A Dangerous Mind: The Ideas and Influence of Delbert L. Wiens

A Dangerous Mind is a celebration of the ideas and influence of Delbert L. Wiens. It contains tributes to him essays inspired by him and some of his unpublished works. This effort has been brought together by his students colleagues and friends at the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of his New Wineskins for Old Wine which hoped to guide the Mennonite Brethren as they faced the challenges of modernity--it has proven useful for other denominations facing similar transitions. This year also marks the sixtieth anniversary of Delberts foundation of the Mennonite mission in Vietnam. In addition to celebrating his ideas and influence through our writing we have also endeavored to capture the spirit of his work through art illustrating each section of this volume. A Dangerous Mind is a fascinating collection of essays. Wiens prophetic witness endures an affront to modernist complicity in the contemporary church. The book rehabilitates Mennonite Brethren particularity--a story of discipleship community and peacemaking for Christ and his kingdom. Wiens new wine comes from old vines rooted in the radical reformation of Simons. --Kevin S. Reimer PhD School of Education University of California Irvine Delbert Wienss New Wineskins for Old Wine made a deep impression on Mennonite Brethren in Canada. It was the sixties and a Yale heretic became a prominent Mennonite voice challenging MBs bland adherence to generic evangelicalism and pushing for a vital religious identity. Wiens took his arguments further during his 1967 Canadian lecture tour with The Old Wine Will It Sour? Now with this excellent Festschrift we get a full portrait of the life and thought of this playful but serious iconoclast. --Paul Tiessen Professor Emeritus English/Film Studies Wilfrid Laurier University Delbert L. Wiens was Professor of Humanities at Fresno Pacific University for almost thirty years. He published New Wineskins for Old Wine in 1965.