This month we celebrated the life and mourned the death of longtime faculty member Jim Nestingen, professor emeritus of church history. Jim influenced a generation of pastors, deacons, teachers, and everyday disciples—including, I suspect, many of you. Several of Jim’s former students took time to reach out after his death. Their notes about how his […]
James Nestingen, professor emeritus of church history at Luther Seminary, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, December 31, 2022. “Jim was a compelling storyteller, eloquent lecturer, and prolific catechist,” said Luther Seminary President Robin Steinke. “He helped educate a generation of pastors, teachers, confirmands, and everyday disciples on the central Lutheran insights regarding faith in Jesus […]
Luther Seminary has received a grant of $1 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help preachers cultivate transformational Christian faith through compelling preaching for today’s world. Cultural, technological, and generational shifts continue to challenge the effectiveness of preaching models that don’t attend to the intersectional realities of 21st-century listeners. With a distinctive commitment to Biblical […]
Steve Thomason, associate professor of spiritual formation, is the author of “The Visual Preacher: Proclaiming an Embodied Word,” published by Fortress Press in July 2022. An artist and a rostered minister in the ELCA, Thomason aims to help preachers create and use images that make them better storytellers. Believing that pictures speak differently than words, […]
In these final days of Advent, many of us are frantically finishing holiday preparations—not so much lingering in the light of the Advent hope “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” as rushing headlong toward Christmas and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” This hectic pace has become such a routine part of life. And yet, I […]
Jennifer Wojciechowski, assistant professor of church history, is the author of “Women and the Christian Story: A Global History,” published by Fortress Press in 2022. Spanning two millennia and six continents, the book offers a fresh history of Christianity that foregrounds the story of Christian women. “This is a story about Christian women. It is […]