File Folder 1 - Hershberger, Guy F.

BOX 34 FOLDER 1 Guy F. Hershberger [G. F. Hershberger, Guy Hershberger] ============================ {1} SEVEN ENTRIES Memorandum, Bender to Guy F. Hershberger, November 22, 1958: [Bender as Chairman of Peace Problems Committee {PPC}]––re “Description of the proposed work of the Executive Secretary of the Peace Problems Committee on a half-time basis, with a view to the engagement of G. F. Hershberger to serve in this capacity”; two single-spaced pages giving brief past history of the PPC, then “2. Work of the Executive Secretary”, with that work organized under numerous headings and subheadings. • • • CONTIGUOUS, Memorandum, Bender to Members of the Peace Problems Committee, December, 1958 [two single-spaced page document]: request for members to vote in favor of the above-described appointment of Hershberger; description of the responsibilities which Hershberger would assume. • • • CONTIGUOUS, Memorandum, Guy F. Hershberger to Bender, Paul Mininger, and Ralph Hernley, December 16, 1958: one-page single-spaced document headed “MEMORANDUM TO PAUL MININGER, PRESIDENT OF GOSHEN COLLEGE, HAROLD S. BENDER, CHAIRMAN OF THE PEACE PROBLEMS COMMITTEE, AND H. RALPH HERNLEY, CHAIRMAN OF THE Committee on Economic and Social Relations {CESR}”––ready to accept the appointment, with certain understandings––that he would stay on Goshen College faculty, paid by the college who would be reimbursed by the two committees mentioned above, terms of his contract, etc. • • • CONTIGUOUS, Bender to Members of the Peace Problems Committee, December 22,1958: all Committee members had written approving Hershberger’s appointment, and also to continue that of Melvin Gingerich; re planning the spring meeting of the PPC. • • • CONTIGUOUS, Memorandum, Ralph Gunden to President Paul Mininger, May 1, 1959 [on Goshen College Inter-Office stationery]: responding to Hershberger memo of December 16, 1958; listing of costs involved with Hershberger’s contract; some further comment. • • • CONTIGUOUS, Document, dated July 15, 1959, two-pages, signed by Paul Mininger, Harold S. Bender, and H. Ralph Hernley, with Guy F. Hershberger signing as endorsing it, and headed “MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING”/ “Between Goshen College, the Peace Problems Committee, and the Committee on Economic and Social Relations, pertaining to the employment of Guy F. Hershberger”: lays out “the terms of employment of Guy F. Hershberger as between the above three agencies...” from July 1, 1959 until his retirement by his 70th birthday. • • • CONTIGUOUS, Bender to Paul Mininger, H. Ralph Hernley, and Bender, July 17, 1959 [from zq]: cover letter for the document just above. {2} TW0 ENTRIES Guy F. Hershberger to Members of the Peace Problems Committee, July 29, 1959 [on stationery of the Committee on Economic and Social Relations {CESR} {of the MC Mennonite Church}]: enclosing a report by Elmer Neufeld re the Atlanta Council on Race Relations [racism, African-American], sharing it although if fell within scope of Committee on Economic and Social Relations {CESR}.... • • • ATTACHED, Document, 4 single-spaced pages, headed FIRST SOUTHWIDE INSTITUTE ON NON-VIOLENT RESISTANCE TO SEGREGATION”/ “Atlanta, Georgia, July 22-24, 1959”/ “A Report with Recommendations by Elmer Neufeld and Guy F. Hershberger” [nonviolent resistance; nonresistance, pacifism]––re formation of “The Montgomery Improvement Association... in 1955-1956 under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr.; its activity “throughout the South”; mention Ralph Abernathy; comment on King’s and Abernathy’s pacifism as remarkable since not instilled by pacifist tradition; King’s “seminary and graduate training... hardly conducive to sound theological foundations for Christian pacifism”; yet Hershberger thought that King and Abernathy were “sincerely trying to follow the way of the cross. They are concerned for justice for the Negro, to be sure, but they are doing their best to follow the way of love and suffering in their search for justice. In this they deserve all the encouragement which we can give them”; more comment––including in an S.C.L.C. meeting at Tallahassee in May [Southern Christian Leadership Conference]; reference to and quotation from that meeting’s report...; that the Tallahassee meeting was attended mainly by ministers, so that “however inadequate the understanding of New Testament peace teaching, the conversation was at least Biblically oriented”; and so Hershberger had hoped that the Atlanta meeting would bring “a thorough discussion of the Biblical and theological basis of Christian pacifism” and its “social implications”; however, “[f]rom his point of view, the Atlanta Institute was a disappointment”; sponsorship was joint, by the S. C. L. C. plus by the Fellowship of Reconciliation [FOR] and the Congress of Racial Equality; Hershberger and Neufeld stated that mainly, Glen Smiley, FOR Field Secretary, had shaped the conference and its thought; comment on a keynote address by Smiley and an address of “Dean William Stuart Nelson {William Nelson} of Howard University; bit of critique of the addresses as inadequate and Smiley’s apparently rooted more “in Gandhi than in Jesus Christ” [Mahatma Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, Mohandas Gandhi ; mention Karl Barth, Reinhold Niebuhr; summary of Nelson’s thought, including that “[t]he philosophy of violence was present in Hindu philosophy 3000 years ago”, and later in Buddhism, etc...; “In the discussion which followed Dean Nelson’s address, the Mennonite delegation openly expressed its views” and concern––a discussion that “continued after adjournment”; Mennonites persisted two more days, but many present seemed to think that, to have effect, a witness would have to continue a long time; “The remainder of the addresses had to do chiefly with techniques, procedures, and reports on the progress” toward “Negro rights”; mention a speaker Richard B. Gregg, author of The Power of Nonviolence, Gregg emphasizing “how to conquer your opponent”; suggestion that the orientation of the Congress of Racial Equality was “less Christian than that of the FOR”...; “it is also our impression that the outlook of Miss Ella Baker, the executive secretary of the S.C.L.C., is predominately secular rather than Christian”; conference had been run well, etc.// Recommendations to Mennonite Central Committee [MCC] and its constituent groups––quite a list, starting with keeping in touch with S.C.L.C. and King and supporting them where we deem it possible; Mennonites should develop “an aggressive Mennonite program of work in the area of race relations...”; they should find “groups of Negroes with a definitely Christian orientation” and try to work with them in a race relations program “within the Anabaptist frame of reference; they should work at race relations and other matters through “a well-planned program of conversation”––working with the FOR, working at “the Biblical Foundations of pacifism” and working “with Fundamentalist leaders on the social implications of the Gospel”; they should review the whole of “Mennonite social action program”.... {3} Guy F. Hershberger to Orie O. Miller, August 24, 1959]: to Miller as Peace Problems Committee [PPC] treasurer, a one-page financial statement. {4} Guy F. Hershberger to Bender, September 9, 1959 [on stationery of Committee on Economic and Social Relations {CESR}]: requesting that Bender write to Elmer Neufeld asking for minutes of MCC Peace Section and of its executive committee––and to J. Harold Sherk asking him to put PPC on his regular list for mailing information [from NSBRO, National Service Board for Religious Objectors ??]. {5} Guy F. Hershberger to Elmer Neufeld, September 9, 1959 [to The Peace Section of Mennonite Central Committee]: reference to a conversation about conversing “with our Fundamentalist brethren” re “peace testimony and the gospel”; that C. N. Hostetter [Christian N. Hostetter, Jr.], presently MCC Chairman, “fully committed to the peace position” and representative on the National Association of Evangelicals [NAE] for his church [Brethren in Christ], was the “logical man to act as our spokesman in this case”; Albert Meyer had recently conversed with a Quaker who was prominent in NAE circles and supported such an overture...; suggested taking this mater up also with MCC’s Executive Secretary “W. T. Snyder” [William T. Snyder, “Bill” Snyder] cc: Bender, Hostetter, Meyer. {6} Guy F. Hershberger to Members of the Peace Problems Committee, September 9, 1959: sending August 25 minutes; about meeting planned for October 9, perhaps extending it to the 10th; re membership to be on, or continue on, the Committee––John E. Lapp, Orie O. Miller, Peter Wiebe, Amos S. Horst, Melvin Gingerich [Amos Horst], with Albert J. Meyer and Hershberger co-opted [Albert Meyer].... {7} Bender to Guy F. Hershberger, September 12, 1959: that the PPC should pay the MCC $500 to help with cost of “the film ‘Alternatives’”; brief statement of rationale for doing so. {8} Guy F. Hershberger to Bender, November 23, 1959 [on stationery of Peace Problems Committee]: PPC had instructed its Secretary to work with other agencies and committees of the church re peace witness; wanted Bender’s suggestions re working with schools and colleges. {9} Guy F. Hershberger to Bender, November 23, 1959 [on stationery of Peace Problems Committee]: [see shortly above at September 12, 1959] PPC had authorized $300 with mandate that the Secretary raise funds to reimburse PPC; asking Bender for a contribution.... {10} Guy F. Hershberger to Bender, November 24, 1959 [on stationery of Peace Problems Committee]: reminder of PPC having re-appointed Bender to be PPC’s representative on the MCC Peace Section 1959-1961. {11} Frau W. Hanßel to Guy F. Hershberger, June 30, 1961 [on stationery of Evangelisches Verlagswerk, Stuttgart Germany]: re The Recovery of The Anabaptist Vision [i.e., Bender Festschrift, edited by Hershberger]; about the manuscript [having been translated]; Hershberger had sent a letter and Bender had stopped by...; about a pastor in London who would serve as our translator [apparently to check it?]; hope you send the manuscript to him soon.... {12} Heinz Kuhne to Bender, August 28, 1961 [on stationery of Gutersloher Verlagshaus Gerd Mohn; in German––not fully annotated]: thanking Bender for two letters in August; more.... {13} Guy F. Hershberger to Orie O. Miller, January 25, 1962 [Miller as treasurer of Peace Problems Committee]: John Lapp [sic--likely John A. Lapp; John E. Lapp??] had sent revised “Studies in Nonresistance” to Mennonite Publishing House for printing; 3000 copies to be printed for $355...; where to store Peace Problems Committee’s [PPC] 1000 copies?.