Lecture to focus on forgiveness
WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg University will host Dr. Donald Kraybill as part of the Christ & Culture Lecture Series.
Kraybill will present his lecture “Forgiveness and Apology” at 11 a.m. March 5 in Roberts Chapel. He will speak again at 7 p.m. in Alumni Hall with a lecture titled “Amish Forgiveness at Nickel Mines.” He also will be available during a breakfast in Benedum at 7:30 a.m. March 6. Admission is free, and the public is invited.
Kraybill will speak about his book “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy,” which examines the Amish understanding of forgiveness and explores how and why the Amish responded to the 2006 killing at West Nickel Mines School with grace. The book also asks if Amish practices parallel or diverge from other religious and secular notions of forgiveness, and addresses the matter of why forgiveness became news.
Internationally recognized for his scholarship on Anabaptist groups, Kraybill is the author and editor of many books and dozens of professional articles. Kraybill’s research on Anabaptist groups has been featured in journals, magazines, newspapers and on radio and television programs across the United States as well as in many foreign countries. He has also served as a consultant for various projects related to Amish and other Anabaptist groups.
Kraybill received his doctorate in sociology from Temple University. He served as chair of the sociology and social work department at Elizabethtown College from 1979 to 1985 and directed the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies from 1989 to 1996. After working as provost of Messiah College from 1996 to 2002, Kraybill returned to Elizabethtown College in 2003. He is currently the series editor of Young Center Books in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.