Colleagues, After over a decade of Mission Volunteer tours of duty for the ELCA, Marie and I now and then get invited for Sunday mission events in area congregations. That happened on October 7 and 14 this month, first at Peace Lutheran Church in Washington, Missouri, where Robin Morgan is pastor, and the next Sunday at two congregations …
A Bertram Memorandum. Another Artifact from Seminex Days and the Wars of Missouri
Colleagues, Bob Bertram’s widow, Thelda, and Crossings volunteers Cathy Lessmann and Michael Hoy keep finding stuff — fantastic stuff — as they continue to sort through the reams and reams of papers in Bob’s (I forget how many) filing cabinets. Bob died in March of 2003, but the glean-team isn’t done yet.They have already gone through all …
Mission Theology for New Congregations
Colleagues, Fifty years ago this fall I entered a classroom at Valparaiso University on the teacher-side of the desk for the first time ever. This fall, a half-century later, our local Lutheran School of Theology, an agency of the St. Louis Metro Coalition of Lutheran Congregations, asked me to try it again. But this time I didn’t …
Astronomy/Cosmology Breakthroughs and the God Question
Colleagues, Steve Kuhl, President of the Crossings Community, provides this week’s ThTh post. Steve’s a Seminex alum, came into the seminary “through a side door” from a career in aeronautical engineering, did his Ph.D on something like “Christ and Culture when American Agriculture is the Culture in Question.” He’s been doing “science and theology” ever since. Though …
Why Seminary?
Colleagues, Kathryn Kleinhans was a keynote speaker at the big Crossings gathering at the end of January this year. She returns for this week’s ThTh post with a message she gave earlier this month to the entering students at Luther Seminary (St. Paul, Minnesota). In real life Kit is a prof and department chair in Religion and Philosophy …
The Wars of Missouri that Led to Seminex. A Retrospective. Part III: A Sequel from Bob Bertram
Colleagues, Last week’s ThTh 483 (part II of a book review of Paul Zimmermann’s “Inside Story” on the Wars of the Missouri Synod) concluded with a postscript: D.v., there will be a Part III–a word from beyond the grave, you could almost say. Just discovered a few days ago among Bob Bertram’s papers is the one-page text of …
The Wars of Missouri that Led to Seminex. A Retrospective. Part II
Colleagues, Here’s the second half of the book review begun with last week’s posting of ThTh 482. Paul A. Zimmermann. A SEMINARY IN CRISIS. THE INSIDE STORY OF THE PREUS FACT FINDING COMMITTEE. St. Louis, CPH. 2007. 153 pp. (plus 290 pp of appendices). Hardcover $50. Item #3. Martin H. Scharlemann With his fixation on the “historical-critical method” …
The Wars of Missouri that Led to Seminex. A Retrospective.
Colleagues, For this week’s posting a book review. And then only the first half. Paul A. Zimmermann. A SEMINARY IN CRISIS. THE INSIDE STORY OF THE PREUS FACT FINDING COMMITTEE. St. Louis, CPH. 2007. 153 pp. (plus 290 pp of appendices) Hardcover $50. I myself get reviewed in Paul Zimmermann’s book. So “caveat lector.” Reader, beware. This reviewer …
Memento Mori at Home
Colleagues, We’re just back from “the ranch,” the Schroeder family farm in Coal Valley, Illinois, where the clan gathered to bury my farmer brother Bob, third in the line of us seven sibs, the first to die. Age 74. Brain tumor. Diagnosed a couple months ago. Glioblastoma multiforme, from which none recover, we are told. Besides being a …
ThTh Annual Report to the Crossings Board of Directors
Colleagues, OK, so I’m lazy here toward the end of August–and I’m double-dipping. The annual meeting of the Crossings board of directors happens this weekend here in St. Louis. Though long retired from the board I’m asked to give an account of my stewardship with Thursday Theology for the past year. Since I’ll be presenting this report …