The Seminary Explores

Dr. James Thomas, Retired Associate Professor of Worship Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University, talks about his recent experience in teaching at the Good News Theological Seminary in Ghana. He shares his experience with students in the classroom as well as in the field experiences. Although he had been to Ghana previously, this experience exposed him to the deep division between Muslims and Christians. He also comments on his taking more time to listen to various individuals he encountered. In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Thomas talks about the various congregations he attended where he preached and taught during his semester of teaching. His comments on his experience and his suggestions to considering teaching on the African continent will be helpful to faculty members considering teaching there.

Lisa Erdman, Postdoctoral Scholar in the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the Penn State College of Medicine, talks about her current teaching and the role of everyday objects in communication between patients and healthcare providers. Health humanities is an emerging, interdisciplinary field of study that examines how the arts and humanities can offer a deeper understanding of the illness experience and well-being in healthcare. An artist, educator, and researcher, Erdman holds a Doctorate of Arts from Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland. Her productions have received numerous awards, including funding from the Arts Council of Finland. She has participated in residencies at the Red Gate Gallery in Beijing, China, the Hungarian Multicultural Center in Budapest, and the Centre for Health Education Scholarship at the University British Columbia, Canada.

To learn more about the field of Health Humanities see the book, Health Humanities.

This is a program of remembrance. Three colleagues and friends of Dr. Richard Stewart share their memories of him.

Dr. Joseph Donnella emphasizes Stewart’s work on making connections among people, groups and churches. He highlighted the collegiality he experienced with Stewart when they both were serving parishes in St. Croix.

For Mark Staples, his conversations with Stewart were important of him. Stewart’s work on African American history and the Lutheran Church was a labor of love.

Dr. Charles Leonard focused on Stewart’s global interests. He and Stewart co-led trips to Africa with seminarians. Leonard also reflected on Stewart’s interest in making sure that the contributions of Blacks in the Lutheran church were not omitted as demonstrated in his digital interviews of Black rostered leaders.

Please join us in celebrating the life and legacy Richard Stewart.

Other interviews with Dr. Stewart:

• http://seminaryexplores.uls.edu/e/african-american-lutheran-clergy-an-oral-history/
• http://seminaryexplores.uls.edu/e/black-lives-matter/

Dr. Teresa Smallwood, The James Franklin Kelly and Hope Eyster Kelly Associate Professor of Public Theology, United Lutheran Seminary discussed her choice of the top stories in religion for 2022. She discussed her concern for Democracy in the United States, the current role of the Supreme Court, religious freedom, the care for children and their health, and the challenges facing the Black community. She emphasized the importance of our mainline churches to educate its members in the Christian tradition in order to counter the forces that are taking away our God-given human freedom.

On the anniversary of the January 6, 2021 insurrection, Rev. Dr. Norma Cook Everist, Distinguished Professor of Church and Ministry, emerita, Wartburg Theological Seminary, discussed the meaning of being political, the separation of church and state or the separation of religion and government. She uncovered the meaning of Christian Nationalism and the importance of Christian education in combatting this and similar ideologies. With all the divisions within the United States, Everist suggests building a trustworthy environment so that we can be different together. She concludes with the vocation of the church in these challenging times in our nation and the world.

Dr. Quintin Robertson, Instructor & Director of the Urban Theological Institute & Black Church Studies Program at United Lutheran Seminary, reflects on the 40^th Anniversary of the Urban Theological Institute at United Lutheran Seminary. He shares a historical overview of the Institute focusing in on the unique features of the program. Robertson also describes the changes that have taken place in the Institute including increased endowment, online courses, and the Black Church concentration.

In a time when “essential” is a buzzword, Chris Glatfelter reminds us that an arts-rich community is a healthy one. Arts are essential in more ways than we recognize. Glatfelter retired from her role as Executive Director of the Adams County Arts Council (ACAC) in December 2020 and happily passes the torch to Leona Rega who, with her colleagues, board members and volunteers, is keeping the ACAC’s robust programming and presence alive. Glatfelter joins Katy Giebenhain for a conversation about her longtime leadership of the organization, and the collaborative, essential spirit in which it came to be.

This podcast was the final Seminary Explores program with Dr. Gerald Christianson who announced his retirement after 44 years of being a host of the program. He discussed the goal of the program, the types of interviewees the program sought to interview, and the theological underpinnings which guided the program.

He also talked about the justice issues he wish he had pursued. In addition, he recalled excitement on doing live shows in which an adult Sunday school class would observe the interview and then be able to ask the guest speaker questions following the recording. The podcast ended with him signing off for the last time. (Or is it?)

Rev. Peter Kuhn, Director of Spiritual Care and Education, WellSpan Health joins The Seminary Explores for a conversation about spiritual care in some of South Central Pennsylvania’s hospitals. Like all hospital departments right now they are rapidly adapting to how they provide care and education in changing circumstances. Kuhn is an ACPE Clinical Educator and a Board Certified Chaplain. He studied Theology at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. His Supervisor training is from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Seven years ago, Phoebe Doscher and her family experienced the shooting in Sandy Hook first hand. Phoebe’s younger sister attended elementary school there. Fortunately, she survived, but twenty other children and seven adults did not. When Phoebe arrived at Gettysburg College, the emotional impact of this experience came rushing back, and she resolved to respond by founding a chapter of Students Demand Action. Her top priority is “to get a conversation going” so that all sides can understand the need to take sensible steps--not the removal of all guns, but universal background checks and restrictions on automatic, military-style weapons.