The John H.P. Reumann Chair in Biblical Studies: Ceremony and Inaugural Lecture

Dr. Erik Heen, Professor of New Testament and Greek at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), was bestowed The John H.P. Reumann Chair in Biblical Studies in a special chairing ceremony at LTSP on Tuesday, April 5, 2011. Dr. Heen presented the inaugural Reumann Chair lecture on the subject “The Antikythera Mechanism, the Bible and the Cross.” The Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient mechanical computer designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was recovered in 1900–01 from the bottom of the sea near the Greek island of Antikythera.

Watch the ceremony and lecture:



| Download Podcast Video | Download MP3 Audio |

The 2011 Hein-Fry Lecture: "Hearing the Word: Lutherans Read the Bible with the Ecumenical World"

Dr. Suneel Bhanu

The annual Hein-Fry Lecture for 2011 on the topic "Hearing the Word: Lutherans Read the Bible with the Ecumenical World," was presented by Dr. Suneel Bhanu, Moderator/Bishop of the largest Lutheran church body in India, The Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church with one-million membership, four thousand congregations and eight hundred and fifty pastors. Dr. Bhanu's spoke on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 11:30 am in Benbow Hall, The Brossman Center on the campus of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, 7301 Germantown Avenue in the Mt. Airy section of Philadelphia.



(downloads: Podcast | mp3 audio )

About Dr. Bhanu
This year's lecturer, Dr. Suneel Bhanu, was born and brought up in a Christian family in a Muslim neighbourhood.  The friendship and piety of the Muslim friends and active involvement as a youth in the diverse activities of the local congregation encouraged him to become a full-time minister and led to his seminary studies. His interest in Islam inspired Suneel to do post graduate studies in theology in the area of Christian-Muslim Dialogue, which he pursued in the Philippines.  After the completion of theological studies, his assignment in remote rural villages led Suneel to become sensitive to the caste domination both within and outside the church and the discrimination of outcastes in India.  The plight of the Dalits challenged him to further his theological horizons, which resulted in his doctoral studies where he compared the role of religion in the discrimination and liberation of the Outcastes, taking as examples the Dalits in India and the Burakumin in Japan.  He is one of the editors of the Dalit Bible Commentary and wrote a commentary on Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. Having taught for about two decades at Gurukul Lutheran Theological College in Chennai, and became the Head of the Church of the largest Lutheran Church in India: The Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church with one-million membership, four thousand congregations and eight hundred and fifty pastors.

Dr. Bhanu and his wife, Grace, one of the first ordained theologically trained women in the Lutheran Communion, have two sons. She also taught History of Christianity along with him at Gurukul.

About the Hein-Fry Lecture Series

The annual Hein-Fry Lecture Series, the premier endowed theological lectureship of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, identifies key theological issues facing the church and offers lectures that stimulate inquiry and discussion of those issues not only at the eight ELCA seminaries but throughout the church.

A publication-quality photo of Dr. Bhanu is available online: photos.ltsp.edu/SuneelBhanu-HeinFry2011.jpg

Preaching with Power lecture video: "The Next Episode" by Dr. Anthea Butler

Dr. Anthea D. Butler

The 2011 Preaching with Power lecture was presented March 8, 2011 by Dr. Anthea D. Butler, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Graduate Chair at the University of Pennsylvania. She was the 2008-09 Colorado Scholar and Visiting Assistant professor in the Women's Study in Religion Program at Harvard Divinity School. A former president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, she has been involved in numerous international ecumenical dialogues and with the Templeton Foundation's project on Global Pentecostalism. Dr. Butler earned her BA from University of Houston, MA in Religion at Fuller Theological Seminary, and PhD from Vanderbilt University.

Please note that this lecture will be available as a video stream only through April 10, 2011.

March 1 Convocation Video - Seminary Education: What the Church Expects?

Bishop Roy Riley

Bishop E. Roy Riley, of the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, was the presenter at the Tuesday, March 1 convocation at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), speaking on the topic "Seminary Education: What the Church Expects?"

Bishop Riley provides pastoral and administrative leadership to the 180 congregations and almost 80,000 baptized members of the ELCA on the territory of New Jersey. He has led the New Jersey Synod as bishop since 1991, and was re-elected to his current 6 year term at the 2007 synod assembly.

The March 1 Convocation is the latest on the LTSP Theme for the Academic Year 2010-2011, "Theological Education in the Changed Context of the Church and Society."

Download the MP3 audio file

Download the m4v Podcast video file

Church History: Giving Public Theology Memory - Convocation video

The study of the churches' histories not only grounds our current experience in the traditions and stories of the past but also helps to find new applications for old solutions to issues facing the church today.Participants will hear about how the very latest historical research has an impact on ministry in today's church and world, and they will have opportunity to ask their teachers any question they want. Watch this convocation with LTSP church history faculty presenting on an area of special interest:

Prof. Kiran Sebastian: "Three Reasons Why Cyprian Will Change Your Ministry"

Prof. Philip Krey: "How Augustine Helps Me Interpret the Bible"

Prof. Timothy Wengert: "Philip Melanchthon's Enormous Ecumenical Error and How We Fixed It"

Prof. Jon Pahl: "Speaking Truth to (American) Power in Love"

Prof. Karl Krueger: "Don't Burn the Books of the Bible!"

Prof. David Grafton: "What Say You of Muhammad?"



presented Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Bible and Qur'ān - A Comparative Approach: Fall Forum 2010

Christians and Muslims are shaped and guided by their Scriptures. Yet, the Bible and the Qur'an serve distinct roles and functions within each faith tradition. How do Christians and Muslims approach and interpret their texts for faith and life? This Fall Forum will investigate how Lutheran theological views and exegetical principles might compare and contrast with a variety of Muslim perspectives of their own Book of Faith. This was the theme of LTSP's 2010 Fall Forum, with keynotes by The Rev. Dr. David D. Grafton, Associate Professor, Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations and Director of Graduate Studies, The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

First Keynote: "Bible and Qur'ān as Scripture I - A Theological Comparative Approach Between Lutherans and Orthodox Islam"



Second Keynote: "Bible and Qur'ān as Scripture II - Lutheran Exegetical and Sunni Tafsīr Principles"



More on Fall Forum

Prof. Kiran Sebastian Presents 2010 Quodlibet Lecture

The Rev. Dr. J. Jayakiran Sebastian, H. George Anderson Professor of Mission and Cultures and Director, Multicultural Mission Resource Center at LTSP, was the 2010 distinguished presenter for Quodlibet, where each year a member of the faculty at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia is presented with "any question whatsoever" and responds in this tradition-based, rigorous academic exercise. Watch his lively presentation: