Discipleship as Erotic Peacemaking: Toward a Feminist Mennonite Theo-ethics of Embodiment and Sexuality

While Mennonites are known for their peace stance, Mennonite pacifism and peace theology have tended not to address internal forms of violence within the community of faith and among people who identify as “Mennonite.” Two illustrations of this include the case of Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder’s methodical perpetration of sexual violence against upwards of 100 women, specifically his theological justification of them as acts of “familial love” within the body of Christ, as well as Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA’s discernment processes regarding the morality of same-sex marriage and the membership of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered, and queer persons. In both of these examples sexual and gender based forms of violence within Mennonite institutions and understandings of Mennonite ecclesiology and reconciliation processes were overlooked and/or ignored. This thesis addresses such significant failures. It considers the potential of Mennonite peace theology and discipleship ethics for the construction of a feminist Mennonite theo-ethics of embodiment and sexuality – one that is committed to the well-being of the most vulnerable members of the community of faith (i.e. those with the least access to ecclesial and social power). To accomplish its purpose, this thesis explores key elements of Mennonite social and sexual ethics (i.e. method, sources, and norms) especially with feminist and womanist interlocutors. This Christian ethics addresses injustices such as homophobia, heterosexism and racism by critical analyses of social relations of power to promote women’s flourishing and the well-being of communities. This thesis concludes with upholding this key claim of a constructive feminist Mennonite theo-ethics of embodiment and sexuality: that discipleship is an opportunity for “erotic peacemaking.” Erotic peacemaking emerges from an embodied view of the incarnation as elaborated by a feminist Mennonite method for Christian ethics, elicits desire for embodied relationships of shared power, and cultivates each person’s positive power as a sexual being for the sake of discipleship in Jesus Christ.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD