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THE LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS AND PARISH PRACTICE
The 2019 Summer Institute will focus on the Lutheran Confessions—not so much as a guide to “right doctrine” but rather as a manual for supporting thriving parish life and faith. Too often Lutherans have reduced the Book of Concord to a cudgel for getting unsuspecting seminarians (and others) in line or as a rock for hurling at errant leaders during synod assemblies. Nothing could be more inimical to its starting point and original intent. We have in the various documents people“caught in the act” of confessing their Christian faith. Deepening our appreciation of these documents as true confessions transforms them into irreplaceable aids for the beleaguered parish pastors and deacons of our day, who are often overwhelmed by much less gospel-centered options for ministry.
Session Topics: Getting Down to the Basics: the Augsburg Confession; Martin Luther’s Simple Confession of Faith: The Catechisms; Proclaiming Law, Gospel and Cross; God’s Two Hands and Good Works in the World; The Office of Public Ministry; Dealing with Conflict in the Congregation
The 2019 Summer Institute will feature the Rev. Dr. Timothy J. Wengert. He is the Ministerium of Pennsylvania emeritus professor of Reformation and the Lutheran Confessions of the United Lutheran Seminary, having taught at Philadelphia from 1989-2013. Not only has he edited the Book of Concord with Robert Kolb, but he has also written books on the Formula of Concord (A Formula for Parish Practice) and the catechisms (Forming the Faith). Due out next year is a commentary on the Augsburg Confession. He has also written extensively on Philip Melanchthon and has written two books on Martin Luther’s and early Lutheran approaches to Scripture (Reading the Bible with Martin Luther [Baker, 2013] and Word of Life [Fortress, 2019]).
