In 2017, the #MeToo hashtag started a global movement to destigmatize and increase awareness about sexual violence. This coming March, Carol Penner, Assistant Professor of Theological Studies, will speak on “#MennonitesToo: Sexual Violence and Mennonite Peace Theology” as the C. Henry Smith Peace Lecturer at Bluffton University and Goshen College.
“The #MeToo movement has placed sexual violence in the spotlight and Mennonites are asking: ‘What does it mean to be people of peace when sexual abuse and assault is woven into the fabric of our own communities?’ Some Mennonites have been working on this topic for almost fifty years,” Carol explained. “My lecture will outline the themes and methods of this grassroots practitioner-based theology.”
The C. Henry Smith Peace Lectureship is named after the distinguished Mennonite scholar C. Henry Smith. He wished to maintain and strengthen the peace witness in Mennonite churches, and this desire inspired the lectureship. It aims to highlight an Anabaptist peace perspective whenever possible. Carol’s lecture will illuminate an important issue within the subjects of Anabaptism and peace.
by Katrina Steckle (Communications Co-op Student)