Because of their contrasting commitments to radical Christian discipleship and respectable national citizenship, Mennonites have historically employed a paradoxical rhetoric in order to articulate their convictions in the public sphere. This essay examines how Mennonites crafted separatist and assimilative arguments and martyr myths to transcend the polarizing positions of pacifism and patriotism. The essay concludes by describing how Mennonite traditions have influenced the authors' rhetorical scholarship and practice.

No abstract