John D. Roth

By a leading writer and thinker. How might Christians look on the world differently if they actually believed that God's love is indeed stronger than our fears? In fresh, confessional language, Roth shares his convictions about Christian pacifism, inviting others to consider this approach, all the while humbly admitting the difficulties. In the face of violence, are there any options open to the Christian believer other than the "default" impulse toward patriotic unity and a steely show more determination to exact "an eye for an eye"? A must-read for anyone concerned about the endless cycles of wars and violence, and the possibility that God's love is stronger than our society's current answers. - from book cover show less

Summary: A 40-day devotional on what it means to live in Jesus’ footsteps, published for the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism.

This year marks the five hundredth anniversary of the Anabaptist movement. Anabaptism has always been marked by a focus, not on creeds, but following in the footsteps of Jesus. For example, my own congregation, in the Anabaptist tradition describes its mission in this way: We are a group of friends and neighbors with whom you can pursue God’s love, become more like show more Jesus, and build God’s Kingdom through word & deed. Living as disciples of Jesus together, in love of God and neighbor, and living a faith evident in deed as well as word has always been central to Anabaptism.

Footsteps of Faith richly reflects this focus on following Jesus. Editor John D. Roth has collected forty devotional reflections drawn from the gospels. They are written by people in Anabaptist churches throughout the world. The devotionals are grouped in eight sections:

The Promise of a New Creation
Announcing the Kingdom
The Kingdom Taught
The Kingdom Lived
The Upside-Down Kingdom
On the Road to Jerusalem
Resurrection
Walking in the Resurrection

The devotionals are two to three pages in length. Each begins with a biblical text, and a couple verses from that text highlighted. Following the reflection, each writer offers some questions for reflection and a concluding prayer.

Each takes one incident in the life of Jesus. Linda Dibble, for example, considers the anger of Jesus as he cleansed the temple and the place of righteous indignation acted upon when power is abuse, afflicting the marginalized.

Cindy Alpizar, from Costa Rica reflects on Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well, the deep wells of sadness in our lives, and how Jesus breaks through barriers in beautiful conversation, filling us with living water. Then Desalegn Abebe, from Ethiopia, reflects on Jesus healing of the demon-possessed man. Rather than spiritualize it, he writes of how Jesus delivered him and others from the shackles of demons. Vikal Pravin Rao, from India writes of the reality of how faithfulness to Jesus divides families.

Thus, these testimonies from global believers bring to life passages that seem culturally distant for many of us. In addition, they remind us of both Christ’s great love the cost entailed in following in the footsteps of Jesus. It’s not always a sweet walk in the garden. but it is always worth it!

Finally, the concluding devotion focuses on Jesus’ commission to his disciples. Agos W. Mayanto concludes in a statement that sums up five hundred years of Anabaptist tradition:

“The decision to bind oneself with the missionary God–the Creator, Savior, and Sustainer who reconciles the entire universe with himself–is also the path of discipleship, walking in the way of the Master Teacher Jesus in the midst of the world in full obedience, attentive to his voice, moved by his Spirit, and following his example. The sixteenth-century Anabaptist Hans Denck once said, ‘No one can truly know Christ unless he follows him daily in life.’ Therefore, in the process of discipleship, we must heed the words of the Master Teacher Jesus Christ, ‘teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). It is impossible to be a disciple of Christ without a commitment to live in harmony with his will” (p. 193).

This is a rich representation of Anabaptist faith from a global community of writers. It is a wonderful resource that may be used at any time. However, it seems especially fitted for Lent and into Eastertide. And given the communal character of Anabaptists, churches might choose to do this communally.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review. show less

The writing in this book is as reader friendly as a history book can be and still be a credible source of information. The word "history" does not appear in the title presumably in an effort to appear more attractive to prospective readers. Avoidance of the word may also deflect some criticism from professional historians who may regard it to be "history light" with inadequate depth.

I haven't come up with a better title to replace the title "Stories," though that title doesn't seem all that show more descriptive of the contents. Many of the chapters and sections begin with a human interest story to grab the reader's attention prior to moving on to the historical narrative. But most of the book is an overview of Mennonite history starting with the first century Christian church, then covering the Reformation era and continuing on through to the Twenty-first Century.

This book provides an easy way to learn about Mennonite history while illuminating a small segment of history that is often overlooked by broader accounts of history. Presumably the readers most likely to be motivated to read this book will be Mennonites themselves. Nevertheless all readers can learn something from it, whether reading it as refresher course or learning the material for the first time.

I particularly appreciated the author's introductory and closing remarks that discussed the virtues of acquiring knowledge of the past. One of the best ways to know where we're headed is to know where we came from. show less

John D. Roth offers a non-technical, readable introduction to Mennonitism. He reviews the history, defines core values and admits the tensions. His typical show of sensitivity is lost when he creates a characture of evangelicalism as private faith without discipleship.