Gerald W. Schlabach, Bridgefolk co-founder and long-time director, has just published a new book on the practices of stability that all Christian churches need to sustain community in an age of individualism and mobility of all kinds. “I know I’m being a little provocative with the title,” says Schlabach, “but Unlearning Protestantism is really the fruit of many years of interchurch dialogue. I have tried to listen to various traditions as they have grappled with the challenges of loyalty and dissent, and to share my reflections in a way that helps all of us grow together toward Christ.”
Unlearning Protestantism: Sustaining Christian Community in an Unstable Age, is available from Brazos Press. As Schlabach explains in the introduction, he first conceived of the book almost 15 years ago as a Mennonite. When he became Roman Catholic in 2004, he considered putting the project aside, assuming that it would be too hard to convince readers that his purpose was not to convince Protestants to become Catholic. Mennonite and Protestant friends with whom he had shared his ideas convinced him to write the book anyway.
In giving the book “starred” rating, Publisher’s Weekly described the book this way:
‘A Catholic and former Mennonite, Schlabach makes clear from the outset that his book is not about persuading Protestants to convert to Catholicism. But the associate professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn., and director of the Bridgefolk Mennonite-Catholic movement proposes that Protestants have something important to learn from Catholics: the practice of stability that keeps them together despite their differences. Schlabach believes the very virtues that allowed Protestant reformers to take courageous stands centuries ago have morphed into vices that now undermine community life, keeping Protestants from the hard work of living together. Conversely, he says, Catholics stay together amid disputes by exercising stability, fidelity, and “loyal dissent.” Although Schlabach allows that some situations require “protest, dissent and perhaps even prophetic departure for a time,” he calls on all Christians to nurture virtues and practices that make it possible for them to pursue reform while sustaining their communal lives. This thoughtful and groundbreaking work will speak to Protestants and Catholics alike.’
Michael G. Cartwright, dean for ecumenical and interfaith programs, University of Indianapolis, comments:
‘There is no shortage of books these days about the future of the church, and most of them are unfortunately shallow if not unintelligent. By contrast, Unlearning Protestantism is uncommonly rich and wonderfully wise. Not many scholars have the ecumenical range and historical depth that Gerald Schlabach brings to ecclesiological questions. And even those who do would be tempted to bypass the issues that he has engaged in this book. But then, not many scholars have invested the time to build bridges between ecclesial traditions like Schlabach has for the past two decades. This book displays practical wisdom about why and how ‘staying put’ is an important virtue for Christians to practice in order to sustain Christian communities. Schlabach invites readers to unlearn habits of thought that we have long associated with Protestant conceptions of the church. We are also invited to embrace a vision of Christian renewal that is driven by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in human communities across time and space. I highly recommend to anyone who cares about the project of Christian renewal in a globalized world.’
Margaret Pfeil, assistant professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, and a Bridgefolk board member, adds:
‘Well written and perspicaciously framed, Unlearning Protestantism represents a stimulating contribution to ecumenical dialogue. Gerald Schlabach lifts up the practice of stability and the virtue of fidelity for Christian ecclesial communities with characteristic hospitality and humility. His own story of becoming a Mennonite Catholic, woven gracefully within his thoughtful analysis of the broader Christian narrative, provides a hopeful model for the sort of virtuous empathy he recommends to Christians as they plumb the depths of their own traditions while engaging in dialogue across ecclesial traditions.’
Copies of the book will be available at the next Bridgefolk conference. Or to order now, visit the Brazos Press website, or Amazon.com.