Mark Swanson finds joy in encounter On Mark Swanson’s office door is a quotation from Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, which says, “The call of God is very strange.” Swanson would agree: strange and joyful. “For the first two years that I was reading theology, I didn’t know what it was for,” recalls Swanson, […]
Peter Vethanayagamony’s guiding principles in practice “I’m so grateful for Christian missions and missionaries,” said Peter Vethanayagamony (2000, ThM; 2006, PhD), professor of Modern Church History. Vethanayagamony’s positive life-altering experience with services (i.e. education, health, discipleship) of Christian missionaries in India during his formative years stands in direct contrast to what he calls the American […]
Brooke Petersen on finding meaning in bivocational practice For Brooke Petersen (2006, MDiv), coming back to teach and serve as the director of the MDiv and MA programs and coordinator of candidacy at LSTC has been a full-circle experience. “There have long been questions deep in my heart that were made even more real in […]
Community pets blessed in popular chapel event An energetic group of dogs, cats and even a hamster joined their LSTC families Tuesday, Oct. 4 in the quad for the annual “Blessing of the Pets” chapel service. Erik Christensen, pastor to the LSTC community, said each year’s gathering is different. Now in his sixth year, Christensen […]
Michael Fick: his LSTC memories aren’t tied to a building When Michael Fick (MDiv, 2004) first heard about the impending sale of LSTC’s property he felt “a kind of sadness.” But as he reflected on the reality of the situation, different thoughts and feelings emerged. “I began to think about what I loved most about […]
Gail Kenny: ‘LSTC was the right choice for me’ Gail Kenny, a third year MDiv student pursuing ordination in Word and Sacrament Ministry through the Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA, believes the Holy Spirit drew her to LSTC. Born and raised in southeastern Wisconsin, she and her husband Mike have spent the last 36 […]
Candace Kohli on Luther, empathy & critical context Candace Kohli, assistant professor of Lutheran Systematic Theology and Global Lutheranism, can clearly pinpoint what made Luther stand out amongst other theologians during her time in seminary: “There was something about the way he described things, the interventions he was making, and the boldness with which he […]
A joyous, in-person 2022 commencement The weather cooperated and being together in person to mark the accomplishments that led to this day provided an air of satisfaction and joy. Eleven alumni from the Classes of 2021 and 2020, who had been invited back to walk, were among the honored graduates. Paul C. Pribbenow, president of […]
An Overflow of Abundance: Barbara Rossing and Lauren Johnson If you talk to Barbara Rossing about her call to theological education, you’ll hear a word often repeated: abundance. Rossing grew up in Northfield, Minn., with a current population of nearly 21,000. It’s the home of Carleton College, where Rossing studied geology as an undergraduate. She […]
A bold missionary vision Back in the 1980s, LSTC became one of two Lutheran institutions that incorporated Islamic studies into the very heart of their curriculum. Led by visionaries such as Harold S. Vogelaar and Roland Miller, these seminaries took the lead in facilitating productive and empathic dialogue with people of the Islamic faith. The […]
