A Usable Past?: A Story of Living and Thinking Vocationally at the Margins

by Paul Peachy, George F. McLean (Foreword by)

Christendom or believers church? Here a twentieth-century Anabaptist ponders this and other key questions while telling his 90-year life story. While encountering a traumatized post-World War II Europe, Peachey and Mennonite colleagues saw strengths in their heritage and developed concerns that their denomination's focus on professionalization and institution-building risked hiding the Anabaptist light under a bushel. This led to the "Concern" movement, whose themes, among others, still resonate in this thoughtful account.Anyone interested in a blend of autobiography and careful reflection on the believers church tradition and implications for today's postmodern world will find here much to ponder. "Born in an Amish home, Peachey has covered a phenomenally wide cultural and spiritual terrain. He has lived, worked, and studied in many countries, traveling more widely than most diplomats. Peachey has wrestled deeply with the meaning of God¿s plan for creation, including humanity and its salvation. His story entertains, informs, and provides a unique, even provocative interpretation of how God acts in history, ¿ says sociologist and author Calvin W. Redekop.

254 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2007