My Loyalist Origins

by Herb Swartz

Overview

In a search for origins it is necessary to balance the facts, the What Ifs? and a healthy dose of the imagination. The facts include descriptions of historical realities, philosophical foundations and religious beliefs. The What Ifs? include the shadow side of reality when one ponders why this and not that, or how different the end result might have been, if! To imagine one's origins is to enter the world of dreams where all things are possible.

In My Loyalist Origins I focus on what America was, what it became and what it is now. This includes the earliest explorations, the establishing of British colonies and the fight for independence. At every stage there are characters who stand out because of their strong convictions and others who belong in the shadows because their beliefs are not supported by their actions.

Because this history is marked by periods of conflict I ask the question, "Do we as Christians have an obligation to offer an alternative to the claim that in order to 'have peace' we must 'go to war'"? As an Anabaptist Christian I hear Jesus saying, "blessed are the peace makers." Not only saying, but living out in his willingness to die for that truth." For the "Loyalists" this meant leaving hearth and home for a new life in a new place.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940157904302
Publisher:	FriesenPress
Publication date:	12/05/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	964 KB

About the Author

I am the husband of Margaret, my partner for 58 years. I am also the father of 4 children, 5 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. I was raised in Kitchener, Ontario by a father of loyalist descent and a mother who escaped from Russia after the Revolution. This was during the depression and the war to end all wars. As a member of the Mennonite Brethren church I was given the opportunity to provide leadership and teach.

My formal education included undergraduate studies (B.A.) in Waterloo College and graduate studies at Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.) and in Victoria University (Emmanuel College) at the University of Toronto (Th.D.).

My seminary training was supposed to prepare me for a pastoral role. After 5 years at the Toronto Mennonite Brethren Church I knew this was not to be. With my wife who grew up in India, the child of missionary parents, and as a child of the depression we were gripped by the “holy restlessness” I describe in My Loyalist Origins and travelled to Jerusalem, Jordan to serve as Field Director under the Mennonite Central Committee.The time was 1963-66, immediately before the Six Day’s War.

My graduate training in Biblical Studies opened the door for a 5 year teaching role at the Mennonite Brethren Bible College in Winnipeg, MB, and a 25 years plus adventure in teaching undergraduate students in Bible and Religion at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA.

My wife and I now live peacefully at the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community.