Reconciliation Instead of Litigation

I like a number of theological presses. I love theological presses who understand their work as a vocation. It seems a number do not, but the ones who do, I fully support. One of the vocative presses is Herald Press – a Mennonite press. They’ve been doing a series called Polyglossia: Radical Reformation Theologies. So far they’ve printed A Precarious Peace: Yoderian Explorations on Theology, Knowledge, and Identity; The Purple Crown: The Politics and Witness of Martyrdom; and States of Exile: Visions of Diaspora, Witness and Return. The latest addition to the series is First Being Reconciled: Challenging Christians in the Courts.

I’ve now bought all four books. I read Precarious Peace a year ago, and will get to the middle two in the future. Currently, I am finding First Be Reconciled an interesting read and a book I would recommend to quite a lot of people. It is more than helpful for my paper on Civil and Religious Jurisdiction, but I think it would also do well for many lost on the path of reconciliation, as the author, Richard Church, makes the partial aim of the book: “to make evident how litigation within the church renders the church’s claims regarding Christ unintelligible” (21). Church seems more than prepared for the job of writing the book, having a JD and PhD in theological ethics. His writing is clear and end notes are just the way I like them — substantial. So far this series, and Herald Press, have proven themselves worth the time and money, so go give ‘em a read.