Peace and persistence : tracing the Brethren in Christ peace witness through three generations / M.J. Heisey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Heisey, M. J. (Mary Jane), 1955-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Brethren in Christ Church--History--20th century.

Brethren in Christ Church.

Peace--Religious aspects--Brethren in Christ Church--History--20th century.

Peace.

War--Religious aspects--Brethren in Christ Church--History--20th century.

War.

Brethren in Christ Church--Doctrines.

War--Religious aspects--Brethren in Christ Church.

History.

Peace--Religious aspects--Brethren in Christ Church.

Physical Description:

xvi, 280 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Other Title:

Peace & persistence

Place of Publication:

Kent, Ohio : Kent State University Press, [2003]

Summary:

In the first half of the 20th century, American society mobilized for the three great wars: World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. During this tumultuous period the Brethren in Christ joined other pacifists in opposing participation in these mobilizations. Like the Amish, Mennonites, and Church of the Brethren -- other groups descended from sixteenth-century European Anabaptists -- the Brethren in Christ held nonresistant pacifism as a fundamental aspect of their identity. They carried out their peace witness, however, not as an isolated community but as one integrated economically, technologically, and culturally into American society. Their commitment to peace shaped their participation within the larger society as they attempted to foster peaceful interactions with neighbors, ultimately expanding from the local community to international settings. At the same time, disagreements within the community were common, sometimes contentious, and integral to shaping its changing peace witness.

Peace and Persistence presents a wealth of material about this small, little-known religious group. In addition to drawing from official church doctrine, statements, records, writings by church leaders, and published accounts of conscripted World War I and II conscientious objectors, this study also features a rich variety of work from authors of church-related publications, records of congregational life, archival sources, personal papers, diaries, and oral interviews. Author M. J. Heisey deals with the differences between men and women in terms of their peace commitments and focuses on voices seldom heard from in peace studies, such as women, youth, and children, in considering the importance of gender, family, and daily life. The study of ordinary people in daily life enlarges our understanding of how community values persist, change, and sometimes die.

Contents:

Introduction: A "plain church" in American society

Nonresistance in World War I

Nonresistant thought and practice in the 1940s and 1950s

Nonresistance and home front life

Nonresistant mobilization

Conscientious objection, Civilian Public Service, and community life

The private life of nonresistance

Legacy and conclusion

Appendices: Questionnaire on Brethren in Christ nonresistance

Conscripted men related to the Brethren in Christ Community in World War I

Brethren in Christ men in Canadian alternative service work

Brethren in Christ men in U.S. Civilian Public service

Civilian Public Service and Mennonite Central-Committee related participants

Brethren in Christ service workers in Mennonite Central Committee and related programs

Brethren in Christ men in U.S. I-W service.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 256-273) and index.

ISBN:

0873387562

OCLC:

49795123