{"id":7848,"date":"2024-05-21T15:35:52","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T15:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.luthersem.edu\/story\/?p=7848"},"modified":"2025-08-13T20:34:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T20:34:42","slug":"summer-2024-faculty-and-staff-notes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.luthersem.edu\/story\/2024\/05\/21\/summer-2024-faculty-and-staff-notes\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty and Staff Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"

A grant from the Buntrock Foundation for Leadership allowed Luther Seminary to recruit two part-time visiting contract faculty members, who are splitting their time between Faith+Lead and the seminary\u2019s academic degree programs. Anthony<\/strong> Bateza<\/strong>, a specialist in Martin Luther and Christian ethics who teaches religion at St. Olaf College, will join Luther in June. Tripp<\/strong> Fuller<\/strong>, who hosts the popular Homebrewed Christianity podcast, began his work at Luther this spring, teaching a class on spirituality and popular culture, which will also be available through Faith+Lead Academy.<\/p>\n

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Arlene<\/strong> Flancher<\/strong>, children, youth, and family coordinator and student advisor, and Jen Gruendler<\/strong>, associate director for enrollment services, presented a workshop\u2014\u201cA Handful of Practices to Cultivate Friendworks (Like Networks but a Billion Times Better)\u201d\u2014at the ELCA Network Extravaganza in New Orleans in January, an annual conference drawing together more than 1,000 leaders in children, youth, and family ministries.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEmbodying Creation and Gospel: Thinking With and After Gustaf Wingren,\u201d an essay by Lois<\/strong> Malcolm<\/strong> \u201989<\/strong> M.A.<\/strong>, professor and Olin and Amanda Fjelstad Reigstad Chair for Systematic Theology, was recently published in \u201cBodies Inhabiting the World: Scandinavian Creation Theology and the Question of Home,\u201d edited by Derek Nelsen, Niels Gregersen, and Bengt Uggla (Lanham: Lexington, 2024).<\/p>\n

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Kenneth<\/strong> Reynhout<\/strong>, senior director of institutional effectiveness, assessment, and research, began serving as president of the Association for Institutional Research in the Upper Midwest.<\/p>\n

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Cody<\/strong> Sanders<\/strong>, associate professor of congregational and community care leadership, gave a paper titled \u201cLGBTQ+ Chrono-Stress, Traumatic Temporality, and Queer(ing) Preaching\u201d on a panel at the Society of Biblical Literature, and has offered a number of forums and sermons at churches around the Twin Cities. Sanders became co-editor, with Justin Sabia-Tanis, of a new book series with Lexington Books, titled \u201cQueer and Trans Approaches to Religion and Theology.\u201d He joined the editorial boards of the journals Christian Ethics Today and Pastoral Psychology. He also served from January through March as the interim chaplain for the Plymouth Fire Department.<\/p>\n

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In March, Kathryn<\/strong> Schifferdecker<\/strong>, professor and Elva B. Lovell Chair of Old Testament, was the keynote speaker at the 43rd Annual Rural Ministry Conference, sponsored by the Center for Theology and Land at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.<\/p>\n

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Matthew Skinner<\/strong>, professor and Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Chair of New Testament, published \u201cMatthew: The Gospel of Promised Blessings\u201d with Abingdon Press this year. The book includes a leader guide and a collection of videos to facilitate small-group discussions.<\/p>\n

Skinner also wrote the introduction to and study notes for the Acts of the Apostles in The SBL Study Bible published by HarperCollins in November 2023. Other contributors from Luther Seminary include David Fredrickson \u201980 <\/strong>M.Div.<\/strong>, retired associate professor of New Testament, who wrote the introduction to and study notes for Philippians; Cameron<\/strong> Howard<\/strong>, associate professor of Old Testament, who wrote the sidebar \u201cThe Authority of the Written Word\u201d; and David<\/strong> Tiede<\/strong> \u201966<\/strong> B.D.<\/strong>, former president of the seminary and professor emeritus of New Testament, who wrote study notes for Luke.<\/p>\n

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In Memoriam<\/h2>\n

Carl<\/strong> Braaten<\/strong> \u201955<\/strong> M.Div.<\/strong> died on October 28, 2023. Braaten was an esteemed American Lutheran theologian and minister, and contributed significantly to Lutheran theology and ecumenism. After studying at St. Olaf College and Luther Seminary, he furthered his education at Heidelberg University and Harvard Divinity School under the guidance of Paul Tillich. Ordained in 1958, Braaten served in a Minneapolis parish and taught at Luther Seminary before joining the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 1962. He was one of the founders of the journals dialog: A Journal of Theology and Pro Ecclesia and the author of many books and articles.<\/p>\n

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Sylvia<\/strong> Ruud <\/strong>died on February 8, 2024. She was managing editor of Word & World, Luther Seminary\u2019s quarterly journal of theology, from its inception in 1981 until she retired in 2016. Former editor Fred<\/strong> Gaiser<\/strong> said she was \u201cthe most overqualified person for a job that I have ever known. Not only did she do an excellent job of carrying out the day-by- day affairs of the Word & World office, but as managing editor, she proofread every article and could correct your Greek, your Hebrew, and your English grammar. She never missed a typo or deadline, and on top of all that, she could read Italian. We worked side-by-side for a quarter of a century, and it was never anything but a pleasure.\u201d She also served as production editor of Dialog, a theological journal formerly based at Luther.<\/p>\n

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Read more from Summer 2024<\/h2>\n