Anabaptist Witness Blog

Welcome to our blog, a forum to foster discussion and share ideas from different corners of the Anabaptist world. It is regularly updated with short reflection pieces, reactions to articles, comments on current events relating to mission, and more. If you are interested in contributing, please review our guidelines and contact information.

AW Book Forum – Response to Epp Weaver by Regina Shands Stoltzfus

By Regina Shands Stoltzfus | Posted on February 7, 2022

Read the AW Book Forum presentation – Service and the Ministry of Reconciliation by Alain Epp Weaver here. Response to Epp Weaver by Regina Shands Stoltzfus* The questions Alain Epp-Weaver asks regarding the practice of Christian service that has “embodies colonialism’s racialized value hierarchies” have been a critical concern and foundation for presence and work […]

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AW Book Forum – “Service and the Ministry of Reconciliation” by Alain Epp Weaver

By Luis Tapia | Posted on February 4, 2022

AW Book Forum Presentation In our first Anabaptist Witness Book Forum, we want to share with you three responses to Alain Epp Weaver’s book Service and the Ministry of Reconciliation: A Missiological History of Mennonite Central Committee. In this work—developed from the 2019 Menno Simons lectures delivered at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas—Weaver reflects […]

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An Open Letter to Mark Ramseyer

By SeongHan Kim | Posted on April 19, 2021

Kim SeongHan is Representative for MCC Northeast Asia and a member of Jesus Heart Mennonite Church, Republic of Korea. This open letter responds to an opinion piece by Harvard Law School professor Mark Ramseyer claiming that World War II-era Korean “comfort women,” who were forced into sex work by the Japanese military, were actually exercising their free, […]

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How I Learned to Love the Government

By Ryan Ahlgrim | Posted on March 16, 2019

I grew up in a Mennonite church, attended a Mennonite college, and graduated from a Mennonite seminary. Along the way I was indoctrinated with the classic Anabaptist perspective that governments—with their use of coercive power and violence—are for the unredeemed, but that true Christians dedicate their lives to the service of the church: a counter-government […]

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Global Partnerships and Shared Gifts

By César García, David Wiebe | Posted on December 5, 2018

The following is an excerpt from a piece by César García (Mennonite World Conference) and David Wiebe (International Community of Mennonite Brethren), originally published in The Church in Mission, edited by Victor Wiens (MB Mission). Thanks to Vic we are able to present the full article online. In addition to this excerpt on sharing gifts, the authors […]

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Intersectional Transgressions

By Isaac Villegas | Posted on November 2, 2018

Below is an excerpt from a longer reflection by Mennonite pastor and Anabaptist Witness book reviews co-editor Isaac Villegas on the open letter he and other participants in the 2018 Hope for the Future conference sent to members of Mennonite Church USA. As the letter states, “Hope for the Future gatherings bring together leaders of color from across […]

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Dilemmes pédagogiques dans l’Église mondiale : Poursuite de la réflexion sur le pouvoir et le privilège en rapport avec la scolarisation des enfants de missionnaires et les subsidies coloniaux au Congo belge

By Anicka Fast | Posted on October 31, 2018

To read this post in English, click here. Ce numéro du journal Anabaptist Witness contient mon article « Enfants sacrés et subsides coloniaux chez les missionnaires des Frères mennonites : La manifestation de la séparation raciale au Congo belge, 1946-1959 ». Une version anglaise de cet article a été publiée dans le journal Missiology : An International Review[1]. La traduction […]

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Pedagogical Dilemmas in the Global Church: Reflecting on Power and Privilege in Relation to Colonial Subsidies and the Education of Missionaries’ Children in the Belgian Congo

By Anicka Fast | Posted on October 31, 2018

Pour la version française de cet article, veuillez cliquez ici. This issue of Anabaptist Witness includes the publication of my article “Enfants sacrés et subsides coloniaux chez les missionnaires des Frères mennonites : La manifestation de la séparation raciale au Congo belge, 1946-1959.” An English version of this article previously appeared in the journal Missiology: An International […]

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Being Embraced

By Aaron Kaufman | Posted on August 29, 2018

What does it mean to live as a family in mission? For many families who engage in cross-cultural mission, this question is thrown into sharp relief by the contrast between lifestyles, expectations, and values. But for families in mission in a North American context, this question is no less pressing. What have these families learned about proclaiming the Gospel? And how can God’s family — the church — be […]

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Pledging Allegiance

By Martin Rhodes | Posted on May 25, 2018

What does it mean to live as a family in mission? For many families who engage in cross-cultural mission, this question is thrown into sharp relief by the contrast between lifestyles, expectations, and values. But for families in mission in a North American context, this question is no less pressing. What have these families learned about proclaiming the Gospel? And how can God’s family — the church — be […]

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