Category - anabaptist

Anabaptist voice from down under

Simon Barrow — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:30:29 +0000

Doug Hynd's weblog 'Subversive Voices' ("Reflections on politics, public policy, theology and culture, informed by the radical tradition of Christian witness") has been added to our roll (see right hand column, toward the foot of the page).

Rethinking religion in an open society

Simon Barrow — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:43:16 +0000

Though the role of religion in society has come back onto the agenda with a vengeance in recent years, the political, spiritual and intellectual resources at our disposal for handling the issues involved seem perilously thin on all sides in public life. This paper aims to reconstruct some key terms in the debate and to offer a positive case for a 'disestablished' form for religion within a plural social and political order. In particular it suggests that the alternative to hegemonic religion or attempts to exclude religion from public life lies in the rediscovery of an alternative form of politics rooted in practical 'goods' and 'virtues' derived from different communities and traditions, accompanied by the development of a 'civil state' framework.

Simon Barrow

Asian Mennonites move towards merger with world peace church body

agency reporter — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:39:44 +0000

Representatives from the Asia Mennonite Conference (AMC) have decided to move ahead on an “outline of merger” with Mennonite World Conference (MWC), strengthening relations in the 1.2 million world-wide peace denomination.

Summary: An economy worth believing in

Simon Barrow — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 16:34:10 +0100

A paper summarising some recent interventions from faith bodies on the debate about economy, globally and locally. It also highlights the historic links between Christian thought/action and oikonomia (the management of the household), some different stances on markets, and Ekklesia's own research paper, Is God bankrupt? - a response to a British and Irish churches' report on 'prosperity with a purpose'.

Simon Barrow

Learning to think without tanks

Simon Barrow — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 23:48:11 +0100

Ekklesia is a think tank that promotes fresh forms of thought - without relying on tanks. In an interview with SCM, Simon Barrow explains what the deal is with post-Christendom and how to respond to the fuss about religion.

Anti-gay stance distances church from the young

Tim Nafziger — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:58:39 +0100

For many years now, high profile Christian leaders have been saying that homosexuality is destroying the church, says Tim Nafziger. It turns out that it may be their homophobia that is isolating the church from young people and many others.

Mennonite world body expresses solidarity with churches in Zimbabwe

staff writers — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Mennonite World Conference (MWC) is sending a delegation to Zimbabwe later this year to build closer relations with its members there who, like other church and civil society groups, are enduring harsh circumstances in the crisis-ridden country.

US Anabaptist denomination opposes escalation of conflict in Iraq

Press Office — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 18:54:30 +0000

The general secretary of the Church of the Brethren general board, Stanley J. Noffsinger, is among the first US Anabaptist leaders to respond to President Bush's recent speech about the Iraq conflict ‚Ä' with a call to make peace rather than war.

Mennonite youth pit nonviolent Jesus against gun culture

staff writers — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 12:00:00 +0000

More than 100 US urban youth and members of local Anabaptist churches came together earlier this month (November 2006) for Packing the Peace of Christ, a conference focused on a Christian response to handgun homicide, which takes an average of one life per day here - write Justin Shenk and Shannon Burgess.