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| Amsterdam Canal |
A number of
persons have asked what the goals are for the blog, what is the organizing
concept behind the essays? Etc.
Somewhat
embarrassingly, there is no ultimate agenda.
The majority of the essays are merely thoughts and conversations that
have occurred while researching other projects, performing school work or
drafting papers, discussion group topics and presentations. Unless otherwise indicated, the essays do not represent any actual
papers, themselves. That is part of the
reason that so many of the essays contain phrases such as “it occurs to me,” “is it
possible?” “potential … “. It is
also the reason there are so many questions openly asked in the writing and the
mentioning of source materials.
Regrettably, we
simply do not have time to winnow everything down and do a lot of editing. This is not a commercially feasible hobby or
use of time. ; )
On the other hand,
it is a great way to review older information, to look for possible connections
between disparate sources and find new perspectives.
As a result, you
might have noticed a certain focus on sociological themes and trying to
identify an Anabaptist perspective or take on different thinkers and
writers. For instance, I, for instance, am presently
trying to tease out a Postmodern apologetic for Anabaptist culture (as opposed
to religion).
Finally, there is
a certain focus on news items and events – basically, these are either items to
raise in discussion or a mental exercise to find a Postmodern perspective in
Mennonite news or a Postmodern application within Anabaptist culture.
What is the value
of the blog? Largely personal, I would
suppose, however, the blog does consistently maintain four general themes that
are useful to the community: a/ the
historic unity of the Mennonite diaspora – including the unity of the Russian
Mennonite – Old Mennonite – Amish – Hutterite continuum and the international
perspective that has traditionally united Mennonites within the diaspora without
regard to international borders. b/ the
p.o.v. is that of the traditional Russian Mennonites – one that has been
greatly reduced in contemporary American culture. c/ Exploration of a relatively ignored
transition of the Mennonite diaspora from the Pre-Modern and Modern ethnic
identities to the Postmodern. d/ The
conversation centers around a cultural rather than religious perspective, while
trying to maintain an inclusive perspective.
More than that …
input and comments are welcome and appreciated.
We have even included a few essays written by other persons.
Thanks. Hope this serves as to answer a few general queries.
‘tag.
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