A new book by an Eastern Mennonite University professor offers an alternative approach to Christian faith through the beliefs and practices of the Anabaptists, dubbed “the radical wing of the 16th century Protestant Reformation.”
Ted Grimrud’s 262-page work, “Embodying the Way of Jesus: Anabaptist Convictions for the Twenty-First Century” (Wipf and Stock Publishers, Eugene, Ore.) traces the origins and historical expressions of Anabaptist faith and then suggests ways these convictions speak to the contemporary world. He is associate professor of theology and peace studies at EMU and an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church USA.
Dr. Grimsrud proposes a fourfold approach to interpreting Anabaptist theology, considering themes from the Bible, from the tradition’s history, from present experience and from envisioning a hopeful future. What emerges is an engaging portrait of a living tradition that speaks with urgency and relevance to a world sorely in need of a message of peace, simple living and community.
Grimsrud has taught at EMU since 1996. Before that, he served 10 years as a pastor in Mennonite churches in Arizona, Oregon and South Dakota.” His most recent book – the fifth – is “Transforming the Powers: Peace, Justice, and the Domination System” (2006).