Dr. Fernando Enns, teacher of systematic theology and ecumenical studies at Heidelberg University in Germany, is Conrad Grebel University College’s 2005 Bechtel Lecturer. He will be speaking on Mennonites: a Peace Church in Conversation on March 16 & 17. Wednesday’s lecture will focus on Dialogue and Diversity in the Ecumenical Movement, while Thursday’s lecture will deal with Identity and Tolerance in a Pluralist Society.
Dr. Enns is an active participant in the ecumenical conversation on non-violence and peacemaking, [said Grebel President, Henry Paetkau.] His European experience offers North American Mennonites another perspective on what it means to be a Peace Church in the global context of the 21st century. We’re extremely pleased to have him address this important subject at this critical juncture in history.
Fernando Enns is a highly respected German Mennonite scholar and church leader, [said Professor Tom Yoder Neufeld.] What I find most intriguing is the way he has been a critically important Anabaptist presence in the highest ecumenical circles of the World Council of Churches, pushing the worldwide church to place itself more fully behind violence reduction and peacemaking. The World Council of Churches’ ‘Decade to Overcome Violence’ would not have happened without him.
A pastor in the German Mennonite Church, Enns also serves as vice-chairman for the Association of Mennonite Churches in Germany. Dr. Enns holds a Doctor of Theology degree from the University of Heidelberg. Author of several books and numerous articles, Dr. Enns specializes in ecumenism, ecclesiology and ethics, peace theology and peace ethics, and historical peace churches such as Mennonites, Quakers, and Brethren.
The Bechtel Lectures in Anabaptist Mennonite Studies were established in 2000 by Waterloo County businessman and farmer, Lester Bechtel, in honor of his late wife, Alma. The purpose of the lectureship is to foster interest in and understanding of Anabaptist/Mennonite faith by seeing it projected through the eyes of experts from a range of disciplines.
Don’t miss Dr. Fernando Enns, the 2005 Bechtel Lecturer, March 16 & 17 in the Conrad Grebel Great Hall at 7:30pm. Refreshments will be served at 7:00pm on Wednesday, and a reception will follow the lecture on Thursday.