Events

Get to know the multi-religious neighborhood of Willowbrook in Chicago’s southwestern suburb on a tour with the interfaith centers of Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, American Islamic College, and Chicago Theological Seminary.

We invite you to join us this fall for a remarkable 4-part series, sponsored by LSTC Learning Communities, that explores the topic, “Faith, Work, and Economics.”

Rev. Wayne N. Miller will lead this dynamic course for 4 Sundays, beginning October 8 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. CST. Or you can join Wednesday’s session beginning October 11 from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CST.

Reconnect and engage the Seminary, hear from updates from President James Nieman and Dean Esther Menn, meet new faculty and hear about the student experience in the new location.

LSTC commits to the denunciation of anti-Semitism now and in the history of our tradition at this annual service. The service will take place in our newly built chapel (as well as online) and will be led by our Jewish partners and LSTC students.

Consider the implications of Advent texts for present-day Christian-Jewish-Muslim understanding and friendship, as well as options for their elucidation in sermons.

Join us for the 2023 Scherer Lecture, September 26, 2023 from 4- 5:30 p.m. via Zoom or at Catholic Theological Union in Room 210. The lecture, presented by Dr. Emmanuel Katongole, will recount how Bethany Land Institute (BLI), an educational institute in Uganda, committed to the notion of “integral ecology” came into existence in 2016, and how it is engaged in reconciliation in multiple areas in rural Uganda.

Join us and Rev. Dr. Christian Scharen of St. Lydias at Augustana Church at 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave. Chicago, IL 60637 on September 19^th from 10:00am – 8:00pm for a transformative day of exploration and experiential learning at a one-day workshop for seminarians and local ministry teams seeking innovative approaches to worship and community formation. $20 students, $50 community members.

LSTC is thrilled to announce an inspiring and eventful Orientation Week, celebrating our new chapter at our updated location: 5416 S. Cornell Avenue, fourth floor, Chicago, Illinois 60615. From August 28-September 1st, new LSTC students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in new experiences that reflect the LSTC journey.

LSTC’s Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice proudly hosted a webinar on avoiding anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim bias as well as broadening theological perspectives to include interfaith considerations.

Panelists included Pastor Pam Fickenscher of St. John’s Lutheran in Northfield, MN; Rabbi Anna Levin Rosen, Executive Director at University of Chicago Newberger Hillel Center; AIC’s President as well as Acting Provost, Dr. Timothy J. Gianotti, a scholar of classical Islamic theology, philosophy, and spirituality; and moderator Pastor Jennie English-Dumont of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chicago, IL.

Event Resources:

David Bentley Hart, The New Testament: A Translation (Yale University Press, 2023).

Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Annotated New Testament. 2^nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017).

Asher Finkel, “Prayer in Jewish Life of the First Century,” in Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the New Testament, ed. Richard N. Longenecker (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001), 43-65.

• Preaching and Teaching “With Love and Respect for the Jewish People”

A Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community by the ELCA Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations. Found at www.elca.org 

• AJ Levine’s The Misunderstood Jew
• Dr. Reuven Firestone
• Christian Century did a series on “Do we worship the same God?”

You can see a recording of the webinar on our Vimeo page here.

Register below:

LSTC’s Albert “Pete” Pero Jr. and Cheryl Stewart Pero Center for Intersectionality Studies is proud to host a Zoom event in which the Rev. Dr. Sweety Helen Chukka and Krystle Moraska will present their co-written paper in preparation for their presentation at the international conference Female Corporeality and Religion hosted by the Centre for Women’s Studies in Theology in Belgium.

The event will take place June 1, 2023 at 2pm CST.

Join us to support these two graduates!

Zoom info:

https://lstc-edu.zoom.us/j/84575980875

LSTC’s Admissions office offered the first virtual event aimed at supporting prospective students in their decision journey. This comprehensive event took place from 10:00am CST until 11:30am CST and included an admissions process overview, conversations with key institutional and academic leaders at LSTC, opportunities for prospective students to engage with other current and prospective students, an overview of LSTC Centers and Initiatives, and, for students who have started the process, an opportunity to get instant provisional admissions decisions in partnership with Executive Director of Admissions Cassandra Olivier.

LSTC’s Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice presented its second hybrid panel exploring how preachers might joyfully engage in the celebratory tones of the last of the Easter Sundays and Pentecost without falling prey to anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim biases. You can watch the webinar here.

Event Resources:
Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Annotated New Testament. 2^nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2017).

Andrew T. Lincoln, “God’s Name, Jesus’ Name, and Prayer in the Fourth Gospel,” in Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the New Testament, ed. Richard N. Longenecker (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001), 155-180.

Adele Reinhartz, “Judaism in the Gospel of John.” Interpretation: A Journal of Bible & Theology 63, no. 4 (October 1, 2009): 382–93

Asher Finkel, “Prayer in Jewish Life of the First Century,” in Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the New Testament, ed. Richard N. Longenecker (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001), 43-65.

Ann M. Garrido, Let’s Talk about Truth: A Guide for Preachers, Teachers, and Other Catholic Leaders in a World of Doubt and Discord (Notre Dame: Ava Maria Press, 2020).

Preaching and Teaching “With Love and Respect for the Jewish People

A Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish Community by the ELCA Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations. Found at www.elca.org 

https://www.catholicpublishers.org/webinars Guidelines for Catholic Writing on Jews and Judaism

The Manz Organ Farewell Music Festival was a celebration of the music we’ve enjoyed and times we’ve shared together in the place we’ve called “home” for more than five decades.

You can see photos of the event on facebook and flickr.

On Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 our community came together for a celebration of the JKM Library.

The Manz Organ Series was a monthly free 30-minute Manz Organ recital at 12:15pm in the Augustana Chapel.

The 33^rd annual Gospel Choir Benefit Concert featured award- winning gospel composer and producer Percy Gray and LSTC Women of Faith. 

We recognized recipients of the Grover Wright Scholarship, established in 1994 to support the education of students of color, and the Rev. Carole A. Burns Scholarship, created in 2004 to support African American women pursuing ministry.  Read more about the event here.

You can watch a taping of the event here.

Each Sunday live at 6:00pm CT, repeated Wednesday via a facilitated recording at 7:00pm CT

Martin Luther on the Holy Spirit and the Christian Life
Dr. Candace Kohli, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology

Do Lutherans shout justification and whisper sanctification? This question, posed by an Orthodox theologian and made (in)famous by Carter Lindberg, a former LSTC student, suggests an over emphasis on Christ and justification in Luther’ theology and its reception in modern Lutheranism.

Join us on March 9 or March 23 from 6–8 p.m. via zoom for an online conversation focusing on the challenges and opportunities of online worship with hosts Rev. Erik Christensen, Pastor to the Community & Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and Rev. Dr. Jan Schnell Assistant Professor of Liturgics at Wartburg Theological Seminary.

Mike Ward, author of Abundance: Creating a Culture of Generosity and Managing Partner of GSB Fundraising for a workshop and discussion led a discussion Friday, March 10, 9:00-11:00 a.m., about generosity and how to craft the best story that leads people to generosity.

Thursday, March 9, 2023, The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago hosted for the annual World Mission Institute. The event will begin at 6:00pm with dinner followed by a program at 7:00pm. A recording of this event can be seen on our facebook page.

During the month of February, The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) celebrated Black History Month 2023  with the theme Reparations: Educate, Liberate and Celebrate! You can see photos of Black History Month events on our facebook page.

On February 10, CCME hosted a discussion that asked how preachers might handle the anti-Jewish undertones in the passion narratives throughout the season of Lent. A recording of that conversation can be found on our Youtube channel.

• Preaching and Teaching “With Love and Respect for the Jewish People
• “Matthew and Anti-Judaism” by Amy Jill Levine
• Adele Reinhartz ‘s “Gospel of John” in Jewish Annotated New Testament
• Amy Jill Levine’s “Misusing Jesus: How the Church Divorces Jesus from Judaism”
• “How Hitler’s Favorite Passion Play Lost its Anti-Semitism”, by A.J. Goldmann in The Atlantic
• Mark Nanos’s chapter on “Romans” in Jewish Annotated New Testament
• Krister Stendahl’s Final Account: Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
• Pam Eisenbaum’s Paul Was Not a Christian.

On February 1, LSTC held a gathering of the Lutheran BIPOC community including students, staff, alumni and members of the African Descent Lutheran Association to engage in a lively conversation on “Black Lutheranism and Reparations.”

Photos from that event can be found here.

On January 16, 2023, our community came together to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. around the theme: King and Chicago—Where Do We Go From Here? The Guest Preacher was Rev. Reginald Sharpe, pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church, and music was rendered by The Keith Hampton Singers. Panelists included: June Porter, Dwight McKee, and Santita Jackson.

See photos from the event on LSTC’s facebook page.

Theme: Am I My Sister’s Keeper? Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

Over the last two decades, dedicated Indigenous leaders, families, organizers, activists, and organizations have worked in vital ways to shine a light on the ongoing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) epidemic – and the thousands of women and girls who have been disappeared or murdered on Turtle Island (North America). Today, the movement is growing, not only to bring awareness to the issue, but also to create change in governmental and law enforcement systems that will finally begin to bring justice and prevent more stolen relatives. We gathered to learn more about MMIW and the movement to bring justice for our Indigenous sisters and the families who miss them, and asked how the Church might start to support these critical efforts.

Watch the symposium here.

Reflections, Music, and Witness by Rabbi Anna Levin Rosen, Jewish Cantor, and Stanley Jenczyk

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago annually commits to the denunciation of anti-Semitism and now and in the history of our tradition seeks to join together people of all faiths in the work of the world’s mending, the healing of the nations.

This event was hosted in remembrance of a massive, coordinated attack on Jews throughout the German Reich on the night of November 9-10, 1938, which has come to be known as Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass.

Watch Rabbi Anna Levin Rosen’s moving reflection here.

The Fall LSTC Seminary Sampler took place in-person October 24-25, 2022. During this event, prospective students were offered the opportunity to meet faculty and fellow students; engaged in individual and group discussions about discernment; listened in on a Fall 2022 class; explored campus housing and opportunities in Chicago (for those interested in living on or near campus); and learned about the LSTC admissions process, including information about student services and financial aid.

At this event, members of the institution’s Antiracism Transformation Team presented and sought input on their Strategic Action Plan as we move the seminary towards becoming an antiracist institution.

We hope to create a space that welcomes critique and engenders vision and imagination for OUR shared LSTC.

The centers of LSTC came together to explore the neuroscience of implicit bias and to explore practical examples of how we might overcome such bias in our personal and congregational lives. The event explored theological perspectives, encouraged self-examination, and questioned our perceptions of “the other.”

You can find out more about the event’s guest speakers and their research here.

LSTC’s fourth annual Alumni Week and Homecoming festivities were celebrated October 10-14, 2022. All were invited to come to campus or join virtually as we honored and celebrated years of ministry and service, reminisced and reconnected with classmates, learned what’s new at LSTC, and engaged in special worship services and programs.

Check out photos from the event on LSTC’s facebook page.

The annual Scherer Lecture took place Tuesday, October 4, 2022 from 4-5:30 p.m. It was offered in person at LSTC and was livestreamed. The lecture explored the concept of “resurrectional cruciformity” — cross-shaped ministry infused with the power and presence of the risen Lord — as the shape of Paul’s own sense of mission. We explored certain Pauline texts in which Paul narrates how he seeks both to embody this spirituality and to see it embodied in the communities to which he writes. We then considered how this same spirituality is relevant for the contemporary mission of the church locally and globally.

The lecture was presented by Michael J. Gorman, who holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he has taught since 1991. He has also taught or lectured throughout the U.S. and in Canada, New Zealand, and Africa. The author or editor of nearly twenty books and scores of articles, Dr. Gorman has devoted special attention to theological and missional readings of the New Testament, especially the letters of Paul.

Watch here.

The Zygon Center for Religion and Science welcomed Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein for a lunchtime presentation (question and answer session following) on Tuesday, June 14 2022.

Dr. Prescod-Weinstin was recently awarded the LA Times Book Prize in Science and Technology for “The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred.” The book was a favorite read in LSTC’s seminar “Spiritualities of Knowing” during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Connect with the Zygon Center on Twitter for more information.

View more information about the event on facebook here.

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) celebrated the class of 2022 (along with the class of 2020 and 2021) during graduation weekend, which took place May 14-15, 2022. This year’s commencement speaker was Dr. Paul Pribbenow, President of Augsburg University, Minneapolis, MN. A reception followed in the LSTC Courtyard. The commencement program may be viewed in PDF form.

A baccalaureate service was held on Saturday, May 14, 4 p.m. Central Daylight Time, in the Augustana Chapel, and livestreamed  on LSTC’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

Watch a recording of the event here.

On Sept. 15, 2021, LSTC hosted a panel discussion on the overlap of Lutheranism and socialism, focusing on how socialist concepts apply to day-to-day ministry realities in the parish and in the world.

On April 27, 2022, a follow-up seminar focused on how pillars of Lutheran theology – theology of the cross, grace, sin, the priesthood of all believers, etc… – line up with socialist thought.  A “Lutheran socialist” sermon was shared, and then all panelists debriefed with audience members.

Speakers were Erin Coleman Branchaud (2018, MDiv), pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Logan Square; Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, professor of theological and social ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary; Tobita Chow (2017, MDiv), global labor organizer and director of Justice Is Global; Francisco Herrera (2016,ThM), Christian agitator and LSTC PhD student in world Christianity and global mission; Micah Uetricht, Lutheran PK, labor organizer, and deputy editor at The Jacobin. Angela Cowser, associate dean of Black Church Studies and doctor of ministry programs at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, was the moderator.

Review the event recording on LSTC’s Facebook page.

The Dalit history month public lecture was delivered by Dr. Monica J. Melanchthon on “Framing the Widow in the Hebrew Bible: An Intersectional Reading.” The lecture was given in the Augustana Chapel and via Zoom on April 26 from 5-6 p.m.

Abstract of the Content: The paper attends to intersectionality as a theoretical framework, its antecedents and use in Biblical studies in India today. It then employs the intersectional lens to call attention to a marginal category among women, namely the ‘widow’ or the vidhavā , (both Dalit and dominant caste) as she is portrayed within the Indian social structure and the ‘almânâ in the Hebrew Bible with particular focus on Tamar (Gen 38) and Judith to showcase the impact of intersecting identities.

Review the event recording on LSTC’s Facebook page.

It is Well was the theme of the 32nd Annual LSTC Gospel Choir Benefit Concert which took place Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 4p.m. It featured a special guest conductor and Gospel music legend, Dr. Loudella Evans Reid.

For more than 30 years, the annual concert has been a benefit for the Grover Wright Scholarship Fund and the Rev. Carole A. Burns Scholarship Fund. Since 1994, scholarships have been awarded to students of color supporting the education that undergirds their ministry.

Free will donations continue to be accepted – please make a gift here by choosing which scholarship(s) you wish to support.

Review the event recording on LSTC’s Facebook page.

LSTC is committed to learning and developing a plan towards the implementation of a set of four of the fourteen Recommendations for Theological Education and Leadership (pages 14-15), a resource adopted at the 15th triennial ELCA Churchwide Assembly on August 9, 2019. LSTC has adopted “Authentic Diversity” as one of the core initiatives of this year’s strategic plan and are excited about partnering with community members to design our next actionable steps.

Community members participated in LSTC chapel with a service dedicated to Trans Day of Visibility and an authentic diversity panel presentation, among other activities.

The annual World Mission Institute, a collaborative event offered by the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, McCormick Theological Seminary, and Catholic Theological Union, took place March 10 at 7 p.m. on Zoom.

George Sabra, professor of systematic theology and president of the Near East School of Theology (NEST) Beirut, Lebanon, was the keynote speaker. Sabra’s keynote was titled “Mission in a Collapsed State: The Church and Theological Education in Lebanon and Syria.” Severe economic and nation-splitting political crisis have created an economic crisis unprecedented in the history of Lebanon since its independence in 1920. The keynote presentation examined the effects and consequences of the crisis on churches and theological institutions, addressed current responses of the Church, and explored the future mission and shape of the church and theological education.

Watch the event on McCormick’s Facebook page or on Vimeo.

LSTC hosted several events and services in celebration of Black History Month. Visit our Black History Month web page to review event recordings!

Special thanks to the Albert “Pete” Pero, Jr. and Cheryl Stewart Pero Center for Intersectionality Studies and LSTC faculty, staff and students of color for their leadership and support.

On January 17, LSTC presented “History, Hope, and King: Where Do We Go from Here Amid Times of Political Unrest, Voter Suppression, and COVID?”, a series of presentations led by Christian ethicists who took Dr. King’s 1967 sermon “Where Do We Go from Here?” and put its themes in conversation with current events. Speakers included:

• Linda Thomas (Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago)
• Reggie Williams (McCormick Theological Seminary)
• Stacy Floyd-Thomas (Vanderbilt Divinity School)
• Elyse Ambrose (Meadville Lombard Theological School)
• Michael Hogue (Meadville Lombard Theological School)

The event was virtual only and streamed on LSTC’s YouTube channel. Access the event using this link.

LSTC partnered with Other+Wise for the 13th Annual Vine Deloria Jr. Theological Symposium on November 16 and 17, 2021. The theme for this year’s symposium was “On Our Way to Truth and Healing.” The symposium educates seminarians, church leaders, and allies about the work of Vine Deloria Jr. and about Indigenous culture, movements, and activism. This year, symposium content focused on the intersection between Indian boarding schools and Christian and theological education.

Please visit the LSTC Facebook video page to review presentations and sermons.

Alumni enjoyed opportunities to participate in classes taught by LSTC faculty plus presentations centering on equity, eco-healing, decolonizing Latinequis semantics, and more. Guest preachers led worship services each day. Special recognition was given to classes marking 10-, 25-, 40- and 50-year reunions with distinct gatherings for each, and celebrating our 2021 Distinguished Alumni Awardees was a final event of Homecoming.

Visit the 2021 Homecoming and Alumni Awards webpages for further details and follow-up links to recordings (coming soon!)

The Center for Advanced Studies in Religion and Science (CASIRAS) hosts quarterly lectures grounded in how science informs our religious understanding of the cosmos which God has created.

Guy Consolmagno, SJ of the Vatican Observatory, presented “Your God is too Small” on Friday, October 1.

Review the recorded livestream of the lecture on Facebook.

In partnership with McCormick Theological Seminary and Catholic Theological Union, LSTC offered the 2021 Scherer Lecture virtually on September 28, 2021 at 4 p.m. The lecture featured Dr. George Hunsberger, one of the founders of the Gospel and Culture movement. The Scherer Lecture, titled “Three innovators in mission: Lamin Sanneh, Lesslie Newbigin, and Dorothy Day,” focused on three Christians in our own day who brought creative innovation to the practice of mission. Watch the livestream of the 2021 lecture on the LSTC Facebook page.