“Ploughshares: Recovering from the Myth of Mennonite Exceptionalism.”
in
Resistance: Confronting Violence, Abuse, and Power within Peace Churches
Edited by Cameron Altaras & Carol Penner from the Institute of Mennonite Studies, 2022.
If it’s not safe in the church, where is it safe? Are churches complicit in supporting racism, colonialism, and heterosexism? How do churches excuse sexual violence? How are abuses of power justified to protect church institutions?
In Resistance, storytellers, academics, poets, administrators, students, activists, and pastors bring these questions to life through stories of personal and systemic violence and betrayals when theology is weaponized. Each story is connected to the Anabaptist religious context, but the harms suffered and responses to those harms are universally applicable. This collection directly confronts violence within historic peace churches, providing strategies for using power to resist violence and promote transformation.
Virtual Book Launch
On Tuesday, November 29th Resistance: Confronting Violence, Power and Abuse within Peace Churches hosted a virtual book launch. Grebel Professor and Director of Theological Studies Carol Penner and co-editor Cameron Altaras gave a special presentation on their latest book, featuring interview clips and insights from book contributors with a Q&A.
You can watch the full virtual book launch here.
Check out Amanda’s brief chapter summary, below: