We regret to inform you that the current conditions caused by the global pandemic compel us to cancel the 2020 Bjarne Wollan Teigen Reformation Lectures scheduled to meet in Mankato, Minnesota October 29–30, 2020.

I am sure this comes as little surprise given the many cancellations of academic conferences throughout the country this fall. Nevertheless, we are very sorry about this. That said, we were so looking forward to this year’s topic that we have retained it for next year. So please join us again for the 2021 Reformation Lectures, entitled “We Confess Jesus Christ,” to be held on the campus of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary and College on October 28–29, 2021.

The individual lectures will be:

• Early Church Christology
• Early Modern Lutheran Christology
• Modern Lutheran Christology

The Commencement Service for Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, which included the assignment of calls, occurred on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. in Good Shepherd Chapel. Pres. Gaylin Schmeling served as preacher, and Mr. Samuel Johnson was the pianist. The sermon was based on Ephesians 3:8 with the theme “The Pearl of Salvation.” In the sermon, Pres. Schmeling explained that the pearl of salvation is found in the Gospel of Christ’s redemptive work for the salvation of all people. This pearl of salvation is the greatest treasure there is. It alone can give peace and security in this life and hope for the life to come. Those called into the public ministry are given the privilege to dispense this pearl of salvation through the means of grace, the Word and Sacraments.

Graduates from the seminary with a Master of Divinity degree were Jacob Kempfert, Ethan Urtel, and Karim Yaghleji. Jacob Kempfert was assigned as pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church (Saginaw, Michigan) and Karim Yaghleji was assigned as Arabic outreach missionary and pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church (Lombard, Illinois). Ethan Urtel will pursue further education. Adam Brasich was assigned as vicar of Resurrection Lutheran Church (Winter Haven, Florida) and Our Savior Lutheran Church (Lakeland, Florida), David Choi was assigned as vicar of Seoul Lutheran Church (Seoul, South Korea), Roger Emmons was assigned as vicar of Grace Lutheran Church (Redmond, Oregon), Samuel Johnson was assigned as vicar of Our Saviour Lutheran Church (Lake Havasu City, Arizona) and Sean Scheele was assigned as vicar of Pilgrim Lutheran Church (Waterloo, Iowa) and Faith Lutheran Church (Parkersburg, Iowa).

A recording of the service is available at https://vimeo.com/415643018

The Seminary’s call service will be live streamed at the following link:

https://els.org/streaming 

The fifty-second annual Bjarne Wollan Teigen Reformation Lectures were held at the Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center, Mankato, Minnesota, on October 31–November 1, 2019. These lectures are sponsored jointly by Bethany Lutheran College and Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary. This year the theme of the Reformation Lectures was “Lutheran Preaching Through the Centuries.”

The first lecture, given by Dr. Paul Robinson (Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO), was entitled “Preaching in the Reformation.” In this essay there was a discussion of homiletical work in the pre-Reformation and Reformation era. The works of Luther, Melanchthon, and Johannes Mathesius are highlighted.

The second lecture, given by Dr. Thomas Kuster (Bethany), was entitled, “Preaching in the Nineteenth Century.” Here the essay centered on the sermonizing of a number of important Lutheran preachers. Among those men discussed were Charles Porterfield Krauth, F. C. D. Wyneken, C. F. W. Walther, U. V. Koren, H. C. Schwan, and Henry Sieck.

The third lecture, given by Pres. Emeritus Paul Wendland (Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, WI), was entitled, “Preaching Today.” In this essay the essayist reviewed current trends in preaching and outlined a Lutheran identity in preaching. He pointed out what makes Lutheran preaching distinctly and uniquely Lutheran.

The complete lectures will be published in the March issue of the Lutheran Synod Quarterly, and videos can be viewed at this link: https://blts.edu/reformation-lectures/2019-reformation-lecture-videos/

Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary began the new academic year on August 19, 2019 with the opening service at Good Shepherd Chapel. Prof. Nick Proksch preached the sermon on Ezekiel 47:1–9, which is Ezekiel’s vision of a supernatural temple with waters flowing out of it. These waters flow into the Dead Sea and are able to transform even the saltiest and deadest of waters into fresh water with an abundance of life. Likewise, God recreates us, his fallen creatures. He takes us out of our salt waters of sin and death by connecting us to the fresh waters of life, flowing from God himself as depicted by the temple. It is no wonder that Jesus spoke of himself as the true temple and offered “living water” in his ministry (John 2:19, 4:10, 7:37–39). With his sacrifice for sins on the cross and conquest of death in his resurrection, we have every quenching of spiritual thirst we need. In a world surrounded by spiritual salt water, incapable of satisfying or sustaining our lives, pastors have the joy and privilege to offer the only thing that truly quenches and satisfies in the means of grace. Studying for this ministry is our task at seminary.

The teaching staff for the seminary this semester is as follows: Brian Klebig, Nicholas Proksch, Timothy Schmeling, Andrew Schmidt, and Gaylin Schmeling. Professor Brian Klebig is teaching communication; Professor Nicholas Proksch is teaching in the areas of New Testament, homiletics, and hermeneutics; Professor Timothy Schmeling is teaching Old Testament and homiletics; Professor Andrew Schmidt is teaching pastoral counseling; and Professor Gaylin Schmeling is teaching courses in church history and homiletics.

The seminary enrollment this year numbers nineteen. There are four vicars, five seniors, five middlers, three juniors, and two special students. The vicars are Patrick Ernst at Faith Lutheran Church (San Antonio, Texas), Jacob Kempfert at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church (Mankato, Minnesota), Ethan Urtel at Hartland and Manchester Lutheran Churches (Hartland and Manchester, Minnesota), and Karim Yaghleji at Bethany Lutheran Church (Port Orchard, Washington).