News Release: The Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre has ceased its regular programming. Grebel will remain an affiliate member of the Toronto School of Theology. Some other TMTC activities will likely continue under the leadership of other institutions. There will be final virtual event in Fall 2023. More information will be posted here when available. – Jeremy Bergen, TMTC Director

New Publication on Mennonite Political Theology

Thursday, May 6, 2021

A recent special issue o Interior of the Mennonite Church in Amsterdamf the journal Political Theology, guest-edited by TMTC associate Maxwell Kennel, showcases interdisciplinary approaches to political theology in and around the Mennonite tradition.

The issue includes an introduction that situates the essays in relation to both political theology and Mennonite studies, and four essays that cover Mennonite-feminist, queer and literary, and historical and theological approaches to Mennonite political theology.

The first essay, by TMTC alumna Susanna Guenther Loewen, is titled “The Personal is Political: The Politics of Liberation in Mennonite-Feminist Theologies” and provides a clear and constructive account of how Mennonite-feminist theologies stand in relation to political and liberation theologies.

The second essay is by Daniel Shank Cruz, author of Queering Mennonite Literature: Archives, Activism, and the Search for Community. Cruz’s essay “Mennonite Speculative Fiction as Political Theology” shows religious resonances within speculative fiction, and follows the works of Casey Plett, Sofia Samatar, and Miriam Toews to find acts of resistance that embody Mennonite values like peace and community.

The third essay, Russell Johnson’s “Building Peace in a Culture War: Christian Witness in a Polarized Society,” makes a constructive contribution to the literature on depolarization from the standpoint of Mennonite ethics.

And the final essay is a translation of a sermon by the German Mennonite literary figure Hans Harder. Preached at the funeral of the ‘Mennonite terrorist’ Elizabeth von Dyck - a member of the Red Army Faction who was shot and killed by police on May 4, 1974 – Harder’s funeral sermon “Between Bourgeois Existence and Violence” problematically navigates between the poles of apathetic bourgeoise class privilege and revolutionary violence.

Congrats to Max on bringing this special issue together and check out the articles at the links above.

  1. 2023 (3)
    1. September (1)
    2. April (1)
    3. March (1)
  2. 2022 (6)
    1. October (1)
    2. July (1)
    3. June (1)
    4. May (1)
    5. March (1)
    6. February (1)
  3. 2021 (15)
  4. 2020 (14)
  5. 2019 (7)
  6. 2018 (10)
  7. 2017 (8)
  8. 2016 (2)
  9. 2015 (4)
  10. 2014 (4)
  11. 2012 (1)