Seeking Places of Peace: A Global Mennonite History

Seeking Places of Peace: A Global Mennonite History by Royden Loewen. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781561487974.

"Seeking Places of Peace by Royden Loewen and Steven M. Nolt is the fifth and final volume of the Global Mennonite History Series, edited by John A. Lapp and C. Arnold Snyder. This, the North American Mennonite story follows the publication of the Africa and Europe volumes in 2006; Latin America in 2010, and Asia in 2011. Eminent historians Loewen and Nolt have tackled the herculean task of writing the story of Mennonites and Brethren in Christ in North America in all its ethnic diversity and cultural complexity. The authors construct a sweeping master narrative richly seasoned with local stories and specific actors of a diverse ethnic constituency. To use another analogy, the authors soar high enough to capture a birds-eye view of the multinational church and then descend to capture the color and texture of local communities. The preface and each of the twelve chapters begin with local narratives that demonstrate the continent’s ethnic and cultural diversity. For example, Maria Lange Becker who migrated from South Russia to Kansas in 1877and Saulo A. Padilla, who migrated from Guatemala to Alberta, Canada, in 1986, introduce the preface. African American Mattie Cooper of Philadelphia’s Diamond Street Mennonite Church and Jake Bolt a retired construction company owner from Abbotsford, British Columbia, both discover they are part of a global Mennonite Family, the theme of chapter twelve. The narrative is organized in three parts: Settling in North America, 1683-1950; Integrating in North America, 1930-1980; and Growing in North America, 1960-2010. In each part, they strike a balance between Canadian and U.S. Mennonite and Brethren in Christ expressions of faith and life Especially useful is the analysis of major themes sometimes lacking in historical writing: land stewardship, wealth, rural-to-urban migrations without idealizing either, renewal movements that included not only evangelicalism and neo-Anabaptism (the rediscovery of Anabaptist heritage), but also the depth and legitimacy of communal Old Order spirituality." (Mennonite Life) Highlights Perhaps the most inclusive, sweeping, and insightful history ever written about the North American Mennonite saga. Both authors are eminent historians. Both authors of this book bring to the task the insights of "social history." As such, they focus on people in many geographical environments rather than on institutional development and theological controversy. Readable, understandable, and incisive. Appeals to all ages and all groups.