Title

A Genealogy of the Confession of Faith in Mennonite Perspective

Author(s)

Susan L. Trollinger, University of DaytonFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2007

Publication Source

Mennonite Quarterly Review

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.

Copyright

Copyright © 2007, Mennonite Historical Society

Publisher

Mennonite Historical Society

Volume

81

Issue

3

Peer Reviewed

yes

eCommons Citation

Trollinger, Susan L., "A Genealogy of the Confession of Faith in Mennonite Perspective" (2007). English Faculty Publications. 50.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/eng_fac_pub/50