An opportunity to roll up our sleeves and work together to improve our preaching—as well as to unwind and enjoy time away in a pleasant setting. This course is for experienced pastors who are already competent in their preaching and confident enough to receive critique from their brethren. We’ll reinforce fundamentals while also exploring some original ideas in sermon form, sermon delivery, and Law and Gospel. (1.5 CEU)

Elizabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and other feminist scholars have suggested that Phoebe, Lydia, Priscilla, Junia and other leading ladies of the New Testament were all but ordained ministers and early proponents of the “gospel” of radical egalitarianism. However, a closer look suggests that these particular women were theologically trustworthy and so, for example, would willingly have submitted to the Pauline prohibitions against women speaking publicly in worship (1 Cor. 14:33b-38; 1 Tim. 2:11-14). This course casts new light on how essential women were to the growth of Christianity during the early centuries AD, and how the named women remain paradigmatic to lay and diakonal service yet today. (CEU 3.0)

At this time, when we are surrounded by various views and opinions on worship and liturgy, and in the context of having opportunities to learn from other Christian traditions concerning the questions of the liturgy, there is a possibility of doing it the Lutheran way. Rather than adopting what others are doing and seeing if we can find some theological justification for this, Lutherans go to the heart of the matter, the Gospel. We will reflect on liturgy with several key points in mind, such as Amt Christi (Office of Christ), δόσις and λῆψις (giving and receiving), sacramentum/beneficium and sacrificium, Gnadenmittelamt (means of grace) and Gnadenmittelsami (means of grace office) and Christian vocation. We will seek to confess the coherence of doctrine, liturgy and Christian life. (1.5 CEU)

This course will be an investigation into the Scriptures, looking particularly at the way the apostles speak of compassion and mercy. Emphasis will be toward Clement of Alexandria’s approach to teaching the Christian faith in a Gnostic world. Further, this course will examine scriptural texts exegetically and will consider how, in light of Clement’s approach, the Church may communicate the Scriptures and draw people into the Church in our modern-day Gnostic and Postmodern culture. (1.5 CEU)

Having become Christians, people often ask, “What now?” In this course we will discuss Luke’s vision for the Christian life. In particular, we will discuss the Christian’s role as family member, citizen and neighbor. See how Luke’s theology of the cross is applied to daily living. (1.5 CEU)

This course will offer hermeneutical and theological investigation of Israel’s history and the life of Jesus of Nazareth with particular focus on the Incarnation as foundation for the Scripture’s description of sacraments. The meaning of Baptism and Eucharist and their relationship to the Gospel in the context of the parish will be explored. (1.5 CEU)

A practical preaching course that presents, theologically critiques, and illustrates a variety of sermon forms available on the contemporary homiletical scene. Forms include several inductive and narrative options, phenomenological preaching, and others. (1.5 CEU)

Although the Gospel of John is frequently interpreted to be without sacramental meaning or
reference, the manner in which the story of Jesus is told reveals a pervasive christological,
sacramental and ecclesial perspective. The narrative about Jesus is a narrative about the life
of the Church grounded in and instantiated in Baptism and the Eucharist. Thus, the story of
Jesus is descriptive of the Way, that is, of the manner of life begun and sustained through the
Sacraments of the Church; it is descriptive of the Truth, that is, of the reality of grace and faith
established in the Sacraments of the Church; it is descriptive of the Life, that is, of the life of
God which in Jesus has become the life of man. (3.0 CEU)

Job had always been of great interest to the faithful Christian. Does this book contain the answer to our suffering? Do we receive a picture of how things work in the heavenly realms? We will look into Job with an emphasis on the ancient Hebrew understanding of their relationship with God and how this is carried out. An examination of the various themes, such as God vs. Satan; understanding suffering in the life of the child of God; death and resurrection; etc. will take place in the context of the use of Job in the parish setting. (1.5 CEU)

“The distinction between the Law and the Gospel is a special brilliant light, which serves to the end that God’s Word may be rightly divided and the Scriptures of the holy prophets and apostles may be properly explained and understood.” (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration V,1) We will look at Luther’s “Antinomian Disputations” (published in English translation by Lutheran Press under the title “Only the Decalogue Is Eternal” in 2008) as a help in today’s struggle to preach faithfully the Word of God and rightly divide Law and Gospel without falling into the errors of antinomianism and legalism.  (3.0 CEU)

Hermann Sasse (1895-1976) was perhaps the most important confessional Lutheran theologian of the 20th century. This course will engage his writings on pastoral issues such as closed communion, the office of the ministry, liturgy, church fellowship and women’s ordination. (1.5 CEU)

Creeds and Confessions come from Holy Scripture, bringing meaning to a world lost in contrived, secular ideologies. This course will be an examination of creedal theory, looking particularly at scriptural insight into creedal form and statements in the Greek New Testament. It will examine how God regarded creedal form in the Scriptures and how Scripture was used to bring these formulas to the Gentiles. Some historical background from the Patristic period will be considered with regard to their own understanding of creeds and historical beginnings, leading up to the formulation of the ecumenical creeds. Further, this course will explore ways to take Scripture’s creedal formulas into the secular culture bringing meaning and instilling hope in the realities of Jesus Christ. (3.0 CEU)

This study will look at the contributions of Martin Luther, Paul Gerhardt and Johann Sebastian Bach to the hymnological, musical and theological heritage of the Lutheran Church. As towering pillars of Confessional Lutheranism, what does each man bring to this glorious heritage that so identifies us? How can we as pastors and church musicians still make faithful use of their good gifts in the Lutheran Church of today? (CEU 1.5)

This course aims to take a fresh look at Paul the pastor, especially as he dealt with the many problems which beset the congregation at Corinth. In this regard, we will discuss the ways in which secular values began to infiltrate Corinthian theology. We will take special note of the way in which Paul sensitively dealt with the matter of Apollos, who, though a great teacher, introduced some unsound notions to the Corinthian congregation. By studying Paul as a pastor, we will offer suggestions as to how a pastor might firmly but sensitively lead his congregation in the way of the Lord. A pastoral approach to such topics as closed communion and speaking in tongues will be considered. (1.5 CEU)

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. (3 CEU)

Hermann Sasse (1895-1976) was one of the most fascinating Lutheran theologians of the 20th century. His life seemed to be lived from one crisis to another including the breakdown of liberalism in the early years of the 20th century, his collaboration with Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a confession against Nazism, and his stirring critique of world Lutheranism drifting into ecumenical chaos. This class will examine Sasse’s response as a confessional and pastoral theologian to the critical events of his day with application to our own time. Special attention will be given to Sasse’s letters to Lutheran pastors and his sermons. (1.5 CEU)

This course will be an investigation into the Scriptures, looking particularly at the way the apostles speak of compassion and mercy. Emphasis will be toward Clement of Alexandria’s approach to teaching the Christian faith in a Gnostic world. Further, this course will examine scriptural texts exegetically and will consider how, in light of Clement’s approach, the Church may communicate the Scriptures and draw people into the Church in our modern-day Gnostic and Postmodern culture. (3.0 CEU)

Bayer’s contributions to Luther studies and systematic theology are well known in Lutheran and ecumenical circles. This course will unpack several of the fundamental motifs of Bayer’s work that have deep implications for pastoral theology: justification by faith alone as basis and boundary for pastoral theology, the distinction between Law and promise in preaching and the Sacraments, absolution as performative speech, the ethic of gift, the three estates and Luther’s oratio,meditatio, tentatio. (1.5 CEU)

This CE class will consider in great depth the Gospel of Mark, which is the current focus of Series B Gospel pericopes. Students are asked to buy volume 1 of the Concordia Commentary (Mark 1:1-8:26), which contains the introductory material, text, notes and commentary on the first half of the Gospel. The author has finished writing part two and is currently putting the material on computer for CPH, with all slated to be finished this spring. Class sessions will deal with introductory material, key pericopes of volume one and then, especially, material from volume two.

Students should be prepared to work thoroughly with the Greek of 1:1-8, 4:1-20, 7:1-23; 8:22-26 from volume one, and then, anticipating volume two, 8:27-33, 9:30-37, 9:38-50, 10:17-27, 10:35-45, 12:35-37, 13:24-37, 14:1-11, 14:32-42, 15:33-39, 16:1-8. We will discuss these pericopes and much more. (Passages underlined are from Series B but in weeks past; those in bold will occur after the conference.) (3.0 CEU)

Scripture enjoins us to always be prepared to make a defense when non-Christians ask us why we believe what we believe and, sometimes, why they, too, should consider Christian belief. This course is an introduction to this particular aspect of the apologetic task. It covers the historical Christian apologetic tradition, assesses the various methods employed by apologists and especially focuses on the various charges made against and challenges posed to Christian belief today. (1.5 CEU)