Martin and Dorothy Schrag

Dr. Martin and Dorothy Schrag

The Schrag Lectures are named to honor Dr. Martin and Dorothy Schrag, long-time leaders at Messiah College and the Brethren in Christ Church.

Martin (1919-2002) was professor emeritus of church history at Messiah College, and his wife, Dorothy Schrag, was assistant professor emerita of music. Both were also active leaders in the Brethren in Christ Church.

In addition to being a remarkable professor, Martin was an outstanding scholar of Anabaptist history and theology. His best-known publication was The European History (1525-1874) of the Swiss Mennonites from Volhynia (1974) in which he traced his ancestors’ journey from Switzerland to Russia and then to the United States. With co-author John K. Stoner, he also wrote The Ministry of Reconciliation (1973). His last book, Christian Lesher: Nineteenth-Century Brethren in Christ Bishop (2003), was in press at the time of his passing. Martin’s biography is one of three that are featured in Embracing Scholarship, Piety and Obedience (2009), published by the Brethren in Christ Historical Society.