In a time when many are questioning the relevance of the church to their spiritual journeys, this book makes a bold case that "going to church" is intrinsic to Christian faith. Drawing on Anabaptist life and conviction, Mast presents Christ's call to all believers to be the church, whether gathered for worship or scattered for service.By exploring such practices as baptism, communion, singing, and group discernment, he asks us to consider how participation in the life of the church...

This book displays how the nonviolent Word of God made visible in Jesus Christ is expressed in the contemporary idiom of the peaceable grain of the universe. Moving between historic Anabaptist understandings of Jesus as revealing the "Word of God" and more recent expressions of Jesus as disclosing the "grain of the universe," the book invites a reading of Scripture centered in Jesus' life and teachings as told by the narratives of the New Testament. This approach to the Bible discovers the...

This book argues that for John Howard Yoder both theology (in particular Christology) and ethics are expressions of the meaning of the narrative of Jesus. All such statements are relative to a particular context, which means that theology and ethics are always subject to reaching back to the narrative in order to restate the meaning in new and ever-changing contexts. This methodology is visible in Yoder's Preface to Theology, which has been little used in most treatments of Yoder's thought...

This book opens a new frontier in understanding nonviolence. Discussions of peace and nonviolence usually focus on either moral theory or practical dimensions of applying nonviolence in conflict situations. Teaching Peace carries the discussion of nonviolence beyond ethics and into the rest of the academic curriculum. This book isn't just for religion or philosophy teachers-it is for all educators.Teaching Peace begins with a discussion rooted in Christian theolog...

Widely respected theologian Gerald McDermott has spent two decades investigating the meaning of Israel and Judaism. What he has learned has required him to rethink many of his previous assumptions.Israel Matters addresses the perennially important issue of the relationship between Christianity and the people and land of Israel, offering a unique and compelling "third way" between typical approaches and correcting common misunderstandings along the way. This book challenges...

In a world where no one is who they seem to be and everybody has secrets… how do you find the truth?Maynard Shores, Florida is an exclusive beachfront town where the rich and beautiful come to live out their fantasies. Fun in the sun, and hot nights filled with passion are to be expected in a locale that caters to every sexual taste and preference. But danger lurks behind the shores's glittering facade. The price for indulging in one of the area's newest pleasures could be high—very...

“Every church a mission outpost.”Born in Iowa in the 20th century, Joseph D. “J. D.” Graber was both a product of the Mennonite Church of his time and a visionary who helped shape Mennonite identity and engagement with the world. Nearly two decades of work in India reinforced Graber’s commitment to missionary witness and convicted him of the need for new attitudes and approaches for a postcolonial era—including in North America, where Graber cultivated the idea tha...

In a time when many are questioning the relevance of the church to their spiritual journeys, this book makes a bold case that "going to church" is intrinsic to Christian faith. Drawing on Anabaptist life and conviction, Mast presents Christ's call to all believers to be the church, whether gathered for worship or scattered for service.By exploring such practices as baptism, communion, singing, and group discernment, he asks us to consider how participation in the life of the church...