Sharing Peace: Mennonites and Catholics in Conversation eds. by Gerald W. Schlabach and Margaret Pfeil (review)

Over five years, between 1998 and 2003, a group of fifteen international Mennonite and Catholic theologians and church leaders met for a full week each year “in a spirit of friendship and reconciliation” to attempt to “overcome the consequences of almost five centuries of mutual isolation and hostility” (Preface, Called to Be Peacemakers). This remarkable book includes the inspiring and challenging report of those meetings, in which both Mennonites and Catholics shared papers, study, dialogue, and prayer; it also includes additional essays from a conference of notable Mennonite and Catholic scholars at the University of Notre Dame in 2007 whose purpose was to analyze the report and suggest ways forward.

These dialogue participants set out for themselves lofty goals indeed: to address a history of distrust, misunderstanding, and religious violence between Catholics and Mennonites; to honestly face theological differences as well as affirm joint commitments; and to imagine possibilities toward “a healing of memories”. Their third goal was perhaps most important: to bring these traditions of thought and practice together to explore whether Christianity might imagine new ways of addressing human security and peace in ways that transcend the centuries-old debate between just-war and pacifism.

Scholars and students interested in historiography related to notions of “the Constantinian Fall,” the evolution of doctrines of infant and adult forms of baptism, the Eucharist, and ordinances will find rich material in the report and essays. In addition, the relationship between the church and state in each tradition is explored here to great benefit. Earlier stereotypes each church body had of the other, Catholics as “a triumphant church” completely wedded to the state, and Mennonites in absolute withdrawal from the world, are debunked, though distinct differences between these faith communities and theologies remain and are honestly acknowledged.

It is striking to see the important role of evolving forms of critical scholarship, and the influence of postmodern sensibilities regarding pluralism and multiform conceptions of identity in this historic dialogue. Significant energy is dedicated to “Ressourcement,” or returning to foundational documents, such as sacred biblical texts, patristics, confessional and social teaching documents, and “re-reading” them together in a spirit of openness, repentance for past mischaracterizations and other forms of violence, and with a strong dedication to the best critical methods available. All this makes possible “a healing of memories” and new imaginative possibilities for these churches.

Of all the theological and ethical differences between Mennonites and Catholics, this volume highlights the continuing strong dividing line with respect to just war theory. Readers will find fascinating material here regarding Mennonite evolution to a more active practice of direct nonviolence in the social realm, and growing Catholic suspicion of justifying violent coercion, including for defense of the innocent. Nevertheless, not only with respect to understandings of the church, hierarchical structures of ecclesial authority, and sacraments, the authors make clear that Catholic-Mennonite dialogue regarding what it means to be “a peace church” reveals that continuing to address stark differences has implications far beyond these two Christian traditions.

The contributors and editors of this volume in the end have compiled a resource that beautifully communicates participants’ faithful dedication to learning from the other, while at the same time not shying away from difficult questions and important differences of doctrine and identity. This is indeed “an eloquent and historic document” (3).