The Amsterdam Centre for Religion and Peace & Justice Studies is presenting a free online course on Tuesdays this spring on Mennonite peace theology and ethics.

The initiative runs Feb. 17 to April 28 and is presented in cooperation with the Dutch Mennonite seminary and Free University Amsterdam’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Mennonites have developed a remarkable peace theology and peace ethics in the 20th century. “Nonresistance,” once an identity marker of the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, had been transformed into “active nonviolence” as an engaged and prophetic witness in society. In correlation, nonviolence became a “regulative principle” for exploring systematic theology.

Mennonites became known as one of the “historic peace churches,” and have become a serious dialogue partner in the academy, ecumenical relations and in the socio-political realm. This “school” of doing peace theology and ethics has shaped understandings and identities in Mennonite churches around the globe.

Much of that theology and ethics has been developed by White male scholars in North America, Canada and Western Europe. By the end of the 20th century more diverse contributions came to the fore, including feminist, contextual or ecumenical approaches. The scope was broadened to address systemic and cultural violence in gender relations, economic systems, different contextual and ethnic backgrounds, etc.

Further explorations have developed in the last 10-15 years, including strong self-critique and deconstruction of former approaches. A diversified Mennonite global community continues to challenge those former approaches, growing into more fields of research.

This course seeks to learn from these fresh insights. “Doing Theology from Anabaptist-Mennonite Perspective” will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Central European Time Feb. 17 to April 28. Topics and speakers include:

Janna Hunter-Bowmann — Reckoning in Mennonite Peace Theology: Reinhold Niebuhr’s Realism and Four Waves of Development;
Alain Epp Weaver — Facing Gaza: The Annihilation of Palestine and a Political Theology of Resistance and Fragile Hope;
Andrés Pacheco Lozano — Mennonite Innocence;”
Marius van Hoogstraten — Unlearning Obedience: Contesting the political logic of the church;
Sarah Augustine — Returning to the Radical Roots of Anabaptism – in Dialogue with Indigenous Spiritualities;
Geke van Vliet — Climate Justice/Climate Peace;
Hyejung Jessie Yum — Postcolonial Mennonite Peace Theology in Multicultural Contexts;
Fernando Enns — Epistemic Violence;
Stephanie Krehbiel — Gender Justice/Gender Peace;
Drew G.I. Hart — Anabaptism and the Black Church.

Register by Feb. 8 at religionpeacejustice.com/agenda/doing-theology-from-anabaptist-mennonite-perspective.