7-9 October 2011

Red Hill Lutheran Church
Tustin, CA

Register for this Event

“What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.”

The apostle John begins his epistle with these words to bring you confidence and joy. The reason the church exists is to make much of Christ, to tell others about the wonders and gifts the resurrection provides. Evangelism and World Missions are the words we use to describe what it is to speak of our confidence and joy in Christ’s resurrection.

Lutherans, as a whole, have a particularly rich theology that is too often squandered in regard to Evangelism. Since Lutheran’s in America have been largely ethnic in makeup, yet now are more diverse (especially in suburban centers) we strive to find new and inclusive ways to engage non Christians. A popular way is to look at what others are doing, so we look to programs that have numbers and short-term success, projects that have catchy titles and a finite duration promising “results”. Looking outside may have kept our Evangelism and Missions committees working, but has it prepared us for the task of proclamation? Or, to put it a biblical way, has discarding the plain presentation of Christ Crucified brought with it fruit that we recognize? These are some of the questions we will answer this weekend.

Join us for a weekend of dialog devoted to sharing the freedom from sin that Christ secured for you. John Bradosky, Dr. James Nestingen, Dr. Yohannes Mengsteab, and Dr. Adam Francisco will lead us through these joys and gifts provided to every Christian. This will be a weekend of confidence building stories and engagement with fellow believers centered around the greatest story ever told.

Event Presenters

Keynote Lectures

John Bradosky  |  Evangelism as a Matter of Identity

Evangelism is not formulaic, rather it is the clear proclamation of the Good News found only in Christ Jesus that has not only made a profound difference in our life but is the essence of our life and our identity.

James Nestingen  |  Secondary Confirmation (Two lectures)
Secondary Confirmation is the historical way Lutheran’s have passed on the faith to our children and grandchildren. Bringing up God fearing children falls to parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, godparents and teachers; all helping to re-prioritize life so that the Christian narrative is passed down to our children at all ages.

Yohannes Mengsteab  |  Crossing Cultures & Languages
World Evangelism is meant to cross both cultural and linguistic barriers. When Christ set loose the gospel in Matthew 28, the vision was for peoples of all tribes and tongues to hear the good news of salvation. Dr. Mengsteab provides a picture of and encouragement for becoming global fishers-of-men.

Adam Francisco  |  Contending for the Faith with Confidence
The culture that surrounds us regards the gospel as legend or myth. This assumption is continually affirmed when Christians fail to contend with confidence for its truthfulness. This lecture assesses our current cultural milieu and offers a basic yet essential apologetic response grounded in the core claim of Christianity: that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself (2 Cor. 5:19).

Yohannes Mengsteab  |  The Content of World Missions
The language and content provided us in the small catechism: comfort and provision, assurance and gift is the same that we are sent with to the world. If the framework of World Missions is culture and language, Christ crucified is the true content as Yohannes illustrates with stories from the mission field.

Adam Francisco  |  The Challenge of Islam
Islam seeks, as the Qur’an 9:33 puts it, to prevail over every religion. This includes Christianity. What this all means—and there is already plenty of evidence for it—is that theological encounters with Islam will become more commonplace as Muslim populations increase in number and confidence. This lecture will hone in on the theological challenges and evangelical opportunities some might already be experiencing and others can expect in the near future.

James Nestingen  |  Confession and Absolution: The gospel flows from forgiveness
Are confession and absolution outdated practice from an outdated church? What does it mean when we hear, “your sins are forgiven on account of Christ”? What happens in the declaration of these words that is worth continuing the practice? Jim will discuss these questions with refreshing clarity and constant focus on Christ as he brings the wisdom of Scripture to bear on this important Christian doctrine.

All these great lectures plus four Breakout Group series offering unique presentations about Evangelism, World Missions and Education!

For Students and Pastors

Start Date: 10 June 2011
Facilitators: Dr. James A. Nestingen and Prof. Scott L. Keith

Course Description:

The ability to discern and evaluate what materials to include and exclude in a writing project, of any size, is foundational for students. As students of God’s Word it is necessary all the more. This introductory course to Research Methodologies will provide the basic skill-set needed to be successful when approaching a subject to study, be it a sermon text or a larger writing project. Organizing your thoughts and materials logically, narrowing your focus and writing to completion takes understanding and practice.

This course is an introduction to the importance and varieties of theological research methods, and to the nature and conduct of theological research. The seminar will assist students to learn how to employ theological method and research in their studies. Research students will learn the skills needed to complete an advanced research project. Pastors will learn to further hone the skills necessary to continue in their craft of sermon and Bible class preparation.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate research capabilities in the field of theology, which will facilitate future learning and ministry development.
2. Have familiarity with theological research tools and their use within ministry.
3. Evaluate theological resources, both in print and online for theological integrity and usefulness in the process of continuing research.
4. Understand the process of research and writing involved in the thesis process and advanced theological research.
5. Develop outlines for use in sermon preparation, Bible classes, Confirmation and writing for a lay audience.

Who is this course open to?

This course is open to M.Div. and M.Th students at Wittenberg Institute, as well as anyone who wants to better understand the craft of research. The course may be taken for credit ($600), or audit for half price ($300).

Details:

Lectures will be held online, Fridays 12:30pm to 2:00pm (PST). The first lecture will be held on Friday, June 10th. The class will run for eight consecutive weeks, the last lecture will be held on July 29th. For more information and a full course syllabus, email: academics@wittenberginstitute.org

Here is a resource from Luther House of Studies for your consideration. Visit their information page for registration and other details for this event with Dr. Stephen Paulson.

Both lay people and ministry professionals are encouraged to attend this event Jan. 2-4, 2011, for insightful, relevant theological conversation.

The Proclamation on the Plains Conference on Jan. 2-4, 2011, features Dr. Steven Paulson, Professor of Systematic Theology, Luther Seminary (St. Paul, Minn.), speaking on the topic “‘Who Do You Say I Am?’ Christology in the Middle of Life.” The conference will take place at Sioux Falls Seminary in Room 204B.

The mission of the Proclamation on the Plains Conference is to embolden Lutheran ministries with insightful, relevant theological conversation.

Sunday, Jan. 2 — 4:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 3-4 — 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Registration:
Conference attendance is limited to 35 participants. Cost is $100 per person.
To reserve a place at the conference, send an email with your name, address, and phone number to Congregational Outreach & Liturgical Arts.

Make checks payable to Luther House of Study. Send checks postmarked by Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010, to:

Proclamation on the Plains Conference
Augustana College
2001 S Summit Avenue
Sioux Falls, SD 57197

Housing:
Conference housing is available at the Jerstad Center, Good Samaritan Society, 4800 W 57th Street, Sioux Falls, SD. The cost is $75 for three nights’ lodging and continental breakfast each morning. Contact the Jerstad Center directly to make your reservation.

Dr. Steven Paulson
Professor of Systematic Theology
Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN

In addition to the master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary, Paulson earned both the master of theology and the doctor of theology degrees from Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. A former parish pastor, he also spent seven years as assistant professor of religion at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, before joining the Luther faculty in 1998.

According to Paulson, the goal of systematic theology is proclamation. “It’s about understanding what the word of God is doing. The word of God is not just a text that we interpret or manipulate for our own purposes and ends. It’s alive, it’s operating, it works on us and in us,” he says.

He describes systematic theologians as “having our toes in two ponds. We try to understand how Christian proclamation has worked in the past by studying dogma, doctrine and preaching. But we also try to recognize how God is at work today in those who stand before us so we can bring them words that they need to hear — the promises secured in Jesus Christ.”

Adam Francisco is a Faculty Fellow of Wittenberg Institute and Professor of History at Concordia University in Irvine. Dr. Francisco taught this two day class at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, in Carson City Nevada. He covers general topics in Christian Apologetics, as well as spending a good deal of time on the New Atheist movement, and apologetics to Islam. Dr Fransisco is an engaging and dynamic instructor and brings an icreadible base of knowledge to this presentation. Special thanks go to Bethlehem Lutheran Church for hosting the event.

Video Series on our YouTube Channel

Here is the introductory video

We have enlisted several of our students to help with forthcoming translations of the 1559 edition of the Loci Communes of Philip Melanchthon and combined translations of the German and Latin editions of the Magdeburg Confession. Some of the students were a bit rusty with their Latin, so we developed a quick reference guide to help them along. If you find it helpful, please feel free to utilize it as you see fit.

Latin Vocabulary Chart

Paul Koch, a Lutheran pastor from Minnesota has developed some unique songs to help his confirmation students memorize Luther’s Small Catechism.

I wanted to help my confirmation students memorize the Small Catechism, and so I began humming and rapping tunes each week for the various pieces.  The words are straight out of the “orange” edition of the Catechism that’s been available for years from Augsburg Fortress. I’ve offered these songs to my students so they can download them onto their iPods and listen to them over and over again.  I’ve found that they’ve been doing better on their memory quizzes since having the songs.

Paul

Lord’s Prayer

Lord’s Prayer Intro

01 Lord’s Prayer

02 Lord’s Prayer

03 Lord’s Prayer

04 Lord’s Prayer

05 Lord’s Prayer

Ten Commandments

Ten Commandments Intro

01 Ten Commandments First

02 Ten Commandments Second and Third

03 Ten Commandments Fourth

05 Ten Commandments Sixth

Paul has also written a song in memory of Gerhard Forde, text and audio below.

“Ballad for Gerhard” by Paul Koch

Ballad for Gerhard

I’m dead but I don’t know it
Self-deluded I don’t show it
Pool is empty but I keep trying to dive
Don’t need motivation
That old train just left the station
I’m dead I need a word that makes alive

Final judgment come and gone
Still Johnny-One-Note sings his song
Singing we’re just about to hit our stride
But the verdict has come in
Your free will lost, it didn’t win
The Son was hung, congratulations for your pride

The Lord came down, they had him fettered
Still you think that you’d do better
Than his own chosen people done
They had the law, they had the prophets
You’ve just been grafted so get off it
Cock-a-doodle you’ve rejected the Son

In a valley full of bones
The Reverend Warren stood alone
Trying to teach purpose to the dead
Ezekiel come and prophesied
The bones all danced when the Spirit sighed
Poor ol’ Rick grabbed his books, turned and fled

Faith believes what it don’t see
And learns to trust the One in Three
Even though it sounds like so much holy jive
But he’s returning from the skies
Then I’ll see with my own eyes
I’m dead in me, but in him so much alive

—

Thanks Paul!

New audio available from Dr. Stephen Paulson from Mount Carmel Media. This series is entitled Categorical Preaching. Other offerings on the site include Gerhard Forde, Mark Mattes, Herb Loddigs, Paul Zahl and Walter Sundberg.

Enjoy!

We just uploaded two videos from our Winter 2009 Table Talk series. First video is on the Lord’s Supper, the second is on a High View of Scripture. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter or Newsletter for automatic updates.

Mount Carmel has posted another series from a 2010 Summer Family Camp, this time from Dr. Mark Mattes entitled “All God’s promises are Yes.” These four lectures are a study of the book of Hebrews and are commended to you. All this fantastic audio and video is available to you for free, download the MP3′s directly to your computer and sync with iTunes or other music library.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Carson City, NV will host Dr. Adam Francisco in an Apologetics forum September 11, 2010.

“Dr. Adam Francisco will help walk us through the reasons why we share our faith and how to devend it in our increasingly unbelieving world. This is an excellent opportunity to learn to ‘Contend for the Faith.’”

Bethlehem Lutheran Church
September 11, 2010
11:00am – 5:00pm
Lunch provided by Bethlehem Lutheran Church School

All are welcome!

Francisco 2010