Guy F. Hershberger subject of 2010 Durnbaugh lecture

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Theron Schlabach

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ELIZABETHTOWN, PA (03/18/2010)(readMedia)-- The life and influence of Guy F. Hershberger, a leading Mennonite ethicist in the mid-20th century, will be the focus of this year's Durnbaugh Lectures at Elizabethtown College. Mennonite historian Theron F. Schlabach will deliver "Caught Between Anabaptists and Modernity: Guy Hershberger's Faith in His Church" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 8, in Myer Hall's Susquehanna Room. Schlabach will discuss how Hershberger's messages of biblical pacifism and biblically based social gospel came out of both his theology of church and church as he experienced it as a Mennonite. The talk will follow the annual banquet of the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. A reception for Schlabach begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by the banquet at 6 p.m.

Schlabach will continue the discussion of Hershberger's ideas in a seminar, titled "Heavenly Hopes for Earthen Vessels: Church Ideals/Church Programs," from 10 a.m. to noon, Friday, April 9, at the Young Center. An optional luncheon follows the seminar for those who wish to continue conversation with Schlabach.

All three events--the Young Center banquet, the lecture, and the seminar-are open to the public. Reservations for the banquet and the seminar luncheon are required by Wednesday, March 24, by calling the Young Center at 717-361-1470. Tickets are $18 for the banquet and $8 for the luncheon. The lecture and the seminar are free of charge and do not require reservations.

Established in 1993 to commemorate the scholarship of Donald and Hedda Durnbaugh, the Durnbaugh Lecture series brings a noted scholar of Anabaptist or Pietist studies to campus annually.

Theron F. Schlabach is professor emeritus of history at Goshen (Ind.) College, former acting director of the Young Center and author and editor of numerous publications. Some of Schlabach's works include "Peace, Faith, Nation: Mennonites and Amish in Nineteenth Century America" and "Proclaim Peace: Christian Pacifism from Unexpected Quarters." In his most recent book,"War, Peace, and Social Conscience: Guy F. Hershberger and Mennonite Ethics," Schlabach analyzes Hershberger's thoughts and his impact on Mennonites. Hershberger was the author of "War, Peace and Nonresistance" and a prominent Mennonite leader throughout the 20th century, while the Mennonite church faced ethical issues, including a push for a greater focus on pacifism.

Contact: Contact Stephen Scott at 717-361-1470.

Elizabethtown College, in southeastern Pennsylvania, is a private coed college with degrees in liberal arts, fine and performing arts, science and engineering, business, communications and education. The hallmarks of an Elizabethtown education are academic rigor, high expectations and intellectual curiosity. Our faculty members are teacher-scholars, pursuing their academic areas of expertise while sharing that expertise with students. For more information about Elizabethtown College, please visit our website at www.etown.edu.

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