Drawing on the biblical foundations and the sixteenth-century Radical Reformation, you study how Anabaptist and Mennonite communities have understood the church as a “contrast community” and how this vision has developed over time.
You examine the historical debates within the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition, with particular attention to the Dutch Doopsgezinden, and analyse how different communities have positioned themselves in relation to society — from separatist movements to active participation in democratic life and peacebuilding initiatives. Throughout the programme, you engage critically with the ambivalences of this tradition: its commitment to nonviolence and discipleship, its entanglement in social and ecological harm, and its ongoing search for faithful witness.
The minor combines perspectives from history, biblical studies, systematic theology, philosophy, and peace and conflict studies. You learn to navigate diverse biblical views on violence and justice, to assess how Christian theology responds to contemporary forms of direct, structural and environmental violence, and to reflect constructively on the role of the church in a global and pluralistic world.
By the end of the programme, you are able to orient yourself within the breadth of historical and contemporary Anabaptist-Mennonite thought and to contribute thoughtfully to conversations about faith, peace and public responsibility in both local and global contexts.