Power, Authority and the Anabaptist Tradition

Founded in part on a rejection of worldly power and the use of force, Anabaptism carried with it the promise of redemptive use of power. Yet the attempt to banish power to the margins of the Christian community has been fraught with dilemmas, contradictions, and, at times, blatant abuses of authority. In this analysis, Benjamin W. Redekop, Calvin Redekop, and their co-authors draw on classic and contemporary thinking to confront the issue of power in the Anabaptist-Mennonite community. From the power relationships of the 16th-century Peasants´ War to issues of contemporary sexuality, the topics covered should interest a wide audience. The contributors include Lynda Nyce, Wesley Prieb, Stephen C. Ainlay, J. Lawrence Burkholder and Jacob A. Loewen