bg真人

Published: October 12, 2022

Editor’s note: A virtual book release will be held for Resistance via Zoom on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, at 7 p.m. EST. .

By David C. Cramer

ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) 鈥� On Wednesday, Sept. 28, nearly 50 bg真人 students, faculty and staff gathered in the library of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (bg真人), in Elkhart, Indiana, to celebrate the release of Resistance: Confronting Violence, Power, and Abuse within Peace Churches, edited by Cameron Altaras, PhD, and Carol Penner, PhD. The event featured a presentation by author and co-editor Altaras, who visited the campus from her home in Washington State.

This book is the latest volume to be released by the Institute of Mennonite Studies (IMS), the research and publishing wing of bg真人. IMS cosponsored the celebration with the bg真人 Library and Dean鈥檚 Office.

During the event, Altaras shared her own story of experiencing abuse at the hands of a Mennonite pastor and finding the courage to speak of the abuse many years later.

鈥淲hen I finally spoke, seven other women came forward with their stories about abuse by the same pastor,鈥� she told the audience. 鈥淭his was my first experience of how personal storytelling brings us out of isolation and empowers us to heal in community.鈥�

Altaras explained how 鈥� out of their own personal experiences as well as their academic research and professional experience related to the topic of abuse 鈥� she and Penner joined forces to collect stories of other people who have survived or confronted violence and abuse within Anabaptist churches. More than 30 people entrusted them with their stories, resulting in this collection of 34 essays by abuse survivors; survivor advocates; and other storytellers, poets and academics.

Regarding the choice of the title 鈥淩esistance,鈥� Altaras explained, 鈥淏ecause this book is situated within the particular religious context of the Anabaptist tradition 鈥� and Historic Peace Churches 鈥� we were faced with the emphasis on 鈥榥onresistance鈥� to violence, based on the Anabaptist interpretation of words attributed to Jesus in Matthew 5:39 鈥� to not resist the evildoer and to turn the other cheek.鈥� 

She described how she and Penner chose the book鈥檚 title to challenge this traditional Anabaptist emphasis on nonresistance: 鈥淭his book addresses ways in which theology has sanctioned and justified harm and asks how we might honor the Anabaptist theology that has shaped us and at the same time resist evil and seek healing for those who are harmed. We use 鈥楻esistance鈥� in our title to pay tribute to the power of survivors of such harms.鈥�

Altaras shared how the book confronts not only sexualized violence but also the related violence of colonialism; the Doctrine of Discovery; and various forms of oppression and 鈥渙thering鈥� based on racial identity, gender and sexuality. She noted that these forms of violence are often related and overlapping, 鈥渃ausing suffering under an intersection of multiple webs of oppression.鈥�

Following the presentation, members of the bg真人 community engaged Altaras in a discussion about how the church can become a safe, supportive and caring environment that can empower survivors to come forward with their stories. Altaras advised that becoming such a community begins with the commitment to believe the testimony of survivors and to stand in solidarity with them, even when doing so risks financial or reputational damage to the institution. She thanked the bg真人 community and IMS for being willing to take such a risk by supporting and publishing this volume.

Director of Library Services Karl Stutzman, MLS, said of the event, 鈥淚t was a delight to host this gathering in the beautiful space we have in our library. We celebrate the contributions the Institute of Mennonite Studies and its collaborators are making toward safe and grounded leadership in the church.鈥�

Find more information about the book and how to order copies, on the Resistance: Confronting Violence, Power, and Abuse within Peace Churches webpage.

The Institute of Mennonite Studies is the research and publishing wing of bg真人. Founded in 1958 under the directorship of Cornelius J. Dyck, IMS promotes scholarship in Mennonite and Believers Church theology, history, biblical studies, peace studies and related fields, primarily through the publication of books and journals and the organization of conferences.

Located in Elkhart, Indiana, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs 鈥� all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission in the world.

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