Fort Wayne sem presents annual symposia

Concordia Theological Seminary will present its annual symposia on exegetical and confessional theology Jan. 21-24 on its campus in Fort Wayne, Ind., and in a live webcast.

A Lenten preaching workshop, led by the Rev. John T. Pless, will precede the symposia on Jan. 20 (click here for a related story).

The theme for the Exegetical Theology Symposium, Jan. 21-22, is “Where Does God Dwell? A Real Presence Hermeneutics.”

Presenters and their topics include seminary faculty:

the Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe, “More than Words: Jeremiah’s Sacramental Richness.”

the Rev. Jeffrey H. Pulse, “Ascending to God: The Cosmology of Worship in the Old Testament.”

the Rev. Dr. Walter A. Maier III, “The Divine Presence within the Cloud.”

the Rev. Dr. Charles A. Gieschen, who will moderate a panel discussion on “Where Does God Dwell? A Real Presence Hermeneutics.”

the Rev. Dr. Peter J. Scaer, “The Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Presence: Reflections on the Interplay of Forgiveness and Communion.”

the Rev. Dr. Daniel L. Gard, “Creation, Fall and the Presence of Christ: An Examination of Genesis 4:1.”

Also presenting will be the Rev. Dr. Gary A. Anderson, Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind. Anderson’s topic is “To See Where God Dwells: The Tabernacle, the Temple and the Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition.”

The Symposium on the Lutheran Confessions, Jan. 22-24, will address “Lutheran Distinctives in an Age of Religious Change.”

Presenters from the seminary and their topics include:

the Rev. Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr., “Lutheranism Submerged in Culture.”

the Rev. Dr. David P. Scaer, “Lutheran Distinctives as Theological Substitutes.”

the Rev. Dr. Naomichi Masaki, “Cultural Differences and Church Fellowship.”

the Rev. Dr. Gifford A. Grobien, “Where is the Wise Turk? The Cultural Conscience and Christian Morality.”

the Rev. Dr. Roland F. Ziegler, “Doctrinal Unity and Church Fellowship.”

Also speaking will be:

the Rev. Dr. Gerhard H. Bode Jr., chairman/associate professor of historical theology and archivist at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, “The Missouri Synod and the Historical Question of Unionism and Syncretism.”

the Rev. Dr. Nathan Yoder, pastor of St. Martin’s Lutheran Church in Maiden, N.C., a congregation of the North American Lutheran Church (NALC), “NALC as ELCA Alternative.”

the Rev. Dr. Steven D. Paulson, an author and faculty member at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., “The Gospel and Other Gospels.”

the Rev. Dr. Rune Imberg, research director at the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg, Sweden, “A Light Shining in a Dark Place: How Long Can a Confessional Voice Be Heard in a Lutheran State Church?”

A panel discussion on the topic “What Will World Lutheranism Look Like in 2025?” also will be held.

Registration is $150 for the entire symposia, $80 for the exegetical symposium only and $120 for the confessions symposium only. Also available is a one-day registration for $60. Tickets to the reception and banquet on Sept. 23 are $40 each. Registration for the Livestream video option is $75.

For more information or to register online, visit ctsfw.edu/symposia.