sign in sign up
<<
Home , Alexander Mack, Brethren Church, Mennonites, Old Order River Brethren, River Brethren

The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College Spring 2012

Center plans conference on Jr. To commemorate 300th birthday of important Brethren leader

he Young Center will host “Pietist and Anabaptist election to ministry, Sander Mack gave pastoral lead- TIntersections in : The Life and Influ- ership from 1749 until his death in 1803. He wrote ence of Alexander Mack Jr.” on June 6, 7, and 8, several doctrinal and devotional works, and his 2012. The conference will focus on the life of poetry expanded the body of Brethren texts. Alexander Mack Jr., the most significant Brethren One goal of the conference is to expand the in the eighteenth century. understanding of Sander Mack’s influence on the Born in Schwarzenau, , in 1712, Sander Brethren. Although he was an important minister in Mack, as he preferred to be called, lived with the the eighteenth century, little has been written about group from Schwarzenau during their temporary stay him in comparison to his father, the first minister of in the and moved with them to Pennsyl- the Brethren. In 1912 Samuel Heckman published a vania in 1729, settling in Germantown. He became a book of many of Mack’s German poetic texts and member of the , and then returned to prose translations, but he provided little commen- Germantown in 1748. He settled in Chestnut Hill, tary on the texts. Donald F. Durnbaugh and Edward married Elisabeth Neis and had a of eight Quinter translated Mack’s daybook, which was pub- children, making his living as a weaver. After his lished with both German and English texts in 2004. Otherwise, little research on Mack has appeared. The conference will take an interdisciplinary approach in its exploration of the significance of Mack’s life. Marcus Meier, a Young Center Fellow in 2006 and recipient of the Brown Book Award in 2009, will give the opening address. Hedda Durn- baugh, also a Young Center Fellow, will give a major address on the hymnody of Mack. Other speakers include Dale R. Stoffer, Stephen Longe- necker, Denise Kettering Lane, and William Kostlevy. Paper topics include Sander Mack’s the- ological views and , his career in the con- text of in Pennsylvania and early America, and his connection to Ephrata. Conference registration will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6, followed by a reception at 5:00 and the opening address at 7:00.Thursday’s schedule includes breakout sessions, Durnbaugh’s address on hymnody, and a program and dinner in the evening. Additional breakout sessions will be held on Friday, and the conference will conclude at One of the last that Alexander Mack Jr. owned, with his name inscribed in his hand 4:00, following a wrap-up panel discussion. and dated 1802, a year before he died. The is on loan from the Brethren Archives, Ashland, , and will be in the Young Center exhibit on Mack’s life. (continued on page 3)

1 FROM THE DIRECTOR

Jeff Bach n June we will host a conference on the opportunities, as it has with the arrival , and how Anabaptist Ilife and work of Alexander Mack Jr., this year of a new college president, Carl and Pietist groups embody these values the most important Brethren minister of Strikwerda, and a college-wide strategic in a changing, complicated yet intercon- the eighteenth century because of his planning process. Change will continue nected world. ministry, his writing, and the length of as we plan for the future of the Young As change comes in our times, the his career. By the time he died in 1803, Center’s research and teaching mandate, Young Center will continue to take Brethren had gone through many as well as the mission to interpret our advantage of the new opportunities it changes. The church had spread as far as research to the general public. We will brings. We will also hold on to the values eastern . practices had also hold on to healthy habits of scholar- that serve as well us a research center, a standardized and annual meeting became ship that serve the Center well. place of learning, and a forum where the a regular expectation. Brethren main- As we welcome fellows this spring general public and specialists can min- tained their opposition to slavery. They from Israel, Germany, and Slovenia, gle, ask questions, and learn. I invite you upheld their witness through two studying topics related to the and to be a part of that learning at our pro- major wars. The Brethren changed some to German , we maintain our grams and conferences. I am grateful for patterns of and organization, commitment to excellent research and those who have journeyed with us for while maintaining important commit- expand our international connections. As several years, and look forward to wel- ments. we welcome visitors from afar, like the coming new friends to join us. Hope- Change seems to be a constant in groups from Nigeria and Bulgaria, or fully we can all find ways to hold on to these times. The speed of change seems host Sunday school classes or retirees, what is good and to explore good oppor- dizzying at times. Change can bring new we find new ways to talk about peace, tunities that can come with change. 

Visitors call at the Young Center

he Young Center welcomed numer- Other guests in September included a Jeff Bach and Steve Scott the role of reli- Tous groups of visitors in recent group of over fifty Old German Baptist gious and religious minorities months, including several international Brethren (New Conference) members in Pennsylvania and in America. The con- guests. In September, a group from the from across the country on a Brethren versation also turned to the tensions in Nigeria heritage tour in , , and between religious tradition and cultural (EYN) visited the Center for discussions Pennsylvania. Director Jeff Bach met secularism. Their visit was part of a pro- about peace making in the midst of reli- with them and spoke about the influ- gram sponsored locally by the Interna- gious conflict in Nigeria. They also ences of Pietism and on the tional Visitors Council of brought their unique insights to the con- Brethren. The visitors showed great under the auspices of the U.S. Depart- ference on the power of forgiveness. bravery as the Young Center gave them a ment of State’s International Visitor soggy welcome on a Leadership Program. day when remnants of The Young Center will welcome other tropical storm Lee visitors in coming months, including a brought heavy rains to group from Germany that is touring sites eastern Pennsylvania. related to the impact of German Pietism In October, a group in America. Led by Dr. Hans-Jürgen of five Muslims from Schrader, an expert on , Bulgaria and their the group will visit the Ephrata Cloister translators stopped at and Square in Lititz the Center after a day before a presentation by Director Jeff of touring the Amish Bach on Radical Pietism in America. community in Lan- Through connections with visitors caster County. They and friends, the Center extends the reach Visitors from Bulgaria and their translators visited the Young Center in Octo- discussed with Young of its scholarship and mission to continue ber 2010 during a tour of Amish country in Lancaster County. Center staff members building bridges of understanding. 

2 Wolfgang Breul to serve as 2012 Kreider Fellow Center Fellows and Doctoral Fellow pursue varied research interests

olfgang Breul has been named the Maja Stekovic WKreider Fellow for Spring 2012. will travel from Breul is a professor at Johannes-Guten- Slovenia to Eliza- berg-University in Mainz in Germany, bethtown to serve where he teaches church history with a as the Center’s focus on studies. He has also doctoral fellow for specialized in Pietist studies during his Spring 2012. Ste- doctoral studies in Marburg under Hans kovic is a Ph.D. Schneider, the foremost authority on Rad- student at the Uni- Wolfgang Breul Maja Stekovic Benyamin Neuberger ical Pietism. versity of Ljub- Among Breul’s recent books are Rad- ljana, where she is studying English Benyamin Neuberger, professor of ical Pietism: Perspectives and Research, language and literature. The specific focus political science and African studies at the co-edited with Marcus Meier and Lothar of her academic research is the Amish in Open University of Israel, will arrive at Vogel (2011), and Love, Sex and Mar- American literature and culture. the Young Center in April to serve his riage, co-edited with Christian Soboth While at the Young Center, she plans to delayed residency as Snowden Fellow. (2011), both published in German. Breul make use of books and other resources He holds a Ph.D. in political science from is working on a new handbook on that are not available in Slovenia. “Being Columbia University and has taught at Pietism to be published in the fall of 2012 at the Young Center is of crucial Tel Aviv University, the University of in German. His current research interests importance for my research, since it is Pennsylvania, Haverford College, the include the role of social nonconformity otherwise virtually impossible to put University of Cape Town, and the among Pietists in Germany in work and together a balanced picture of how the University of Swaziland. recreational settings. Amish are represented,” she says. “Not Neuberger is currently working on a During his time as the Kreider Fellow, only will I be able to meet leading comparative study of the Amish and the Breul plans to study the ways that noncon- researchers in the field and access reliable Israeli ultra-Orthodox and their respective formity was expressed among Pietists. He theoretical sources, but I will also be able relation to the state. “I am thankful for the looks forward to working at the Young to acquire primary sources, such as Die opportunity to continue my research at the Center as a central location for pursuing Botschaft, Young Companion, and other Young Center, which is undoubtedly the his research while in the U.S. Amish publications.” ideal place to study the Amish, through Stekovic, who teaches general and personal contacts with members of the business English to adults and teens, Amish community, with colleagues at the anticipates that her time here will also Center, and through the use of the contribute to her professional develop- college’s library,” Neuberger says. Spring 2012 ment as an English teacher, since it will The Young Center invites nominations  DIRECTOR help her gain a clearer perception, not and applications for Snowden, Kreider, Jeff Bach, Ph.D. only of the Amish, but also of broader and doctoral fellows. Visit the Center’s  SENIOR FELLOW American culture. website for details.  Donald B. Kraybill, Ph.D.

 RESEARCH STAFF Stephen Scott Cynthia Nolt Alexander Mack Jr. conference (continued)  ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Hillary Daecher An optional bus tour is offered on and $125 if registered between May 19 Wednesday from 8:00 to 5:00, before the and 25. The fee for students is $90. Sin- Young Center News is published twice each year for those interested in the work and events of the conference opens. Participants will visit gle-day registration is also available. Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies. sites of Mack’s activity in the German- The deadline for submission of paper Comments and suggestions are welcome. Please direct correspondence to the address below. town area and then travel to the Ephrata proposals has been extended to February Cloister for a guided tour explaining the 17. Send proposals to Jeff Bach by e- Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies Elizabethtown College involvement of Mack and his older mail at [email protected] or by postal One Alpha Drive brother at Ephrata. Cost for the tour is mail at Elizabethtown College, One Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2298 $60, which includes transportation, Alpha Drive, Elizabethtown, PA 17022. Phone: (717) 361-1470; Fax: (717) 361-1443 E-mail: [email protected] admission fees, and a box lunch. Visit the Young Center’s website, Web site: www.etown.edu/youngctr The conference fee, which includes www.etown.edu/youngctr, or call (717) meals, is $110 if registered by May 18, 361-1470 for registration details. 

3 Forgiveness conference wrap-up Rod Janzen to give he fifth anniversary of the October fessor of at Duke Divinity 2012 Durnbaugh T2006 shooting in an Amish school- School, wrote Embodying Forgiveness: A house provided the backdrop for a Sep- Theological Analysis and co-authored tember 22 conference, “The Power of Forgiving as We've Been Forgiven: Com- Lectures Forgiveness: Lessons from Nickel munity Practices for Making Peace. Mines,” organized by the Young Center. Afternoon seminars led by therapists, he Young Cen- The Nickel Mines school tragedy authors, and scholars dealt with various Tter is pleased to occurred when an emotionally troubled aspects of forgiveness, including a rec- announce that Rod non-Amish neighbor, Charles Roberts onciliation in 2010 between Lutherans Janzen will deliver IV, opened fire in the school. Although and Anabaptists after a 500-year-old the 2012 Durn- Nickel Mines was the impetus, the pri- episode of persecution in Europe at the baugh lectures. mary thrust of the conference was the outset of the Anabaptist movement. Janzen is Distin- complexity and promise of human for- An evening program included Terri guished Scholar giveness in various situations. Roberts, Charles Roberts’ mother, who and professor of About 250 participants, including 70 spoke about her own experiences with history at Fresno Rod Janzen Amish people—some directly involved forgiveness and another presenter who Pacific University, in the 2006 incident and others from described the worldwide witness of the where he has taught for the past 22 years. Ohio and —explored the moral Nickel Mines forgiveness story. His research interests include Anabaptist dilemmas that arise from violence and Donald Kraybill, who organized the and Old Order Christian history, as well the potential power of forgiveness. Ther- conference and gave the opening address, as utopian and communal groups in the apists, , scholars, Elizabethtown was surprised by the attendance of Amish . College students and faculty, and even people. “Their presence,” he noted, Janzen is the author of numerous some Nigerians from the Church of the “added a dose of integrity to the confer- scholarly articles and several books that Brethren visiting in the U.S., attended the ence and kept our discussions grounded deal with communal, Anabaptist, and/or conference, looking for answers to ques- in reality.” Many conference attendees utopian societies, including The Prairie tions about forgiveness. expressed deep appreciation for the fact People: Forgotten Anabaptists, The Rise “Forgiveness is a way of life,” keynote that the conference included Amish par- and Fall of Synanon: A speaker L. Gregory Jones said Thursday ents who lost children, the mother of Utopia, Paul Tschetter: The Story of a morning. “It is, at heart, a set of commu- Charles Roberts, in addition to therapists Hutterite Immigrant Leader, Pioneer nal practices.” Jones, vice president and and scholars. “This was a rare and his- and , and The in North vice provost for global strategy at Duke toric event that far exceeded my expec- America, published in 2010 by the Johns University and a senior strategist and pro- tations,” Kraybill said.  Hopkins University Press. He is also the editor of Communal Societies, the aca- demic journal of the Communal Studies Association. Established in 1993 to commemorate the scholarship of Don and Hedda Durn- baugh, the Durnbaugh lecture series brings a noted scholar of Anabaptist or Pietist studies to campus annually. This year’s presentations will be held on April 19 and 20. The Thursday lecture will follow the Young Center banquet in the Susquehanna Room. The Friday seminar will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Young Center. 

RECEIVE THE NEWSLETTER ONLINE! For e-mail notification and a link to each Young Center director Jeff Bach congratulates David McConnell and Charles Hurst on receiving the new issue of Young Center News as 2011 Dale W. Brown Book Award. Hurst and McConnell presented a lecture on their book, An Amish soon as it's available, please send an e- Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community, in October 2011. mail message to [email protected].

4 UPCOMING EVENTS

 Thursday, February 2, 7:00 p.m. LECTURE The Unchristian Slave Trade: Brethren and Slavery Jeff Bach

 Thursday, February 23, 7:00 p.m. LECTURE The Unchristian Slave Trade: Communal Peace during World War I 2012 Durnbaugh Lectures Brethren and Slavery Ryan Long ROD JANZEN JEFF BACH  Tuesday, March 20, 7:30 p.m. Rod Janzen is Distinguished Scholar and Thursday, February 2  7:00 p.m. professor of history at Fresno Pacific PROGRAM University, where he has taught for the The Brethren were strong opponents of Starvation Volunteer: A Conversation slave holding. Some Brethren even paid with an Elizabethtown Alum past 22 years. Since 1999 Janzen has for slaves in order to free them. How- served as editor of Communal Societies, ever, a few rare individuals held slaves.  Thursday, April 19, 6:00 p.m. the academic journal of the Communal Bach’s lecture will examine these ten- Annual Young Center Banquet Studies Association. He is the author of sions among Brethren, especially in the a number of books that deal with com-  Thursday, April 19, 7:30 p.m. period just prior to the Civil War. munal, Anabaptist, and/or utopian soci- DURNBAUGH LECTURE eties, including The Hutterites in North Jeff Bach is director of the Young Cen- The Hutterites in 2012 America, published in 2010 by the Johns ter and associate professor of religious Rod Janzen Hopkins University Press. studies at Elizabethtown College. He is  Friday, April 20, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. the author of Voices of the Turtledoves: The Hutterites in 2012 The Sacred World of Ephrata and co- DURNBAUGH SEMINAR ROD JANZEN author of Genius of the Transcendent: Aspects of Hutterite Life: Communal Mystical Writings of Jakob Boehme. and 21st-Century Thursday, April 19  7:30 p.m. Challenges Susquehanna Room of Myer Hall Rod Janzen Communal Peace during World War I Janzen will give an introduction to the RYAN LONG  Thursday, April 26, 7:30 p.m. life of this growing population of SNOWDEN LECTURE Thursday, February 23  7:00 p.m. 50,000 communal Anabaptists. The The Amish and the Haredim: Ultra- presentation will include a brief history Long will discuss the challenges facing Religious Communities and the of the Hutterites, a discussion of their Hutterite colonies during World War I. Modern State essential beliefs, and a review of their The Hutterites used the events of the Benyamin Neuberger present challenges. war to strengthen their identity and reconnect to their history, actions that secured their future as a separate com- Aspects of Hutterite Life: Commu- munal society in North America. Annual Young Center Banquet nal Christianity and 21st-Century Challenges Ryan Long is a 2011 graduate of Eliza- Thursday, April 19  6:00 p.m. ROD JANZEN bethtown College with a major in reli- (Reception at 5:30 p.m.) gious studies. Susquehanna Room of Myer Hall Fri., April 20  10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The annual Young Center dinner gives The Durnbaugh seminar will focus in Starvation Volunteer: A Conversation faculty, staff, students, church leaders, greater detail on important characteris- with an Elizabethtown Alum and other friends of the Young Center tics of contemporary Hutterite life as well as major conflicts, including the Tuesday, March 20  7:30 p.m. the opportunity to socialize and learn about the Center’s activities and pro- influential attraction of evangelical Robert Willoughby ’47 will discuss his grams. Cost for the banquet is $18, and and recent divisions. experience as a reservations are required by April 5. during WWII and his participation in Cost of the seminar, which includes U.S. government research on human A reception for Durnbaugh Lecturer lunch, is $10. The deadline for reserva- starvation. (This program is co-spon- Rod Janzen will be held at 5:30, pre- tions is April 5. sored by the Center for Global Citizen- ceding the dinner. (continued on page 6) ship, the Open Book Initiative, and the Office of the Dean of Faculty.)

5 YOUNG CENTER FOR ANABAPTIST AND PIETIST STUDIES ONE ALPHA DRIVE ELIZABETHTOWN, PA 17022-2298

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

UPCOMING EVENTS (CONTINUED) “Pastor, Poet, Weaver, Writer: The Amish and the Haredim: Ultra-Religious Communities and The Life of Alexander Mack, Jr.” the Modern State new exhibit interpreting the life of Alexander Mack Jr., the most influential minis- BENYAMIN NEUBERGER Ater of the Brethren in eighteenth-century America, opens this month in the Young Thursday, April 26  7:30 p.m. Center lobby. Sander Mack’s life spanned two continents and most of the first cen- tury of the Brethren. He gave vital counsel ranging from maintaining peace during the These two highly religious and visible American Revolution to a controversy over the visions of a young Brethren woman, communities in the U.S. and Israel have Catherine Hummer. He carried out his ministry while raising a family and working as fought numerous legal and extra-legal a weaver. battles with the state in the name of basic The exhibit brings together unique artifacts from Mack’s life that have never been principles like religious freedom. Neu- displayed together previously. The last Bible that he owned, an English berger will discuss the groups, compar- from 1802 with his signature, will be on loan from the Archives in ing their basic attitudes towards the Ashland, Ohio. From the Cassel Collection at Juniata College come some letters from state, its political system, government, or to Mack. His daybook, an important record of his business accounts, religious laws and judiciary. poetry, and family information, will be on loan from the Brethren Historical Library and Benyamin Neuberger is professor of Archives in Elgin, . The exhibit will also include copies of poetic and hymn texts political science and African studies at that he wrote and an interpretation of his family life and career as a weaver. the Open University of Israel. He has “Pastor, Poet, Weaver, Writer: The Life of Alexander Mack, Jr.” opens on Monday, published widely on nationalism and January 16, and continues through June 22. It will be available Monday through Friday, ethnicity. Neuberger was named the 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Individuals and groups are invited to call the Young Center to Snowden Fellow for 2010, but was arrange for an interpretive tour of the exhibit or to set up a visit at a time when the Young unable to fulfill his appointment until Center is not normally open.  this spring.

6 In Memory of Steve Scott

Stephen E. Scott, Research and Administrative Associate at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, died unexpectedly on December 28, 2011. His funeral was held on January 2, 2012.

Steve was born on April 12, 1948, in Portsmouth, Ohio, and grew up in Beavercreek, Ohio. He attended Cedarville College and Wright State University in Ohio. His religious convictions led him to become a pacifist and he did alternative service at Lancaster Mennonite School starting in 1969. While living in Lancaster County, Steve joined the Old Order and eventually met and married his wife of 38 years, Harriet (Sauder) Scott. They have three adult children, Andrew, married to Emily (Wenger) Scott, Hannah Scott, and Catharine Scott, and four grandchildren, Heidi, Wanita, Liliana, and Isaac Scott, all of Lancaster County.

Early in life, Steve developed a curiosity about various cultures, especially Native American peoples. He also had a strong interest in history. These early interests led to his lifelong study and interpretation of plain churches. Steve conducted wide-ranging, detailed research on the distinctive traits of plain groups, including their dress, modes of transportation, family life, schooling, music, and . His interests led him to develop close personal friendships with members of many of these groups across North America.

After working for Good Enterprises in Intercourse, Pennsylvania, for twelve years, Steve was hired at the Young Center in early 1997, where he worked until his death. Steve was instrumen- tal in broadening and deepening the Young Center’s research on Anabaptist and Pietist churches, especially plain groups. His publications include Plain Buggies (1981), Why Do They Dress That Way? (1986), The Amish Wedding and Other Special Occasions of the Old Order Communities (1988), Living Without Electricity (1990), Amish Houses and Barns (1992), and An Introduction to Old Order and Conservative Mennonite Groups (1996), as well as entries in reference books and articles in periodicals.

Steve contributed significantly to recent books by Donald B. Kraybill, including Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and (2010) and a current project on the Amish in America. Steve’s ability to track and retain minute details built a renowned repu- tation for the Young Center’s annual update on Amish migration and population growth in North America. He was an invaluable guide to researchers from around the world, from high school students to senior professors, who visited the Young Center to study Anabaptist or Pietist groups. Steve was also a popular speaker in many venues and was invited to Japan in 2010 to give presentations about the Amish.

Steve’s deep and care for people revealed his gift for humor and his humble attitude in relating to others. His depth and breadth of knowledge were sometimes underestimated because of his personal humility. He will be remembered both for his contributions to scholarship and for his friendships.