Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- Oct. 25, 2007 Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director 800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org
YOUNG CENTER HOSTS ACADEMIC CONFERENCE CELEBRATING 300th ANNIVERSARY OF BRETHREN
MOVEMENT
(Oct. 25, 2007) Elgin, IL -- "Honoring a Legacy, Embracing a Future: 300 Years of Brethren Heritage," was the theme of an academic conference hosted by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College on Oct. 11-13. The conference was attended by some 106 participants and presenters, most from the Church of the Brethren but also including Brethren Church members and others from different sectors of the Brethren movement.
Along with serious academic inquiry, participants heard from several speakers strong calls for strengthening a particular Brethren identity-- focused by some on the historic peace witness of the Brethren--along with expressions of concern about the future of Brethren values and the Church of the Brethren as a denomination.
Brethren today face difficult challenges in maintaining identity and community, particularly in the media culture, said Stewart Hoover in the keynote address. Hoover is professor of media studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, a professor adjoint of Religious Studies and American Studies, and a former staff member of the Church of the Brethren General Board. He spoke on "Brethren Heritage and Modern Culture: Vision and Challenge."
Stewart spoke of the 21st century cultural context as a time of great change in institutions and religion. Christian identity is no longer denominational, rather it is found at the congregational level, he said. In this context, it is a problem that 20th century Brethren "cast their lot" in two directions--evangelical Christianity, and the mainline Protestant churches--Stewart said, characterizing the two directions as contradictory, and neither particularly Brethren.
"Brethren know that ascendancy comes at a cost...at the expense of the rights of others," Stewart warned, even as he advised Brethren to seek a stronger voice in the culture. Brethren may be particularly well placed to play a constructive role in the current debate or "clash of civilizations" between Western society and radical Islam, he said. Brethren "know that both sides of this conflict are wrong" in advocating a strong role for religion in the state, Stewart said.
Brethren know that involvement of religion in the state will lead to coercion, violence, and the antithesis of religion's claims, he said. At the same time, Brethren may help shed light and reduce heat in these debates. "We Brethren would argue that to work toward coexistence (of Western society and radical Islam) would not be a denial of our theology but a fulfillment of it," Stewart said. At a time when other forces seem to want to enhance this clash of cultures, he asserted that Brethren "can see how un-Christian such a movement is."
In other plenary presentations, German scholar and Lutheran minister Marcus Meier offered new theories about "Anabaptist and Pietist Influences on the Early Brethren," contending that new research suggests a stronger Anabaptist influence on the radical Pietists of the early 18th century than has been recognized; Dale Stoffer, academic dean and professor of historical theology at Ashland (Ohio) Theological Seminary of the Brethren Church, reviewed how Brethren, Anabaptists, and Pietists have made use of the concepts of Word and Spirit, characterizing these as a fundamental inner-outer spiritual tension; Chris Bucher, the Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion at Elizabethtown College, reviewed ways Brethren have used the scriptures and called on the church to seek new ways to live with or live out of conflicts found in scripture; and Carl Bowman, a professor of sociology at Bridgewater (Va.) College for many years and director of survey research at the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, reported results of a 2006 scientific survey of Church of the Brethren members.
A panel of young adult scholars and seminary students--Jordan Blevins, Anna Lisa Gross, Elizabeth Keller, Ben Leiter, and Felix Lohitai-- rounded out the plenary sessions. Small group sessions also were offered on more than 20 other topics organized around themes of theology, history, missions, contemporary issues, peace, hymnody, ministry, and service.
Richard T. Hughes gave closing reflections on the conference as a scholar from outside the Brethren tradition. He is senior fellow in the Ernest L. Boyer Center and distinguished professor at Messiah College. Reflecting on the Brethren focus on relationship and discipleship, and the peace witness, Hughes said, "Your voice in my judgment is far too muted." At a time when global conflict threatens the very existence of the world, peace churches have an obligation to speak up, he said. "Humility does not mean you have no voice."
Bethany Theological Seminary offered online video of some of the presentations, go to http://webcast.bethanyseminary.edu. A photo journal is at www.brethren.org/pjournal/2007/300thAnnivAcademic.
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts almost 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.
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For more information contact:
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Director of News Services Church of the Brethren General Board 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120 800-323-8039 ext. 260 cobnews@brethren.org
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