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An exploration of church and society produced by the United Lutheran Seminary with campuses in Gettysburg and Philadelphia, PA.
Episodes
Monday Nov 20, 2023
The African American Presence in Gettysburg: The Black History Museum
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Jane Nutter, the President of the Gettysburg Black History Museum, talks about the development of the museum. She emphasizes the fact that the museum goes beyond the presence of African Americans in Gettysburg during the Civil War. The museum highlights the Blacks in Gettysburg before, during, and after the War. She notes that the museum contains artifacts from various individuals and families of color including photographs, furniture, and documents. The community was enthusiastic to contribute to the collection. In a sense, due to segregation, the Black community established its own vibrant society and community life that included its own American Legion, the Elks, and community events.
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Reflections on 50 years of Pastoral Ministry
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
The Rev. Dr. James Cobb reflects on his 50 years of ordained ministry. He describes the congregations to which he had been called along with their significant contributions to ministry. Many of the years in the pastorate he shared as co-pastor with his wife, Pastor Judy Cobb. While he has been centered in parish ministry, he shares his involvement in the life of the church beyond the congregations such as a member the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In addition, he published several books which developed out of his life in the parish. Cobb goes on to describe the changes and challenges he has observed over the years in parish ministry. Although he is retired, Cobb shares his continued involvement in ministry through volunteer activities, interims, and supply preaching.
Monday Aug 14, 2023
Simone de Beauvoir : A Voice That Continues
Monday Aug 14, 2023
Monday Aug 14, 2023
Dr. Elizabeth Viti, Professor emeriti of French Language and Literature at Gettysburg College discusses the life and times of Simone de Beauvoir, the French writer, intellectual, philosopher, and activist of the 20th century. Beauvoir’s life was vibrant. Viti notes Belvoir’s long-time friendship with Jean-Paul Sartre. Beauvoir was a prolific writer with numerous publications that span various areas. Her book, The Second Sex, published in 1949, places her as an important figure in women’s’ rights and feminism. In fact, it has become a classic in feminist literature. Viti notes that Beauvoir’s work continues to be important for our time as we struggle with women’s and human rights. When one considers what might be Beauvoir’s legacy, Viti is emphatic on the Beauvoir’s concern about gender.
Monday Jul 31, 2023
The Way of St. James
Monday Jul 31, 2023
Monday Jul 31, 2023
Fr. Andrew Durbidge, Rector St. Luke and St. Matthew Episcopal Church in Brooklyn New York Joins us to talk about his recent pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James. Each year thousands of individuals start from various points in France, Spain, and other locations to take the journey. This pilgrimage dates from the medieval period. Durbidge used his walking time for meditation and reflection. The walk reinforced his own spiritual growth. He began his 60-mile journey from Camino de Portugues and culminated at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwest Spain. Ending the journey with worship at the Cathedral, Fr. Durbidge noted the emotional impact of the journey in the tearful eyes of his fellow travelers.
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Travel in Conflict: Israeli/Palestinian conflict Perspective
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Pastor Richard Michael and his wife Bonnie McCourt talk about their most recent travel to the Holy Land which he was co-leader. This was his 11th tour. Both share the benefits of taking such a tour which included reading the scriptures through a new lens and changing one’s world view. Richard discusses his change from a total pro-Israeli perspective to one in which he has been open to hear and listen to the Palestinian vices. Both describe the plight of Palestinian workers and Palestinian families. Both Richard and Bonnie share the importance of listening with discernment to the reporting of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from the media. They include suggestions for listeners preparing to visit the Middle East. In addition, they share suggestions for those listeners who are not planning to travel there but would like a more informed perspective of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Monday Jun 19, 2023
In Remembrance of WWII
Monday Jun 19, 2023
Monday Jun 19, 2023
Dr. Michael Birkner, Professor of History, Gettysburg College ,talks about his recently edited book Democracy’s Shield: Voices of World War II. He describes the oral interviews conducted by Gettysburg College students of veterans of the Second World War. This project took place over a twenty-five-year period. The interview process began with a network of veterans he knew. The interviews included: men and women, persons who had been in combat, those who were not, WACs and WAVES. He noted the difficulty in locating and interviewing veterans of color. Birkner highlights some of the memories and notes the importance of oral history. From his perspective, Birkner feels that the project and the book that resulted from it humanized World War II.
Monday May 22, 2023
Monday May 22, 2023
Dr. Crump, former Professor of Systematic Theology at LTSG, named Karl Barth, Rudolph Bultmann, and Paul Tillich as the leading theologians of the 20th century and briefly described the central themes in the work of each. Common to all three would be close to Tillich’s phrase, “Accept the fact that you are accepted.” Crump described the crucial importance of the two World Wars on each. He compared the “big three” with American Lutheran theologian and Gettysburg professor, Robert Jensen, who is most respected for his work on the Trinity, but concluded that Tillich has the most enduring legacy.
Monday May 08, 2023
A Journey in Pastoral Ministry
Monday May 08, 2023
Monday May 08, 2023
This episode of The Seminary Explores features Pastor Ed Smith, the recipient of the Called to Lead – Excellence in Ministry Award by the Alumni Association of United Lutheran Seminary. Ed shared his various areas of ministry after graduating from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg.
While a pastor in the Pocono area of Pennsylvania, he developed a ski ministry. After a few years, he received a call to a parish in Colorado where he participated in the beginning years of Habitat for Humanity and worked with former President Carter. That involvement led him to similar building projects in Nicaragua amid the political strife there in the 1980s. For over 30 years, Ed was also a chaplain for the Loveland, Colorado police department.
Throughout his years of involvement in activities beyond the congregations, he shared the important support of congregational members. His advice to women and men involved in pastoral ministry is to visit, love, and respect the gifts of the people you are called to serve.
Monday Apr 24, 2023
In Search of Family
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Monday Apr 24, 2023
On this episode of the Seminary Explores Prue Yelinek discusses research on her familial roots which date back to 1754. Her discussion combined the history of her family in relation to the history of the Church of the Brethren in the Shenandoah Valley. That history is intertwined with the events of the Civil War in that area. Yelinek shared the surprises she found in her research as well as the published articles that emerged from her research on family members during the Civil War, “Colonel John Francis Neff – Dunker Rebel, Son of the Shenandoah” and “Uncle John Bowman’s and his Uncle Sam and Their Families are Going to Ohio”: Sheridan’s Refugee Wagon Train,” both published in the Journal of the Shenandoah Valley During the Civil War Era. At the conclusion of the interview she shared her advice to others who are interested in doing genealogical research.
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
Crash: Ann Bracken talks about her new Memoir on Overmedication and Recovery
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
Ann Bracken's book Crash: A Memoir of Overmedication and Recovery, explores mother-daughter experiences of mismanaged care for depression and chronic pain. A co-host for the Wilde Readings Poetry Series, Bracken is a contributing editor for Little Patuxent Review. Her poetry, essays, and interviews have appeared in numerous anthologies and journals. She is a correspondent for the Justice Arts Coalition, exchanging letters with incarcerated people to foster their use of the arts. Bracken holds a B.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Towson University and an M.S.Ed. in Communication and Learning Disorders from Johns Hopkins University.