Customer Reviews

An Introduction to Mennonite History: A Popular History of the Anabaptists and the Mennonites

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this book a few years back and remember it as a book that was very detailed and informative. It is not an easy read. It's more on the level of college material and definitely for the serious student of Mennonite history. Don't let that scare you away. Even if you pick up one half of what is written you will probably know more history than most Mennonites. I found this to be true in my case as I personally know a few Mennonites and I consider them to be good friends. This is an excellent book to start building your foundation. I would recommend this as a #1 choice. As a number 2 choice, I would recommend Dyck's Spiritual Life in Anabaptism. But read his Mennonite History book first!

I'm currently working on my family history, one branch of which were Mennonites that came to America from Russia in 1874. This book has proven to be a valuable source of information, as the author not only discusses the origin and evolution of the Mennonite faith but also traces the migration of the Mennonite believers over the centuries.

While this is not a book for everyone - it is not an easy read (college level) - the author does a great job in presenting the information and keeping the reader interested in what could otherwise be a very dry subject.

If you are researching your Mennonite roots or are just interested in learning more about the faith, this book is definitely worthwhile!!

While the subject may sound dry, this is a very readable book, and is quoted as a source by almost every author who makes mention of anything about Mennonite history. Every Mennonite should get this book!

Not challenging to read at all. Full of very informative and enlightening historical information in a lively context. Complete with references, accurate datings, the stories and challenges of the very first anabaptists and through the 20th century, how the church(es) have grown, political situations and MORE!

You can appreciate the work put into this.

I'm currently researching my family history, one branch of which is part of the group of Mennonites that came to America from the Ukraine in 1874. This book has proven to be be a wonderful source of information regarding Mennonite history. It discusses both the history of the faith itself and the ethnic origins and migrations of its believers through the centuries.

The author presents the information in such a way as to keep the interest of the reader in spite of the fact that it's not an easy read (definitely college level material).

While this is not a book for everyone, if you are interested in the history of the Mennonite faith or are doing family research in that area it's definitely one worth purchasing!

I found this book to be very helpful. The information contained in this volume was top notch and very much what I needed for my purpose.

This book is promoted as an introduction and a popular history to Mennonite History, but Chapter Two (titled "Anabaptist Origins") fails to provide a lucid chronology of its subject matter. It starts off well enough, describing the roots of Anabaptism, but then veers off into a discussion of how previous historians addressed important themes of Anabaptist history. This discussion incomprehensible to outsiders new to the subject.

Its introduction of the Schleitheim Conference -- which apparently is an important aspect of Anabaptist history -- is clearly geared toward people who already know what happened at this conference. People reading a popular history or introduction should not need to surf the 'net to find out what the book is talking about.

People who looking for a thorough introduction that does not assume prior knowledge on the part of the reader should go elsewhere. This book does not meet the requirements of an introduction or popular history.

Not for everyone, but if this topic interests you this is the definitive source (that I am aware of.) Not a dry, academic text and very informative.