The Hutterites will be the subject of the annual Durnbaugh Lectures on Thursday evening, April 19th, and the following day, Friday April 20th, at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, part of Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania.

The distinguished speaker, Prof. Rod Janzen, will present a talk Thursday evening entitled “The Hutterites in 2012.” It will include a description of fundamental Hutterite beliefs, their history, and the challenges they face today. Janzen is the author of a variety of works about the Hutterites, including an important scholarly book that he co-authored with Max Stanton and published in 2010. He also has written about utopian societies, other communal groups, and about conservative Christian churches such as the Mennonites. He teaches at Fresno Pacific University.

Janzen’s lecture will be Thursday evening at 7:30 in the Susquehanna Room of Myer Hall, on the college campus in Elizabethtown, which is in western Lancaster County, about 17 miles northwest of the city of Lancaster. The talk is free and open to the public. A reception at 5:30 for the speaker and a banquet to follow at 6:00 PM will precede the talk. The cost of the reception and banquet will be $18. Reservations must be made by calling the Young Center today, April 5, at the latest.

Dr. Janzen will continue his engagement at the Young Center with another talk and discussion, titled “Aspects of Hutterite Life: Communal Christianity and 21st-Century Challenges.” He will delve further into contemporary issues that the Hutterites face, such as the nature of their communal lives, some of the conflicts they experience, and their attractions to evangelical Protestantism.

The Friday seminar will include a catered luncheon, which will cost $10.00. Reservations for the Friday seminar, including the luncheon, also need to be made by today. The phone number to make reservations is 717-361-1470.