Skip to main content
Article
A Genealogy of the Confession of Faith in Mennonite Perspective
Mennonite Quarterly Review
  • Susan L. Trollinger, University of Dayton
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2007
Abstract

This essay offers a genealogy, in the Foucauldian sense, of the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective. Thus, it provides an account of the origins of the document and its uses over time with attention given to the politics of both. The essay argues that the Confession was critical for the merger of the General Conference Mennonite Church and the Mennonite Church especially as it took on the function of the "teaching position" of the church. By way of a case study, the essay explores recent uses to which the Confession has been put. The essay concludes by discussing an inherent tension in Anabaptist confessions between the desire to fix a set of common beliefs and convictions, on the one hand, and the necessity for a discursive shift both in meaning and use amid a changing context, on the other.

Inclusive pages
371-397
ISBN/ISSN
0025-9373
Document Version
Published Version
Comments

This document is provided for download with the permission of the publisher. Permission documentation is on file.

To read other articles from this journal, visit an academic library or the publisher's website.

Publisher
Mennonite Historical Society
Peer Reviewed
Yes
Citation Information
Susan L. Trollinger. "A Genealogy of the Confession of Faith in Mennonite Perspective" Mennonite Quarterly Review Vol. 81 Iss. 3 (2007)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/susan-trollinger/4/