Book notes

An Introduction to the Russian Mennonites. Wally Kroeker. Good Books, 2005. 122 pages.

This book was published by Good Books, which is rooted and located in Swiss–German Mennonite country. One imagines, therefore, that it may have been motivated by curiosity from that community about “those other Mennonites.”

It will also serve, however, as a quick introduction for those who trace their lineage to Mennonites in Russia or who are part of a Mennonite church that is shaped by the Russian sojourn. Wally Kroeker, currently editor of The Marketplace, traces the path that took some Mennonites into Russia, their “swarming” and development there, and the migrations and circumstances that eventually brought most of them out again. Russian Mennonites are a people marked by geography, he says, though “today’s geography is more spiritual, a landscape of the soul.”

Kroeker is a master of the short, broad stroke. He assumes little and keeps the narrative simple. His turns of phrase are helpfully fresh. Some characterizations, however, may be criticized as biased towards those who are more comfortable with acculturation.

Getting in the Way: Stories from Christian Peacemaker Teams. Tricia Gates Brown, editor. Herald Press, 2005. 160 pages.

We’ve all heard of Christian Peacemaker Teams now that four of them were captured (three since released, one killed) in Iraq last November. But what is it, exactly, that CPTers do?

These stories about specific projects in Mexico, Colombia, Iraq, Canada, Hebron, and Haiti show us. CPTers enter areas of conflict upon invitation of local groups and work at “violence reduction” by listening, documenting abuses, accompanying civilians in potentially violent situations, doing advocacy through the media, or sometimes getting between aggressors and unarmed individuals. In Hebron, for example, CPTers fasted 700 hours to draw attention to the looming demolition of 700 houses.

The stories are interesting, instructive, and honest about fears, joys, ambiguities, even post-traumatic stress. One contribution, by Jim Loney, is particularly moving in light of Loney’s four months as a hostage.

Excerpt: (December 23, 2002)

When I decided to join CPT, I generally accepted the idea of laying down my life for peace. But am I ready to do that now? What if I am asked to pay some terrible cost? Am I prepared to embrace whatever happens, regardless of what that may be? I force myself to admit it: I am afraid.

. . . I attend Mass with my father. He goes every day. The words of consecration are like a blow to the stomach. This is my body, broken for you. Do this in memory of me.

After Communion, kneeling next to my father, I cover my face and pray. “God, I’m going to do this, even though I’m unsure. You’re going to have to help me.”

—Jim Loney in Getting in the Way: Stories from Christian Peacemaker Teams

—Dora Dueck