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 Receives $1M Lilly Endowment Preaching Grant
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 […]
Book Recommendation: ‘The Visual Preacher’
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, […]
God Meets Us Where We Are
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 […]
Book Recommendation: ‘Women and the Christian Story: A Global History’
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 […]
Gratitude for Big Dreams
In this season of Thanksgiving, I am reminded of the psalmist who calls us to “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1). Today, I give thanks to God for big dreams. Five years ago, we undertook a holy experiment to reimagine theological education for a […]