Peace Shall Destroy Many

PSDM tells the story of Thom Wiens, a young Mennonite man struggling to make sense of his faith in a world of increasing complexity. Set in the rural town of Wapiti, Saskatchewan, during WWII, the relationship of peace and Christianity stands as the central theme of the book. As the other reviews show, this is a character (and not plot) driven book.The belief in peace and nonviolence is probably the central and most compelling aspect of Anabaptist belief. While other Christian traditions place numerous qualifications on the Sermon on the Mount, Mennonites have high regard for the hardest and literal words of Jesus. As a result of their noncompliance with 'worldly' government, they have also been historically persecuted, leading to a narrative identity as a "peculiar people." While one of the most important forms of Christianity, Anabaptists also have many internal problems as a result of their beliefs. In many instances, Mennonite communities become insular and xenophobic, havens for power mongers and anti-intellectualists, and sadly, shelter for abusers.In this book, Thom Wiens struggles to reconcile biblical imperatives with the teachings of Deacon Block. Block is a Mennonite Moses, a strong and conflicted leader of conviction who has built Wapiti with sheer will power and tireless effort. While Wiens seeks to live out his Christian faith and to love his Metis and Native neighbours, Block simultaneously seeks to protect the community from the influence of outsiders. Wiens grows increasingly aware of the darker side of Mennonite separation, seen in Block's own family and in the devil's choice between community and evangelism.The most compelling sections of this book show the dissonance between the events of the wider world and the particular fascinations of the Mennonite vision. In one scene, Thom grapples with the ethics of a mixed marriage between an estranged Mennonite and a Metis "breed," without being aware of the war-time broadcast of the liberation of France on the radio. It is hard to fault Thom for worrying more about this threat to his rigid ethic more than the fate of a continent.PSDM is a cri de coeur for an authentic Mennonite vision in a changing world. It is the work of an insider, a Mennonite who must have walked Thom's path of conversion himself. Wiebe clearly loves the Mennonite tradition despite his own reservations about it. As the dissolution of a Christian narrative, it is not a joyous book, nor is it Wiebe's best. It is important for its portrayal of a man on the cusp of a decision --- Peace or Love?

There is a tendency to tokenize traditional Mennonite communities. Their separated lifestyle demonstrates, for many, an attractive way of being; the oddity of their appearance both mystifies and intrigues us. Yet, many cannot see beyond these romanticized notions. Rudy Wiebe explores the more hidden cultural and social aspects of traditional Russian Mennonite life in his book Peace Shall Destroy Many. Wiebe paints a picture of a tense, complex and changing community, struggling to stay true to the faith, but prone to prejudice, corruption and divisiveness.