This page shows resources available through Select Learning supporting the Life of Faith initiative.
Here are some free video resources provided by the Life of Faith Initiative:
Life of Faith trailer
Life of Faith Congregation
Church Council and our Life of Faith (Zoom)
A resource list of addtional material put together by members of the Life of Faith task force can be found by clicking here.
Podcasts of lectures from Luther Seminary faculty.
The Book of Acts
Sept 9/10 Sarah Henrich/Luther Seminary
"Restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6): What were they thinking?
Oct 7/8 Sarah Henrich/Luther Seminary
"The Gentiles who turn to God" (15:19):Who were these folks and what did they bring to their new communities?
Nov 11/12 David Fredrickson/Luther Seminary
The Two Pauls: The Book of Acts Versus the Letters of Paul
Dec 9/10 David Fredrickson/Luther Seminary
Session two deals with the meaning of religion (1 Corinthians 1-2 and Acts 17)
2017
Jan 13/14 David Fredrickson/Luther Seminary
Session three examines attitudes toward the religion of others (1 Corinthians 8; Acts 14:8-18).
Feb 10/11 David Fredrickson/Luther Seminary
Session four looks at gender (Philippians 3-4 and Acts 16:11-15).
Mar 10/11 David Fredrickson/Luther Seminary
Session five treats Judaism (Romans 9-11; Acts 13-15).
April 7/8 Ray Picket/Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8): How is the Spirit at Work in the World Today?
May 12/13 Ray Picket/Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
“These people who have been turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6): How do we Witness to the Resurrection of Jesus?
2017-18 LSM Cont Ed Faculty/Topics
We have repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery.
Now what?
Two years ago, the Lay School Board (LSM) began planning our continuing education theme for the 2017-18 academic year.
“We Repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery. What's Next?” Our synod (made up of 199 congregations) was one of the 18 synods that passed this resolution and memorialized the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) to do the same
this August, which it did! It is one thing to pass a resolution. It is another thing altogether to live into it.
Our LSM board is taking the four resolves of this assembly resolution seriously (they call for study and engagement). We are planning an entire year of work, led by American Indian and other scholars, including time spent in American Indian nations in our synod listening to elders. Representatives of the LSM board, and members of our synod’s SWO Racial Justice Advocates, went to Chicago to meet at our church-wide office with Gordon Straw, Prairie Rose Seminole and Inez Torres Davis. Our goal was to map out what 9 sessions, 6 hours each, would look like. We wanted to hear from the three of them what should be covered and how it should be experienced.
September 8/9 - Session 1: Doctrine of Discovery/history of colonization in the world and role of the church.
Dr. Anton Treuer (pronounced troy-er) is Professor of Ojibwa at Bemidji State University and authour of 14 books, including Everytihng You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask. His equity, educaton and cultural works has put him on a path of service throughout the region, country and the world.
Session 1 The Anatomy of Oppression: The Doctrine of Discovery
Session 2 Supreme Law of the Land: Indian Treaties from the Revolution to Standing Rock
October 13/14 - Session 2: Biblical and Confessional basis from which all of these conversations flow – why this is not optional for Lutherans!
The Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin was elected bishop of the Southwest California Synod in 2013. He is the first Native American to be elected bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as well as the first openly gay person to serve as an ELCA bishop. Bishop Erwin is a member of the Osage Nation. After earning a PhD from Yale University, he was Lecturer in Church History in the Yale Divinity School (YDS) where he taught History of Western Christianity as well as courses on Martin Luther, the Pietists and other specialties. He taught at California Lutheran University from 2000 until his election as bishop.
November 10/11 - Session 3: History of the Indian Nations of Wisconsin, Act 31, the view from a Wisconsin public school classroom & stories of real interaction with tribes – Jeff Ryan
December 8/9 - Session 4: History of Federal Law relating to Native Americans (which of course includes Treaties), including conversation about whatever is current on this topic, like Standing Rock is now – with Gordon Straw: “The Nations Within: The Legal Context for Ministry Within Tribal Communities”
January 12/13 & February 9/10 - Sessions 5 & 6: White privilege/racial justice training. Karen Ressel, Pine Ridge
Reservation. Karen will also share personal stories from her work at Pine Ridge and Africa.
March 9/10 & April 13/14 - Sessions 7 & 8: Field Trips to different reservations in our synod. (Small groups divided by conference clusters.
May 11/12 - Session 9: Review, Wrap-up and Planning for the future. Prairie Rose Seminole.
2018-2019 LSM Continuing Education
Biblical Lenses Matter
Dr. Mark Allan Powell, Trinity Lutheran Seminary
I will introduce the basic topic of "How Social Location (and Other Factors--including, apparently, genetic ones) Determine Comprehension"--with numerous examples, mainly from the Bible.
Dr. Mark Vitalis Hoffman, United Lutheran Seminary
Reading the New Testament through the lens of the Old Testament and a geographical lens. Place matters.
Dr. David Anderson, Milestones Ministry
Family and Household Eye Glasses - as compared to typical U.S. individualism.
Dr. Corrine Carvalho, University of Thomas
"What Video Games and the Nones Have to Teach Us about the Old Testament."
Rev. Lori Ruge-Jones and Dr. Phil Ruge-Jones, Synod Pastors
Hearing Scripture (Orality) and Reading Through our Own Biographical Story
Dr. Diane Jacobson and Anna Marsh, Professor Emeritus Luther Seminary
Food and Drink in Scripture
Dr. Kristin Wendland, Wartburg College
Reading What is Hidden
Dr. Charlene Cox, UW-Oshkosh
"Engaging the Living Word: The Text, Narrative Identity, and Spiritual Formation"
Dr. Mercedes Garcia Bachmann, Lutheran Chuch in Argentina
Global South lens; Latin Americcan Liberation Theology lens; sociopolitical reading of the Bible
Understanding, Renewing, and Co-creating
in God’s Good Creation
Lay School of Ministry of Northwest Synod of Wisconsin
2019-2020 Continuing Education Program
God is Here: Inhabiting Creation with a Room-Making God
Mary Emily Briehl Duba, University of Dubuque - The 2019 Greg Kaufmann lecturer
Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology, Louisville Institute Fellow
When the World was Wild and Waste & Other Creation Stories
Pam Faro, Oral Performance Storyteller and Educator, M. Div.
Richard Swanson, Augustana University (Sioux Falls)
Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Classics
Faith-Inspired Care for the Environment in the Southwest
Glenn Schrader, The University of Arizona, Institute of the Environment
Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Creation: A Native American Christian Perspective
Kelly Sherman-Conroy, Luther Seminary
Ph.D. Student
Climate and Faith: The Science, Our Shared Values and Some Responses
Jim Boulter, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Watershed Institute
Associate Professor of Chemistry
A Watered Garden: Worship and Ecology
Benjamin M. Stewart, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Gordon A. Braatz Associate Professor of Worship
Practicing Joyful Stewardship
Jim Martin-Schramm, Luther College
Professor of Religion
Eco-Reformation, Jesus and the Bible: Cultivating Hope and Healing for All
Barbara Rossing, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Professor of New Testament
Resisting Structural Evil to Heal a Broken World
Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, California Lutheran University
Professor of Theological and Social Ethics
The continuing education program of the Northwest Synod of WI, ELCA.
Biblical Welcome and Sojourning Saints:
Living into the 2019 ELCA Church Wide Assembly Decisions and Commemorations
Karen González
Justice, Compassion, and Truth in the Immigration Conversation
Writer, Speaker, Immigrant Advocate
Author of The God Who Sees
Javier Alanis
Immigration & the Image of Diosito/God, the Beloved: a Southwestern Perspective
Director/Associate Professor of Theology, Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest
Author of Dignity for the Foreigner: The Imago Dei from a Latino Lutheran Perspective
Richard Ward
Just Jesus or A Just Jesus: the Politics of Following Jesus
Professor of Homiletics and Worship at Phillips Theological Seminary
Author of Speaking of the Heart, and Speaking of the Holy
Aubrey Thonvold
Co-Creating a World without Outcasts, 10 Years Later
Executive Director of ReconcilingWorks
"ReconcilingWorks embodies, inspires, advocates &
organizes for the acceptance and full participation of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, & gender expressions within the Lutheran communion..."
Mary Campbell with the AMMPARO Team
Being a Sanctuary Denomination
Program Director of AMMPARO
"AMMPARO is a holistic, whole church commitment by the ELCA, as a church in the world,
to accompany children today and in the future."
Michael Chan
Welcoming the Stranger: Legal and Prophet Witness from the Old Testament
Assistant Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary
Author of The City on a Hill and co-author of Exploring the Bible
Rhonda Hill
Living Out Liberation: Challenging Racism in the Church
Race & Faith
raceandfaith.org
Tuhina Verma Rasche
Christian Hospitality in an Inter-Religious, Authentically Diverse World
Activist, artist, (un)intended disruptor
Blogger at medium.com/@tvrasche and thislutheranlife.blogspot.com/
LSM podcasts 2015-16
Why the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation Still Matters
Kit Kleinhans, Wartburg College, “Reformation: Why and How? An Introduction”
Martin Lohrmann, Wartburg Seminary, “Reformers Working Together: The Collegial Side of the Lutheran Reformation”
Wanda Deifelt, Luther College, “Art and the Reformation”
Robert and Victoria Christman, Luther College, “The Reformation and the Common Folk (Germany and the Low Countries)”
Phil Ruge-Jones, Texas Lutheran University, "Luther and the Word"
Darrell Jodock, St. Olaf, "500 Years of Interpreting and Reinterpreting Luther."
L. DeAne Lagerquist, St. Olaf, “Global Legacy of the Reformation”
Brooks Schramm & Kirsi Stjerna, Gettysburg/PLTS, “Luther and the Jews"
Ralph Klein, Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, “Rare Books, Reformation Medallions and Luther”
Lutheran Answers to Real Questions
Carol Schersten Lahurd (LSTC)
Topic: What is the role of Lutheranism in a religiously pluralistic society? How should the ELCA relate to the varied Jewish traditions represented in the USA? What should our role be towards our Islamic neighbors? Should we work together with other faith traditions on social issues?
David Fredrickson (Luther Seminary)
Topic: What should the church say regarding the criminal justice system? Does the fact that the vast majority of people incarcerated are minorities go against our own Scriptural roots? Does criminalizing everything actually lead to a safer society? What should we say about rehabilitation of those who are incarcerated?
Eli Hernandez, Assistant Director for Outreach, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Topic: As an immigrant church, should Lutherans be a part of the national debate over immigration? Does the Biblical perspective on the “sojourner in our midst” help shape what Lutheran’s bring to the conversation? What has been our own history with immigration? Do we have an ethical perspective on the pressures that drive immigration, and the administrative bottlenecks that contribute to the rising tide of undocumented immigrants?
Gary Simpson (Luther Seminary)
Topic: Why should Lutherans care about the culture wars going on in our country? What is the vocation of the church in a polarized society? Should the church work for the common good of the society it finds itself in? Should the church be concerned about the growing economic inequality in the USA? How dangerous is the declining civic engagement and why should Lutherans care?
Jim Martin-Schramm (Luther College)
Topic: If heaven is our home, why should Lutherans care about ecological issues? Should we get involved in current scientific debates over cosmology, evolution or genetics? Does our Lutheran confessional heritage call us to care for the earth and what humans are doing to it? Do Lutherans offer a unique perspective in the debates over the interlocking problems of global warming, energy consumption, water availability and usage, and the loss of species?
Bishop Mark Hanson (ELCA Presiding Bishop)
Topic: What is the calling of the church, and what is the best way to organize it? As a church committed to becoming a more missional church, how should we be structured? Does the current structure of our ELCA make sense in the 21st century? What does the emerging church movement have to teach us?
Phil Ruge Jones - (Texas Lutheran University)
Topic: Why do Lutherans emphasize the theology of the cross so much? Doesn’t God want to bless us? Why do Lutherans reject the very popular “prosperity gospel” movements? Does the theology of the cross leave any room for a theology of glory? What difference does this actually make in our own lives of faith?
Ralph Klein (LSTC)
Topic: Why do so many people fight about how to interpret the Bible? What did Martin Luther think about the Bible? Do Lutherans believe “in the Bible?” What do Lutherans have to say about inerrancy, infallibility and authority? Does the Left Behind series fit with a Lutheran understanding of the Bible?
Susan McArver (Southern Seminary)
Topic: Why do Lutherans make such a big deal about our baptism? What do we mean when we say that all the baptized are called to live out their vocation in the world? What does ministry in daily life look like through the many stages of our lives?
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If you have further questions or comments about Select Learning theological materials, please contact:
Maria Rodas
ma.e.rodas@gmail.com
NOTE: Please include your church name and address. Thank you.

