Symposium: “Brethren and the Polarizing Pandemic: What Next?”

Symposium: “Brethren and the Polarizing Pandemic: What Next?”
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 10, and 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 11.
Where: Cole Hall on Thursday, March 10, and the Wampler President’s Suite on Friday, March 11.

Emma Green’s endowed lecture on Thursday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Cole Hall on the College’s campus serves as the keynote address for Bridgewater College’s two-day symposium held March 10-11 on “Brethren and the Polarizing Pandemic: What Next?”

Friday’s symposium, sponsored by the Forum for Brethren Studies, begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Wampler President’s Suite in Nininger Hall at Bridgewater College. Green kicks off the event with a Q&A at 9 a.m. The symposium will contemplate the Church of the Brethren as it emerges from the global pandemic, assessing pre-COVID trends and determining their likely post-COVID trajectory. Topics include the likelihood of further division, social and economic inequality, and the influence of external authority as illustrated by the 1919 and 2020 pandemics.

In addition to Green, other presenters include Robert Johansen of the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies at Notre Dame University, Bridgewater College Professor of History Emeritus Stephen Longenecker and Director of Brethren Mennonite Heritage Center Samuel Funkhouser. Bethany Theological Seminary President Jeffrey Carter and Church of the Brethren Shenandoah District Executive Minister John Jantzi will present current perspectives from their constituencies, and Carl Bowman of the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture will chair a panel of Brethren leaders.

Friday’s symposium has a registration fee of $20 with lunch provided. Advance registration for the symposium can be completed by Wednesday, March 9, by emailing Carol Scheppard at cscheppa@bridgewater.edu. Walk-ups are welcome on the day of the event.

In keeping with guidance from the CDC, Bridgewater College requires that all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, properly wear face masks when indoors in public areas of campus.