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Lighting of candles during Friday morning prayer around the cross © LWF/D.-M. Grötzsch |
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News - DTS Consultation in Augsburg
Rev. Dr. Thomas Nyiwe © LWF/ |
30.03.09 | Everyone Needs Bread for Daily Life
Rev. Dr Thomas Nyiwe has summarized the key focus of the Lutheran World Foundation (LWF) consultation “Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches – Transformative Perspectives and Practices” as “a strong conviction that there needs to be a strong connection between our task of theologizing and the preaching and mission of our local congregations.”
In his sermon during the 29 March Service of Holy Communion in Augsburg’s St. Anne’s Church, the president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon testified: “I have seen Jesus in my life. He has redeemed me. He has transformed my life.”
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Service of Holy Communion on 29 March in Augsburg’s St. Anne’s Church © LWF/D.-M. Grötzsch |
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30.03.09 | Relationship with God Does Not End with Death
“Hell, if it exists, is temporal, not eternal,” claimed Rev. Dr Kristin Johnston Largen, associate professor for systematic theology at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
“If Christ has gone even there, to the deepest pit of existence, what of ‘hell’ is left?” Johnston Largen challenged 120 theologians on 28 March at the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) consultation “Theology in the Lives of Lutheran Churches – Transformative Perspectives and Practices.”
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Dr. Niels Henrik Gregersen |
Rev. Dr Kristin Johnston Largen |
Rev. Dr Norma Cook Everist |
Interactive plenary |
30.03.09 | Marginal Readings of Bible Help Discern New Way of Being Church
“In our day-to-day work of theologizing we hardly take seriously the concerns of our partners from different contexts,” emphasized Dr Monica J. Melanchthon, professor at Gurukul Lutheran Theological College in Chennai, India, on 27 March in Augsburg, Germany.
Speaking to some 120 participants at the Lutheran World Foundation (LWF) consultation “Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches – Transformative Perspectives and Practices,” Melanchthon explored the topic “Marginal Readings: Implications for the Lutheran Communion.”
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Dr Monica J. Melanchthon |
Rev. Dr Fidon Mwombeki |
Rev. Dr Dean Zweck © LWF/ |
Dr Barbara Rossing. |
Oberkirchenrat Michael Martin |
30.03.09 | Closing Gap between Academic Theology and Church Life
“The place where you are gathered–the city of Augsburg–fits well with the topic of your theological consultation,” said Oberkirchenrat Michael Martin, director of the department of ecumenism and church life of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria (ELKB).
On behalf of ELKB Bishop Dr Johannes Friedrich, Martin was welcoming the around 120 participants to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) consultation “Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches – Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today” at a reception given by the Bavarian church on 26 March in Augsburg, Germany.
30.03.09 | Lutheran Theology Alive and Well - Interreligious Dialogue Precondition for Theological Discourse
“Lutheran theology today is alive and well,” underlined Rev. Dr Guillermo Hansen on 26 March, addressing about 120 participants at the international consultation “Theology in the life of Lutheran churches – perspectives and ways of transforming churches today” of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Augsburg, Germany.
Lutheran theology is alive because it comes from such diverse environments, said the Argentinian, who is currently teaching at the Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
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Rev. Dr Guillermo Hansen © LWF/ |
Dr Ramathate Dolamo© LWF/ |
Dr. J. Paul Rajashekar © LWF/ |
Dr Eva Harasta |
Opening press conference © Universität Augsburg/Klaus Satzinger-Viel |
30.03.09 | Church Must Focus Involvement on Injustice, Hunger and Poverty
In the future, the worldwide Lutheran communion must make overcoming injustice, hunger and poverty the central focus of its action, emphasized Dr. Margot Kässmann, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, in a press conference on 26 March in Augsburg, Germany, during the consultation “Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches: Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today.”
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Both the theological consultation and the Eleventh Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to be held in Stuttgart, Germany, in July 2010 will contribute to a broadening of horizons on the eve of the Reformation jubilee in 2017. Kässmann called the theme of the LWF Assembly “Give Us Today Our Daily Bread” a “theological and political” challenge.
“Lutheran churches should focus together on the transformation within the worldwide communion,” insisted Rev. Dr Karen Bloomquist, director of the LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS). According to Bloomquist, Lutheranism since 1517 has undergone considerable change. For the sake of the future of the Lutheran church, it is of paramount importance to strengthen the connections between theology and the life of the church.
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Bishop Dr. Margot Kässmann (left), Dr Bernd Oberdorfer © Universität Augsburg/ Klaus Satzinger-Viel |
Dr Ramathate Dolamo (left), Rev. Dr Guillermo Hansen © Universität Augsburg/Klaus Satzinger-Viel |
27.03.09 | Reformation Jubilee in 2017 Must Have Clear Ecumenical Dimension
Dr. Margot Kässmann © LWF/ D.-M. Grötzsch |
The bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover Dr Margot Kässmann has issued a strong plea to "give the jubilee of the Reformation a clear ecumenical dimension."
On 26 March in one of the main presentations at the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches: Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today," the bishop insisted that, despite their disagreements and their specific identities, the Roman Catholic and Lutheran Churches have more things in common than things that separate them.
Augsburg deputy mayor Hermann Weber © LWF/ |
27.03.09 | Augsburg Mayor Welcomes Participants at LWF International Consultation
In a welcoming address on 25 March in the Golden Hall of the Augsburg town hall, the deputy mayor of the city of Augsburg, Hermann Weber, called it "a special honor" to greet the participants of the international consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches: Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today."
Augsburg’s past is intimately intertwined with the history of the church and with that of both Catholics and Lutherans, Weber observed. From this past, he said, "we have inherited responsibilities for the future."
Prof. Bernd Oberdorfer |
27.03.09 | Theologians from Across the Globe Gather in Augsburg for Lutheran Consultation
“It is an overwhelming experience to see so many people here from all over the world, and all of them are Lutherans,” declared Dr Bernd Oberdorfer, professor of Protestant theology at the University of Augsburg, in his opening address before an international gathering of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) on 25 March in Augsburg, Germany. “This displays in a wonderful way that the Lutheran church is a worldwide community,” he remarked.
