Available courses
This course will consider the acts of early Christian martyrs and the theology of the second
century, including Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, the martyrs of Lyons, Sts. Perpetua and Felicitas,
Irenaeus of Lyons and others. Special emphasis will be placed on their relevance for today. As
our contemporary American culture progresses toward a pagan worldview, questions of
Christian identity become of paramount importance. In this study, we will have the opportunity
to consider these questions and beneJt from the wisdom of our early Christian fathers as they
preached the Gospel in a hostile environment.This class will study how Paul addresses confusion about the end-times in his letters to the Thessalonians. Topics such as the “intermediate state,” Antichrist, the return of Christ, the wrath of God, judgment, rapture, resurrection and vocation will be addressed through a study of these two letters that exhibit Paul’s pastoral care for a congregation confused about eschatology. (1.5 CEU)
Dr. Uwe Siemon-Netto’s class will cover two related topics:
1. The Lutheran doctrine of vocation as an antidote against the disastrous effects of the contemporary “Me” culture; this doctrine teaches that all Christians have a divine calling to serve their neighbors in all their secular endeavors.
2. The high probability that terrorists or rogue states could create a massive calamity in the United States by launching an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack, which could wipe out all electronics on the ground and therefore cause chaos on a massive scale (see attachment).
The class will consider questions such as how to“do church” (right-hand kingdom) and at the same time implement the doctrine of vocation (left-hand kingdom) in such a near-doomsday scenario.The Book of Concord is central to the life of our church, but it is often found underused or even
misused. In this course, we will focus our attention on the Formula of Concord. Amazingly
contemporary and invaluable, the Formula will be found as practical a handbook as the Small
Catechism. This rich confession of the Gospel is open for anyone, pastors and the people of God.The Apostolic Council in Jerusalem has much bearing on the situation facing the LCMS today.
SigniLcant decisions were made by the apostles and other leaders in the church in the Lrst 20
years of the church’s life that are instructive for us to observe.
This course will take a tour of the early church from the ascension to the Apostolic Council with a
view towards how decisions were made by the early fathers. The Apostolic Council is a
watershed event in the life of the early church, but it is also a signiLcant marker for the history of
the church and programmatic for us today. This brief, highlighted tour will recognize signiLcant
events in the Lrst 20 years of the church’s existence, observing the leaders as they are described
in Acts and Galatians, the decision-making process of the early Christians, as well as offering a
brief interpretation of the Apostolic Council in light of the issues facing the LCMS today.Our Lutheran liturgical heritage is a positive evolution of the New Testament and early
church, which in turn comes from the Old Testament as was practiced by Jesus Himself.
Jesus’ table fellowship with sinners sets the pattern of Christian worship as one of teaching
and eating. But many people in today’s church are asking: What is liturgy and what is our
theology of worship? What is distinctive about our Lutheran liturgy? May we adapt our
liturgy to today’s world to make it more relevant? These questions and many others will be
addressed by looking at our Lutheran liturgy yesterday, today and forever.Looking at the Mission of the Church with the Book of Acts and Lutheran Literature
- Teacher: Detlev Schulz
This course will focus on the mission of the church and the local congregation. Biblical and theological evidence especially from the book of Acts and from treatises by Lutheran fathers like Wilhelm Lӧhe and Ludwig Adolf Petri will provide the framework. In addition, this seminar will test the Lutheran paradigm of a missionary church and congregation against a contemporary author and the postmodern emergent church. The course will also include slide presentations on past and current LCMS mission work overseas.
This course will focus on the mission of the church and the local congregation. Biblical and
theological evidence, especially from the book of Acts and from treatises by Lutheran fathers like
Wilhelm Loehe and Ludwig Adolf Petri, will provide the framework. In addition, this seminar will
test the Lutheran paradigm of a missionary church and congregation against a contemporary
author and the postmodern emergent church. The course will also include slide presentations on
past and current LCMS mission work overseas.Is Lutheran theology as Luther himself developed it still relevant today? In a post-modern world
that challenges the very existence of truth, can Lutherans still make use of Luther? After reading
some of Luther's most signiMcant writings and recalling their context in Luther's life and career,
students will explore the Reformer's insights that are still important and discuss ways in which
Lutherans today can demonstrate their relevance to contemporary society.Dr. Luther lectured on Genesis between 1535-1545 which took him to the end of his life. By
that time Luther had battled against both the Medieval Roman Catholics as well as the
Enthusiasts. Since his audience was students who would soon be pastors, we hear some of
Luther’s best lectures which also speak evangelically to today’s pastors. In this course, we
will seek to see what help there is from Dr. Luther for our confession of Jesus and for our
ongoing catechesis of His people.Understanding the Old Testament and its christological character and foundation
means we must Orst understand the Hebrew people and their covenantal relationship
with God. Therefore, the task is not to“Ond” Jesus in the Old Testament, but rather to
recognize that Christ is the Old Testament.How does the Old Testament guide the church today? How can the laws and history of ancient Israel speak relevantly and authoritatively to the community of faith in the modern world? To answer these questions, it is crucial that the Old Testament be interpreted properly. Hermeneutics, the art and science of interpretation, becomes the key step in appropriating the Old Testament text. This course will survey the various efforts, both in academic circles and in parish settings, to formulate an adequate answer. It will seek to formulate a Lutheran and confessional perspective with a view to the actual use of the Old Testament in the preaching, teaching and larger life of the parish.
Isaiah has much to say about the interplay between Zion and the nations. It is a
complex picture with many dimensions and tensions. Here we will try to see how
the entire book of Isaiah presents this picture.- Pre-Seminary competency exams in NT, OT, and Christian Doctrine.
New Partners Online
- Teacher: Tamber Schorey