuanced analysis and that the Anabaptist critique remains vital. While agreeing that the whole Christian tradition should be engaged, he insists that the Anabaptist perspective is an important corrective.
Hannah Willis, a current MA student, examines the relationship between the Swartzentruber and Old Order Amish through their dress and worship practices. She argues that despite the 1913 split, the Swartzentruber group should still be seen as part of the Amish tradition, and she hopes for reconciliation grounded in Jakob Amman’s original vision of separation and biblicism.
The final article by Lloyd Peterson, adapted from a keynote lecture, explores resonances between sixteenth‑century Anabaptists and later anarchist thought. After outlining anarchism’s history and Christian anarchist voices, the author reflects on the Hebrew Bible, the “anarchist Jesus,” and offers an anarchist reading of Romans 13, concluding that Paul might have been surprisingly at ease among contemporary anarchists.
Reflections on Practice
Sheila Pietersen offers a timely reflection on Covid‑19 from both medical and Anabaptist standpoints. She summarises current knowledge, critiques terms like “social distancing” and “PPE,” and expresses hope for a “contagion of compassion.”
Book Reviews
This issue includes reviews of works by:
- Walter Brueggemann
- Matthew C. Clarke
- Douglas J. Heidebrecht
- Eve Poole
- Elisabeth Porter
- Nahum Ward‑Lev
Special attention is drawn to Matthew Clarke’s Scattering Church, which reviewer Jim Longley describes as highly relevant amid the decline of Western Christianity and ongoing discernment within the Anabaptist Mennonite Network. Though written from an Australian context, its insights resonate strongly with UK readers.
To read this edition of Anabaptism Today in full, please follow this link.
