A. James Reimer
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Allen James Reimer (August 10, 1942 – August 28, 2010) was a Canadian
Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
theologian who held a dual academic appointment as Professor of Religious Studies and Christian Theology at
Conrad Grebel University College Conrad Grebel University College is a university college affiliated with the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is affiliated with the Mennonite Church Canada. The college is named after Conrad Grebel, a co-founder of t ...
, a member college of the
University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...
, and at the
Toronto School of Theology Affiliated with the University of Toronto, the Toronto School of Theology (TST) is an Ecumenism, ecumenical consortium of seven Seminary, theological colleges. Its seven member schools are Emmanuel College, Toronto, Emmanuel College, Knox College, ...
, a consortium of divinity schools federated with the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
. At the University of Waterloo's fall 2008 convocation, he was named Distinguished Professor Emeritus, an honor seldom bestowed on retired faculty.


Early life and education

Born on 10 August 1942 in
Morris, Manitoba Morris is a small town in the Pembina Valley region of Manitoba, Canada, located 51 km south of Winnipeg and 42 km north of Emerson. Morris is home to 1,885 people (2016). The town is named after Alexander Morris, the second Lieuten ...
, Reimer was raised in Altona. As a teen, he was baptized in the local Mennonite church. He held undergraduate degrees from Canadian Mennonite Bible College (1963; now
Canadian Mennonite University Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is a private Mennonite university located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is affiliated with Mennonite Church Canada and the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba. It has an enrolment of 1,607 students. The ...
) and the
University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...
(1971); he also spent a year studying at
Union Theological Seminary Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
(1971–72) before moving to the University of Toronto, where he earned an MA in history (1974) and a PhD in theology (1983), the latter degree conferred by the University of St. Michael's College, a college of the University of Toronto. His doctoral dissertation, directed by
Gregory Baum Gerhard Albert Baum (June 20, 1923 – October 18, 2017), better known as Gregory Baum, was a German-born Canadian priest and theologian in the Catholic Church. He became known in North America and Europe in the 1960s for his work on ecumenism, ...
, was a comparative and contrasting study of the political ramifications of theology in the respective thinking of
Emanuel Hirsch Emanuel Hirsch (14 June 1888 in Bentwisch, Province of Brandenburg – 17 July 1972 in Göttingen) was a German Protestant theologian and also a member of the Nazi Party and the Nazi supporting body. He escaped denazification at the end of the war ...
and
Paul Tillich Paul Johannes Tillich (; ; August 20, 1886 – October 22, 1965) was a German and American Christian existentialist philosopher, religious socialist, and Lutheran theologian who was one of the most influential theologians of the twenti ...
.


Theology

Reimer's own theology was not typically Mennonite (vis-à-vis John Howard Yoder), in that his point of departure was not the
Sermon on the Mount The Sermon on the Mount ( anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: ) is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6, and 7). that emphasizes his moral teachings. It is th ...
but the classical imagination of
trinitarian The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...
orthodoxy Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...
. Though he was deeply concerned with Christian social ethics, he insisted that ethics must have a ground external to itself. The
triune God The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three d ...
, for Reimer, constituted such ground. Whereas Mennonites have been historically critical of the dominant culture, Reimer's later work sought to develop a positive understanding of culture, law, public life and civil institutions. While writing his doctoral dissertation, Reimer became deeply troubled and conflicted about the theology of
Emanuel Hirsch Emanuel Hirsch (14 June 1888 in Bentwisch, Province of Brandenburg – 17 July 1972 in Göttingen) was a German Protestant theologian and also a member of the Nazi Party and the Nazi supporting body. He escaped denazification at the end of the war ...
, a German Christian nationalist and
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
sympathizer. Fearing that he was being swayed by Hirsch's arguments, Reimer sought to offset Hirsch's influence by aligning himself more concretely with
left of centre Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...
politics. He joined the
New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...
and was an active party member for several years before finally resigning his membership over certain of the party's socio-ethical positions, particularly a woman's right to choose. Today, Reimer's overall political vision remains left of centre. Though he is a
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...
, he has argued that God's activity in the world cannot be reduced to any one ethical
ideology An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...
; otherwise transcendence becomes domesticated. Reimer was quite productive as an academic. He published numerous articles in various journals; select articles have been compiled to form the content of two of his books: ''Mennonites and Classical Theology'', and ''Paul Tillich: Theologian of Nature, Culture and Politics.'' His very first book was a revision of his doctoral dissertation, titled ''The Emanuel Hirsch and Paul Tillich Debate: A Study in the Political Ramifications of Theology.'' He also coedited a compendium of essays on the
Frankfurt School The Frankfurt School is a school of thought in sociology and critical theory. It is associated with the University of Frankfurt Institute for Social Research, Institute for Social Research founded in 1923 at the University of Frankfurt am Main ...
of
critical theory Critical theory is a social, historical, and political school of thought and philosophical perspective which centers on analyzing and challenging systemic power relations in society, arguing that knowledge, truth, and social structures are ...
. His areas of expertise included
Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism'; , earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...
-
Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
theology, Christian ethics of war and peace, and nineteenth- and twentieth-century German Protestant thought (including the theology of
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, neo-orthodox theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the s ...
,
Paul Tillich Paul Johannes Tillich (; ; August 20, 1886 – October 22, 1965) was a German and American Christian existentialist philosopher, religious socialist, and Lutheran theologian who was one of the most influential theologians of the twenti ...
, and the German church struggle during the Nazi regime). Over the years Reimer directed several theses and dissertations on these and other related topics. A. James Reimer was an active churchman who accepted many preaching and teaching assignments in the Mennonite Church for over forty-five years, and was actively engaged in ecumenical and inter-faith encounters. In 2007, a ''Festschrift'' was published in honor of Reimer.Jeremy M. Bergen, Paul G. Doerksen, and Karl Koop, eds., ''Creed and Conscience: Essays in Honor of A. James Reimer'' (Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press, 2007). Other secondary literature includes Paul C. Heidebrecht,
A Prescription for the Ills of Modernity? Understanding A. J. Reimer's Approach to Theology
" ''Mennonite Quarterly Review'' LXXX, no. 2 (2006); Thomas Finger,
A. James Reimer
" ''A Contemporary Anabaptist Theology: Biblical, Historical, Constructive'' (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2004), 70-72.
On 28 August 2010, Reimer died at his Waterloo home. He is survived by his wife Margaret Loewen Reimer, an academic with a PhD in English, and a former editor of the ''Canadian Mennonite'', and their three children.


See also

*
List of University of Waterloo people The University of Waterloo, located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, is a comprehensive public university that was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles. It has grown into an institution of more than 42,000 students, faculty, and st ...
*
Mennonite Church Canada Mennonite Church Canada, informally known as the General Conference, is a Mennonite denomination in Canada, with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is a member of the Mennonite World Conference and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. Histor ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reimer, A. James 1942 births 2010 deaths 20th-century Protestant theologians Canadian Anabaptist theologians Canadian Christian pacifists Canadian Mennonites Canadian religion academics Mennonite theologians New Democratic Party people People from Morris, Manitoba People from Altona, Manitoba Writers from Waterloo, Ontario Political theologians University of St. Michael's College alumni Systematic theologians University of Manitoba alumni Writers from Manitoba