Honoring an Illustrious Career

After 30 years of teaching New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Barbara Rossing’s final class brought her to a very special place: the Island of Patmos. Long associated with the Book of Revelation, Rossing’s area of expertise, she traveled to the remote location in May of 2024 with the World of the Bible Travel Seminar to Türkiye and Greece.

“It was my first time visiting Patmos,” says Rossing. “I was moved by the natural beauty and holiness of this site, revered for centuries as the place where John received his revelation. It seemed so appropriate to be there, sharing with beloved alumni, friends, family and students, as a culmination of decades of studying the Apocalypse.”

Rossing answered her call to theological education by joining the LSTC faculty in 1994. Over her thirty-year career, she taught New Testament courses on Jesus, the Gospels, and Judaism, the Life and Letters of Paul, Preaching the Gospel of John (co-taught with a ministerial arts faculty member), Ecological Hermeneutics, Eschatology (co-taught with Vitor Westhelle), and, of course, Revelation. 

Rossing recalls with amusement how after the publication of her well-received book, The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation, the students in her Revelation class surprised her. 

“During a break, the students draped their clothes on their chairs and left their shoes behind,” she said. “They didn’t return when it was time to resume class. They made it look like the rapture had happened, and I was ‘left behind!’”

Rossing’s interest in the New Testament has always dovetailed with her commitment to addressing pressing social concerns, especially themes of environmental health and justice. 

She directed the LSTC environmental emphasis, mentoring students passionate about the earth’s future, even organizing a conference at LSTC in 2019 on “Educating for Climate Justice” where she gathered faculty and administrators from seminaries across the country. 

Rossing’s abiding concern for creation also motivated her to get involved in the Zygon Center for the Study of Religion and Science, and to serve on the board of the Center for Advanced Study in Religion and Science. 

She was key to the ELCA’s stance on the ordination of gay and lesbian pastors in committed relationships. Leading up to the 2009 sexuality decision, Dr. Rossing and fellow LSTC Old Testament professor Dr. Ralph Klein joined forces to author a public statement, organized hundreds of professors and theologians to support the statement, and led Bible studies examining biblical texts often used polemically in this debate. 

“I was a member of the Lutheran World Federation executive committee when I spoke to the assembly plenary in Minneapolis, in favor of full inclusion,” Rossing remembers. “I will never forget that vote or the gratitude of LSTC students and so many others.” 

Rossing has long been a public speaker in high demand. She was interviewed by Morley Safer on “CBS 60 Minutes” following the publication of her book, The Rapture Exposed, and has appeared on the History Channel, Living the Questions, and other media, countering fundamentalist interpretations of Revelation.

Rossing was fulfilled by the vast dimensions of her work, including advocating for women in global church leadership in the Lutheran World Federation, chairing the LWF Theology and Studies Committee, leading climate delegations to the United Nations, and writing Bible Studies for LWF assemblies—most recently on “One Spirit” for the assembly in Krakow, Poland last year.

In retirement, Rossing plans to continue tracking the success of former students as they make their mark, whether in ordained ministry, teaching positions, global ministries, or other vocations. 

Her ongoing writing projects include the Earth Bible Commentary on Revelation, focusing on Revelation’s world-healing tree of life and an earth-centered eschatology. On Sundays she may be found worshipping or guest-preaching at her home church in Leavenworth, Washington. 

She lives in a solar-powered home with with her husband, Lauren Johnson, their cats and many foster kittens. She will continue to accept invitations to synod assemblies and other national and international events. 

Though LSTC will dearly miss Rossing’s inspired presence in the classroom, Rossing and Hebrew Bible faculty colleague Dr. Esther Menn plan to continue co-leading travel seminars. They are currently planning another World of the Bible Travel Seminar to Türkiye and Greece in May 2026, with a possible add-on to Sinai! (Contact emenn@lstc.edu or brossing@lstc.edu to express interest.)