MennoLink Books and Music

The value of these stories lies even beyond their worth simply as a story. Each should prompt readers to ponder and discuss, "What would I have done if I had been there? Should Christians be prudent or prophetic? Are we to be pragmatic or faithful? Can we be both?" These issues may well be akin to contemporary ones in our home church and community.

Robert S. Kreider and Rachel Waltner Goossen chose a selection of stories from each decade of MCC history with significant episodes from six continents.

Looking Back into the Future was released at the "Walls and Windows: Creating and Nurturing Viable Community" symposium held at Bethel College, Nov. 19-21, 1998, in Robert Kreider's honor.

Copyright 2003.

These believers died public, tortured deaths as martyrs. Many modern-day Christians claim these persons of courage as their spiritual ancestors. Many of those scenes were etched on copper plates by Jan Luyken, A Dutch artist who worked in the late 1600s. Numerous of these copper plates still exist. Mirror of the Martyrs reproduces 30 of these etchings and tells the courageous stories of these people of faith.

Stories of courage, inspiringly retold, of sixteenth-century Anabaptists who gave their lives for their faith.

Offered is a series of short tales about martyrs. The intention is to give a more composite picture of martyrdom--touching upon its many aspects and its much variety--than only a few stories could sustain. Each story, therefore, was selected for some singular, often unique, element in order to show the variety that was the sociopolitical reality for the victims of sixteenth-century religious discrimination. More complete details for each martyr are usually found in the Martyrs Mirror itself, or more frequently, in the Mennonite Encyclopedia. The authors have chosen source material not used by either van Braght or writers in the Mennonite Encyclopedia.