Peace, Faith, Nation

Peace, Faith, Nation

Author: Theron F. Schlabach

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2007-02-02

Total Pages: 417

ISBN-13: 1556351976

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'Peace, Faith, Nation' tells the story of Mennonite and Amish life in nineteenth-century America -- stories of families, of churches, of communities. It tells of work and play, of moving and settling, of struggling with citizenship, of various means (including the Old Order ways) of church renewal. It is a Mennonite history but also an American history. At its heart it tells of response to the nationalist, individualistic, aggressive, and progressive spirit of America. Most Mennonites were quiet, peace-oriented, communal, and humility-minded. Yet the American spirit beckoned -- especially as it often came through Protestant revivalism and promised religious renewal.


The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan

The Mennonites in Indiana and Michigan

Author: John C. Wenger

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2000-10-03

Total Pages: 487

ISBN-13: 1579104568

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A comprehensive and sympathetic history of all branches of the Mennonites and Amish, including a portrayal of their doctrine, life, and piety. It attempts to present a true picture of the Christian bodies in Indiana and Michigan which are descended from the European Anabaptists of the sixteenth century.


Mennonites, Amish, and the American Civil War

Mennonites, Amish, and the American Civil War

Author: James O. Lehman

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2007-10-28

Total Pages: 373

ISBN-13: 1421403900

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A study of the American Mennonite and Amish communities response to the Civil War and the effect t it had upon them. During the American Civil War, the Mennonites and Amish faced moral dilemmas that tested the very core of their faith. How could they oppose both slavery and the war to end it? How could they remain outside the conflict without entering the American mainstream to secure legal conscientious objector status? In the North, living this ethical paradox marked them as ambivalent participants to the Union cause; in the South, it marked them as clear traitors. In the first scholarly treatment of pacifism during the Civil War, two experts in Anabaptist studies explore the important role of sectarian religion in the conflict and the effects of wartime Americanization on these religious communities. James O. Lehman and Steven M. Nolt describe the various strategies used by religious groups who struggled to come to terms with the American mainstream without sacrificing religious values—some opted for greater political engagement, others chose apolitical withdrawal, and some individuals renounced their faith and entered the fight. Integrating the most recent Civil War scholarship with little-known primary sources and new information from Pennsylvania and Virginia to Illinois and Iowa, Lehman and Nolt provide the definitive account of the Anabaptist experience during the bloodiest war in American history. “I found this book fascinating. It is an easy read, with lots of arresting stories of faith under test. Its amazingly thorough research, which comes through on every page, makes the book convincing.” —Al Keim, Shenandoah Mennonite Historian “An impressive work in every way: gracefully written, broadly researched, careful and measured in its conclusions. It is likely to become the definitive work on its subject.” —Thomas D. Hamm, Indiana Magazine of History “In this fascinating study, Lehman and Nolt perform a miraculous feat: they find a small unexplored backwater in the immense sea of literature on the American Civil War.” —Perry Bush, Michigan Historical Review


No Strings Attached

No Strings Attached

Author: Rachel Nafziger Hartzler

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2013-04-30

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 1620321793

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No Strings Attached is the story of a Mennonite congregation in Indiana that existed for eighty-six years. The congregation began during the social and religious turmoil of the 1920s when some Mennonites in North America held to rigid doctrines and ethics implemented by central authority, and others operated with a congregational polity and became more assimilated into secular culture. The struggle between these two different understandings of faithfulness was most passionately played out in northern Indiana. Placing the narrative of this congregation within the context of 500 years of Mennonite history illustrates the grace and the tension that has both beset and empowered a unique group of people who began as radical reformers. Although no strings attached refers to the women's headwear during the 1920s, which had no strings, it could also be the story of the pastor eating lunch on the peak of the steep roof of the church building! Reflecting on stories of these Mennonite people is an invitation to move into the future with courageous hope. Believing and behaving differently has not prevented Middlebury Mennonites from treating each other respectfully, living in a community of love, joy, and peace, and offering God's healing and hope to each other and to the world.


Mennonite Encyclopedia/ Vol 1

Mennonite Encyclopedia/ Vol 1

Author:

Publisher: Herald Press

Published: 1955

Total Pages: 1212

ISBN-13:

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Covers the 435-year history of the faith, life, and culture of Anabaptists in Europe and Mennonites throughout the world. Presented are people, movements, and places in their relation to Mennonites.This Encyclopedia was jointly edited by historians and scholars of the Mennonite Church, the General Conference of Mennonites, and the Mennonite Brethren Church. More than 2,700 writers contributed articles.Volume V includes updates on materials in the first four volumes plus nearly 1,000 new articles edited by Cornelius J. Dyck and Dennis D. Martin.


Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups

Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups

Author: Stephen Scott

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 1996-01-01

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1680992430

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This book tells a story which until now has not been available in such an interesting and comprehensive form. What holds these people together? Why are they growing in number? Where do they live? The Old Order Mennonites are less well known than the Amish, but are similar in many beliefs and practices. Some Old Order Mennonites drive horses and buggies. Others use cars for transportation. Conservative Mennonite groups vary a great deal, but in general espouse strong faith and family life and believe that how they live should distinguish them from the larger society around them. The author details courtship and wedding practices, methods of worship, dress, transportation, and vocation. Never before has there been such an inside account of these people and their lives. The author spent years conferring and interviewing members of the various groups, trying to portray their history and their story in a fair and accurate manner. An enjoyable, educational, inspiring book.


Disquiet in the Land

Disquiet in the Land

Author: Fred Lamar Kniss

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 9780813524238

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Mennonites have long referred to themselves as "The Quiet in the Land," but their actual historical experience has been marked by internal disquiet and contention over religious values and cultural practice. As Fred Kniss argues in his impressive study of Mennonite history, the story of this sectarian pacifist group is a story of conflict. How can we understand the ironic phenomenon of Mennonite conflict? How do ideas and symbols-both those of the American mainstream and those that are specifically Mennonite-influence the emergence and course of this conflict? What is the relationship betweenintra-Mennonite conflict and the changing historical context in which Mennonites are situated? Through a rigorous analysis of a century of disputes over dress codes, congregational authority, and religious practice, Kniss offers the tools both to understand conflict within a specific religious group and to answer larger questions about culture, ideology, and social and historical change.