Nov/Dec 2011

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Dr. Baltz Named Seminary PresidentThe Board of Directors of the Institute of Lutheran Theology (ILT) has unanimously elected Dr. Frederick W. Baltz as the seminary’s Interim President. Dr. Baltz is Pastor of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Galena, IL. In selecting Dr. Baltz, the ILT Board chose a pastor serving in a church who was also familiar with seminary education. The chairman for the ILT Board of Directors, Rev. Kip Tyler, said, “Bringing Dr. Baltz into leadership at ILT enhances the congregational

and mission emphasis we believe is critical for the training of pastors, laity and academics. This action is one more step toward the positive influence we believe ILT will continue to have with congregations.” The founding President and current Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Dennis Bielfeldt said, “The entire staff are all very excited to have Dr. Baltz assuming the position of Interim President and I personally look forward to Dr. Baltz's leadership and the opportunity to refocus my responsibilities as ILT's chief academic officer.” In selecting Dr. Baltz to serve, ILT emphasizes evangelical outreach at ILT to an extent not yet done by any mainline seminary. Dr. Baltz said. “When have congregations had a chance like this? It is history-making! The church will soon begin reaping the benefits that will, I think, surprise them. ILT is forging a seminary of congregations that will make possible never before realized mission opportunities both in our communities and around the world for our partner congregations.”

Dr. Baltz has been a parish pastor for thirty-three years, and has written confirmation curriculum as well as a number of books on various subjects including: As of First Importance: A Theology and Practice of Evangelism for Mainline Churches; The Mystery of the Beloved Disciple: New Evidence, Complete Answer; and Views of Baptism.

Where does the seminary come from?Do you know who invented seminaries? (No, it was not one of Thomas Edison’s 1000+ patents.) Though training for pastors and priests can be traced back to the Middle Ages, the seminary was invented after the Lutheran Reformation, and because of it. The Council of Trent called for the establishment of training centers for future priests in all dioceses. Maybe if seminaries had existed before the Reformation Luther would not have found the deplorable ignorance among the clergy that moved him to write his Small Catechism.

The Institute of Lutheran Theology is a new kind of seminary. We deliver the Scriptural, Confessional truth from the past through the finest electronic media presently available. Our goal is to produce the finest candidates for ministry, well-prepared to be faithful stewards of Word and Sacrament. That means students who obtain their certificates from ILT will also be prepared for the vital ministry of evangelical outreach, missing from Lutheran seminary education for so long. Our first actual course in evangelism will begin next semester. In the meantime other steps have been taken to bring evangelical outreach into the curriculum in a serious, lasting way.

The first semester of the 2011/2012 year is now under way with students from across North America learning in real time at their computers from our highly competent faculty. Perhaps you have had some experience with “distance learning.” Many institutions of higher learning offer computer courses in which no student ever sees or hears the teacher, nor does the teacher see or hear the student. Class is mostly a matter of reading posts from the teacher and other students, and responding to them. Please know that ILT’s delivery system is far superior to that. Class members see and hear one another and their teacher. Maps, outlines, charts, etc., can be shown at any time. It is as though all were really in the same room together, even though they may be more than a thousand miles apart. What software does the student have to install, and what does such a sophisticated program cost? There is no software that the student must buy; the technical side of learning is handled by ILT. All that is necessary is an adequate internet service.

The dignitaries at the Council of Trent could never have imagined what the seminary would become. If you are sensing a call to the ministry, or to greater learning of the Lutheran Christian tradition, contact us. We want to help you grow.

Dr. Fredrick W Baltz, President

by, Dr. Dennis Bielfeldt, Vice President of Academic Affairs

Most people know that the Institute of Lutheran Theology makes use of the latest internet technology to offer rigorous theological degrees. Some know that our design is a network of Designated Teaching Centers (DTCs) functioning as the ILT campus. (If your congregation is interested in becoming a DTC, please contact us!) Some also know that ILT has been blessed to have a number of established, Lutheran theologians teaching with it since its inception.

But the question can legitimately be asked as to what the Institute of Lutheran Theology stands for theologically. What is it about the Institute that separates it theologically from other Lutheran alternatives? It claims to be “confessionally grounded” and “Biblically based,” but what exactly does that mean? What is it precisely to adopt the “Biblical hermeneutic of the Lutheran Reformation,” something about which ILT has claimed to be concerned since its initial conception in April of 2005?

ILT is steadfastly committed to the centrality of Jesus the Christ in salvation history, of course. It claims that justification does indeed come by the grace of God on account of Christ and appropriated by faith. It shares traditional Lutheran concerns about Law and Gospel, about the Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms, about the infinite being available in the finite, and about the simul of sinner and saint in every Christian. It regards the Lutheran Confessions, particularly the unaltered Augsburg Confession to be normative, and it is deeply committed to all the solae, including sola scriptura.

But beyond this, one can still ask, in what way is this so? What Lutheran seminary would deny the centrality of Law and Gospel, or the simul, or the authority of Scipture? I believe that the Institute’s existence is tied to a theological direction. ILT realizes that what is at stake in Lutheran theology and practice is not, at the end of the day, the protection of certain ways of speaking, but rather certain claims about the world. One can say “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” and mean a whole host of distinctively different

things. While ILT does not seek to fix a canonical meaning to all theological phrases, it is extremely interested in pointing out that the real work in proclaiming Christian truth is not in syntax – the physical words and phrases uttered – but in semantics – the events and states of affairs claimed. Accordingly, it is interested in what are called the “truth conditions” of theology. What are those states of affairs that must obtain for theological language to be true? ILT believes that what “makes true” the Lutheran confessional theological claims is the real existence of God who actually acts in the world, a God who is as present in Nature as He is in Value, a God whose Love is manifestly proclaimed on the pages of Scripture and tradition.

ILT exists to the glory of God, and to help Lutherans again think clearly about what phrases, such as these, best mean. Ad gloariam dei!! .

What Does ILT Stand For?

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On April 19th, 2009, Pioneer Lutheran Church in White, South Dakota burned to the ground. While much was lost, the people of Pioneer Lutheran Church would not be stifled by even such a loss as this. Pioneer Lutheran Church has risen from the ashes. Today, Pioneer Lutheran Church has a new building, stands as a member of the LCMC, as a member of the Augustana District, and as a campus of the Institute of Lutheran Theology.

We have never been a large congregation. Currently we have an average weekly attendance at worship of around 40. So, what does it mean for Pioneer Lutheran Church to be a Designated Teaching Center for ILT? It means that – through our prayers, the sharing of our knowledge and experience, and benevolence – we are active participants in a worldwide effort to raise up and educate the next generation of faithful Lutheran preachers

and teachers. It means we can provide lay education resources to our members and surrounding community that are typically only available to much larger congregations.

Imagine what it means for us at Pioneer Lutheran Church to be a part of the Institute of Lutheran Theology’s internation-al, distributed campus. We receive resources and opportuni-ties to minister to our community and the world that would be otherwise totally out of reach for our small congregation. Following their great commission, twelve people changed the world. Imagine what – guided by the Holy Spirit and in partnership with ILT – we at Pioneer Lutheran Church can do.

Pioneer Lutheran Church, a campus of ILTBy, Pr. David R. Patterson

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Spring 2012 Registration Is Open!Master of Divinity Program

New Testament Greek Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

BT 300 New Testament Greek Rynearson 3 TBA $900

This course gives students the opportunity to learn koine Greek through a study of select New Testament texts. Prerequisite BT 299 or one year of college Greek.

Lutheran Biblical Interpretation Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

BT 301Lutheran Biblical

InterpretationHillmer 3 Th 6:00-8:45pm $900

This course introduces and defends the Lutheran notion of the internal clarity of Scripture. Over and against the preceding tra-dition, Lutherans have always claimed that no intermediary is required to interpret Scripture: Scripture interprets itself. This understanding is defended as the necessary condition of doing Lutheran theology faithfully. Various critical methodologies are introduced and evaluated with regard to the clarity of the Biblical text. Students will carefully examine Biblical texts in light of their internal clarity and learn how to use critical resources for interpreting them for use in preaching and leading bible study.

Wisdom and the Prophets Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

BT 402 Wisdom and the Prophets Hillmer 3 M/W 10:30-11:50pm $900

This course provides introduction both to the Wisdom literature (e.g., Psalms, Proverbs, Job) and the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. Emphasis will be placed on the content, form, composition, and the theological motifs of these books.

Topics in New Testament Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

BT 491 Topics in New Testament Staff 3 TBA $900

This course focuses on an individual book of the New Testament, its history, form, content, and theological motifs. This course is repeatable when covering different topics. Prerequisite: Greek

Theology and World Religions Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

EPR 350Theology and

World ReligionsStaff 3 TBA $900

This course introduces students to theological reflection on religious diversity, including direct study of two to four major religious traditions to provide depth of understanding of similarities and differences between the world’s religions.

Christian Sexual Ethics Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

EPR 490 Christian Sexual Ethics Benne 3 M 6:00-8:45pm $900

This course provides an opportunity for in-depth study in an area of ethics and/or philosophy of religion not covered by other courses. It is offered on an occasional basis.

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continued - Spring 2012 Registration–Master of Divinity Program

History of Christian Thought II Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

HST 302History of Christian

Thought IIHillerbrand 3 T 6:00-8:45pm $900

This course is an investigation of the various sixteenth century reformation traditions over and against the basic theological options available within late medieval scholasticism. The Lutheran Reformation is highlighted, and the course of its development is studied through the various inter-Lutheran controversies of the middle sixteenth century, to their closure in the Book of Concord. The nature and method of seventeenth century Lutheran Orthodoxy is also examined.

Twentieth Century Theology Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

HST 304Twentieth Century

TheologyBielfeldt 3 Th 2:00-4:45pm $900

Beginning with the dialectical theology of the early Barth and his rejection of Harnack and nineteenth century liberal theology, this course explores representative theologies of the twentieth century with an eye towards understanding the influence of philosophical perspectives on their development. Major movements are studied including Neo-Orthodoxy, Neo-Thomism, hermeneutical theology, death of God theologies, and liberationist and feminist theologies.

Creation and the Triune God Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

HST 401Creation and the

Triune GodHinlicky 3 Th 6:00-8:45pm $900

This is a study of the doctrine of God and relation of God and world. Students will explore the theology of creation and its relation to contemporary scientific theories of cosmos and nature, and issues of theological anthropology, including possible topics of natural evil, original sin and sinfulness, and natural law and purpose.

Lutheran Worship Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

MP 302 Lutheran WorshipBielfeldt/ Swen-

son3 T 2:00-4:45pm $900

This course provides an introduction to the theology and practice of Christian worship, with special emphasis on the traditions of worship that form current practices common in Lutheran worship.

Pastoral Ministry Certificate Program

New Testament Theology and History Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

BT 202

New Testament Theology and History

Tsakiridis 2 T 6:30-8:30pm $600

This course introduces the New Testament, giving careful consideration to matters of interpretation and examining theologically the Synoptic Gospels, John, Acts, the Pauline Epistles, the Pastoral Epistles, and the Book of Revelation.

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continued - Pastoral Ministry Certificate Program

The History of the Christian Church 1500 to Present Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

HST 102The History of the Christian

Church 1500 to PresentMorton 2 Th 6:30-8:30pm $600

This course examines the development of the Christian Church and doctrine in the reformations of the sixteenth century, the Catholic counter-reformation, the rise of Protestant orthodoxies and pietism, the Enlightenment, and nineteenth and twentieth century theological development. Emphasis is placed upon the relevance of church history for Christian proclamation.

Lutheran Reformers and the Book of Concord Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

HST 201Lutheran Reformers and the

Book of ConcordBielfeldt 2 M 6:30-8:30pm $600

This course examines the classical theological roots of the Lutheran Reformation, its leading figures, and its key documents -- especially those collected in the Book of Concord. Students are encouraged to think theologically in the way of the Lutheran Reformation. Major theological doctrines forged in the Reformation are carefully considered in light of how they apply to parish ministry today.

Systematic Theology Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

HST 202 Systematic Theology Staff 2 M 6:30-8:30pm $600

This course explores from a Trinitarian perspective the traditional topics of theology: God, creation, fall, human beings, sin, Christ, justification, atonement, regeneration, Holy Spirit, sanctification, Church, sacraments, eschatology, and vocation.

Defending and Spreading the Faith Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

HST 203Defending and

Spreading the FaithEidsmoe 2 T 6:30-8:30pm $600

This course in apologetics (“answering theology”) takes seriously God’s mandate to teach and preach “to all nations,” even where Christian faith and proclamation seems problematic or impossible. Students learn the method of correlation whereby the fundamental questions of human existence are mapped to the great symbols of the Christian faith. Human cultural diversity is examined in hopes of framing concrete missional approaches for effectively proclaiming the Gospel today.

Pastoral Care and Counseling Course # Course Title Instructor Credit Day Time Tuition

MP 102Pastoral Care and

CounselingBerg 2 Th 6:30-8:30pm $900

This course investigates the relationship between the office of pastor, the content of historical faith, and concrete issues arising within a context of pastoral counseling. Emphasis is placed upon the methodological and hermeneutical priority of the law/gospel approach within a context of Seelensorge (care of souls).

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ILT Spring Word at Work CoursesWord at WorkThe Word at Work Series provides individuals and congregations with live Internet courses, featuring expert speakers and timely topics.

Course Descriptions All courses listed below are Central Standard Time. To register go to: http://www.ilt.org/index.php/course-registration/word-at-work/spring-2012-registration.html.

Discipleship Delivered: Disguised and Daring Mondays, Jan 30 – March 05 (7 – 8 pm) What if “discipleship” was the reason you and I were born? What if there was nothing more urgent or pressing than the Great Commission? Given the fact that both are true, in this course, Rev. Randy Freund, Pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, Minnesota, challenges our modern, pluralistic mindset in favor of discipleship “disguised” as we live out our vocations and more “daring” as we “name the name” in bold ways.

Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements Tuesdays, Jan 31 – March 06 (7 – 8 pm)In this course, Dr. Mark Granquist will introduce participants to the real history and current state of non-Christian and pseudo-Christian groups.

Paul’s Epistles: 1 Thessalonians Monday’s, March 12 – April 23 (7 – 8 pm)Paul is one of the most significant New Testament witnesses to the early church and to early proclamations of Jesus. He is also one of the most controversial. In this course, Professor Kyle Fever will introduce participants to the first of Paul’s life letters in the New Testament.

In Pursuit of the Paranormal Tuesdays, March 13 – April 10 (7 – 8:30 pm)Fascination with the paranormal is a cultural phenomenon of our time which has been growing for years now. Television programs about haunted sites abound. Ghost tours are found in every city. More people than ever admit to believing in spirits and having their own personal experiences with them. What does this say about the spiritual hunger of people in American society today? But the purveyors of paranormal lore seem to have this in common: God is rarely present in what they say. This popular course, Dr. Frederick W. Baltz, Pastor of St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Galena, Illinois, will explore with participants the ideas and terms used by those associated with a broad range of paranormal study. The biblical understanding and counsel related to the paranormal will be clarified, and contrasted with the popular models. Participants will also explore whether science is on the verge of establishing the existence of spiritual reality. This course might be subtitled: A Christian’s Guide to the Paranormal.

Genesis: Abraham’s Continuing Journey Thursdays, March 15 – April 26 (7 – 8 pm)Rev. Kip Tyler, Pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Master in Omaha, Nebraska, will lead participants on a journey through the promised land as seen by Abraham using Scripture, Keynote presentations, archeology, Luther’s commentary and videos.

Equipping Parents to be Spiritual Leaders in the Home Wednesday’s, April 11 – May 30 (7 – 8:15 pm)Parents by God’s design are intended to be the primary spiritual guides for their children. The strategy for infusing the four basic faith-forming practices of prayer, bible reading, faith discussions and faith in action is relatively simple, requiring hands-on learning, and uncomplicated tools to achieve measurable and significant results. In this course Rev. Dr. Douglas Schoelles, Lead Pastor of Resurrection Church in Keller, Texas, will explore methods for implementing the strategy in congregations and why this is a critical evangelism strategy for the 21st century.

Become a Designated Teaching CenterThe Institute of Lutheran Theology invites congregations to become Designated Teaching Centers (DTCs). By entering into a covenant with ILT, a congregation that becomes a DTC provides support for ILT’s mission of training pastors and theological educators while having access to special services from ILT, including access to the Word at Work series. To learn more, go to http://www.ilt.org/dtc.html.

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Dietrich Bonhoeffer is well-known and admired for his inspirational and provocative writings and for his participation in the struggle to overthrow Hitler, which ultimately cost him his life. He is not so well-known or highly regarded as a theologian. I recall a conversation with a seasoned philosopher, an expert in Kierkegaard, who told me, “Bonhoeffer was a great man, but he was not a great theologian.” The current ILT graduate seminar on Bonhoeffer is testing at least the second part of that statement. Unlike many approaches to Bonhoeffer, which focus on historical and biographical questions, we are focusing on his theology. Did Bonhoeffer make a a significant contribution to the church's theology? And, if so, what, exactly, did he accomplish and what is its significance for today?

Part of the problem is putting his theology in context. What people often miss is that, in his attempt to find his way between his Berlin teachers in the liberal tradition and Barth's rebellion against that tradition, Bonhoeffer was consciously trying to recover Luther. Luther, he said, could write The Bondage of the Will and the Treatise on Usury in the same year. “Why can't we do that anymore? Who shows us Luther?” Luther could combine the most radical doctrine of justification by faith with concrete instruction on how Christians should behave. Bonhoeffer believed that his church could do neither. Justification by faith was reduced to “cheap grace,” grace as a general principle that people can take for granted. People told themselves that they were saved by grace and thereby inoculated themselves against a real encounter with Jesus. On the other hand, his church insisted that God reveals his will for how Christians are to live directly in the so-called “orders of creation.” Christians were actually required to blend in with the world, as a matter of “Christian” conscience, and were told not to obey the clear commands of Christ. When attacked by Nazism--a particularly virulent form of modernity--Bonhoeffer's church was defenseless and, with a very few exceptions, it quickly capitulated.

Faced with this disaster, Bonhoeffer worked energetically to rebuild a theological foundation that would sustain a renewed proclamation of the real Jesus. His goal was twofold. He wanted first of all to clear away accumulated ideological and doctrinal baggage that prevented a direct and unmediated encounter with Christ so that people could be gathered to him in visible obedience to his call. This new proclamation and community would, secondly, set a limit to the Nazi totalitarian claims and, indirectly, provide the real basis for the reconstruction of a decent society in Germany.

The foundation for this theological reconstruction is Bonhoeffer's Christology, as found in the surviving student notes of his 1933 Christology lectures. Bonhoeffer affirmed the early church's Christological decisions, culminating in the Chalcedon. He understood Chalcedon as “negative” Christology. Chalcedon fully affirms both the human and divine natures of Christ, but refuses to let current conceptions of what is human and what is divine define who Christ is. In other words, it does not attempt to answer how the divine and human natures can be combined

in the one person of Christ. It merely asserts that they are. This leaves the mystery of Christ unexplained, allowing the church's speech about Christ to be determined by the Biblical narrative and not by human concepts of what is human and what is divine.

The heart of Bonhoeffer's Christology is Luther's statement: We point to this human being and say, “There is God.” God's becoming human is not his humiliation; it is his glory. The flesh of Christ does not hide the divinity; it reveals it. The hiddenness and the scandal of Christ consists in his becoming sin for us. We don't know any other God other than this human being who became sin for us. Bonhoeffer affirmed Lutheran Christology perhaps even more radically and consistently than the Lutheran tradition itself. He rejected both the doctrine of the ubiquity of the body and the doctrine of ubivolipresence (Christ is only present when he wants to be there for you) because they hold separate what must always be held together: Christ's being there and his being there for us. He considered both doctrines as attempts to answer how Christ can be present in the sacrament, precisely the question from the Reformed side that Lutherans must reject. In the event of word and the sacrament, he is present, in his God-humanity, for me.

This highlights the second foundation stone of Bonhoeffer's theological project, one that is often overlooked--his pneumatology. Bonhoeffer strongly emphasized that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the external Word of Jesus Christ. He regarded the filique as the indispensable dogmatic foundation of the exclusive identification of the Holy Spirit with the proclamation of Jesus. According to contemporary theologians, the spirit of the times or the “spirit of the Volk” was a revelation from God with the authority to shape the lives of Christians.

Can Bonhoeffer Help Us Theologically?By Rev. Jonathan Sorum

Continued on page 9

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Against this, Bonhoeffer emphasized that the Holy Spirit is always the Spirit of Jesus, the Word that comes from outside of us and takes out of ourselves and the spirits of this world that claim us and draws us into Jesus and his relationship with his Father. A free-floating Spirit who proceeds only from the Father leaves us trapped in ourselves and the powers of this world. As he wrote in the Bethel Confession (August 1933), “For it is always as proceeding from the Son that the Holy Spirit judges this fallen world and establishes the new order, above all nations, of the church as the people of God.”

Bonhoeffer's whole work proceeds on that double dogmatic foundation: a Christology that transcends the natures-concepts in order to let the actual form of Christ's earthly humanity define who God is and a pneumatology determined by the filioque that brings an end to our “spirituality” and plants us deeply in God's humanity in Christ. In our seminar, we are reading his

texts carefully and asking to what extent he succeeds in his project of recovering Luther--justification by faith alone and the new obedience in Christ, the proper distinction between law and gospel and the concrete command by which Christ calls us to follow Him here and now. We may find that Bonhoeffer did always hit the mark. Moreover, he never got the chance to make very much progress in his theological work and some of the fragments he left are enigmatic and frustratingly undeveloped. Nevertheless, his theological project is of the utmost significance. Aligned with the dogmatic tradition of the church, he nudges that tradition forward in order to enable and guard an authentic proclamation of Jesus Christ in the context of modern threats to that proclamation. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is, first and foremost, a teacher of the church, and we need his teaching now more than ever.

Continued from page 8

Volunteer SpotlightDouglas Morton, born in 1953, is a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He grew up in The American Lutheran Church. His home congregation is Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids,

Iowa. He graduated from Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa in 1974 and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri in 1979. He has also done further academic work at Concordia Seminary and Covenant Theological Seminary, both in St. Louis. He has served as Pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church, Marengo, Iowa since January, 1994. Before coming to Marengo

he served congregations in St. James and Boonville, Missouri. Pastor Morton is an authority on the cult "The Way International" and is co-author of the book From “Vesper Chimes” to “The Way International” as well as a booklet entitled The Integrity and Accuracy of The Way’s Word. He is also published in The Journal of Pastoral Practice and The Journal of Personal Freedom Outreach. Pastor Morton first became aware of ILT through an internet discussion group where he came in contact with Dr. Dennis Bielfeldt, the founding president of the Institute. He was fascinated and encouraged by what Dr. Bielfeldt and others were seeking to accomplish. A book lover himself, he began collecting books for the Institute library in the Fall of 2008 and became Director of Library Acquisitions for ILT in 2009. Since then he has helped obtain thousands of books for the library through the generosity of publishing companies, seminary libraries, individual pastors and lay men and women. A variety of members from his congregation have helped in various ways

in the gathering of these books, with many of these books being stored at the church itself. In January 2009 his congregation’s Lay School of Theology hosted its first “Day of Theological Reflection” with the speaker being Dr. Bielfeldt from ILT who had the chance to share his vision for the Institute with pastors and laypeople from various Lutheran church bodies. The second year’s guest speaker for the “Day of Theological Reflection’s” was Dr. Uwe Simon-Netto who is also a faculty member at ILT. Pastor Morton has taught in ILT’s “Word at Work” series and the “Pastoral Ministry Certification’” program. Since June Rev. Morton has been writing weekly devotional studies on the Revised Common Lectionary Epistle readings for ILT’s “Here I Stand” blog*.

*To read Rev. Morton’s weekly devotion or any of the articles of ILT blog – Here I Stand: An Online Forum of Faith and Reason – go to http//ilt.org/blog/

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Under $250Marian Aaker, Minneapolis, MN

Theodore Ager, Waterville, IA

Carl, Albing, Saint Paul, MN

Albion Lutheran Church, Saint James, MN

Mark Andersland, Cedar Rapids, IA

Jane Anderson, Schaumburg, IL

G Barry Anderson, Saint Paul, MN

James Anderson, Regent, ND

David Andreae, Decorah, IA

George Andrews, Painesville, OH

Verna Anfinrud, Rolette, ND

Myrwood Bagne, Waseca, MN

Norman Barker, Le Mars, IA

Helen Bash, Elderton, PA

Betty Baumann, Sun City, CA

David Beatty, Woodburn, OR

Louis/Agnes Becker, Minneapolis, MN

Larry Beckman, Dennison, MN

Lloyd Behnke, Oconto Falls, WI

Charles Behrens, Mankato, MN

Vera Bents, Stewart, MN

Paul Berthelot, Richland, WA

Leroy Beutel, Fredericksburg, VA

Daniel Bloomquist, Sammamish, WA

Robert Blue, Lead, SD

Karen Bock, Idaho Falls, ID

Karin Born Claude Bragstad, Saint Paul, MN

A.J. Brauer, Florence, OR

Paul Breddin, West Des Moines, IA

Chris Brekke, Dodge Center, MN

Donald Buckner, Cameron, WI

John Bull, Olathe, KS

A.J. Burgess, Albuquerque, NM

Franklin Burke, Hutchinson, MN

Margaret Byers, Moville, IA

Nathalie Carlson, Cold Spring, MN

Truman Carlson, Morris, MN

Arne Carlson, Fargo, ND

Joan Carruthers, Springfield, MN

R.H. Case, Sun City, AZ

Arthur Chavez, Medical Lake, WA

Christ Lutheran Church, Warren, MI

Christ Lutheran Church, Reese, MI

Berdell Christensen, Arlington, SD

Tammie Clark, Orrville, OH

Ernest Collard, East Wenatchee, WA

Signe Cone, Winona, MN

John Crockett, Frederica, DE

Crow River Chapter – WordAlone, Hutchinson, MN

2010 ContributorsThe board members, staff, faculty, and students of the Institute of Lutheran Theology would like to thank all those who have donated to this ministry in 2010. As we approach the end of 2011, please consider making an end of year donation to the Institute of Lutheran Theology. It is through the generous support of individuals and congregations that ILT is able to provide the affordable theological education necessary to prepare the next generation of faithful Lutheran preachers and teachers. Thank you!

I took Philosophy of Religion at ILT not as part of a degree program, but for personal enrichment. I was impressed not only by Professor Bielfeldt’s mastery of the philosophical and/or theological arguments of the multiple and varied philosophers/theologians in chronological, historical context, but also by his engaging teaching style that immersed me within the arguments. I’m not a math or science person, yet Dr. Bielfeldt’s gift for weaving symbolic logic and analogies from natural science into the instruction, opened up those doors of knowledge to me as never before in my experience.

Being from a Catholic background, I was especially appreciative to understand for the first time the philosophical events with Duns Scotus, and later William of Ockham that led many to pull away from Thomas Aquinas toward the ‘via moderna.’ Most enriching of all for me was the stimulating intellectual atmosphere that not only inspired me to reconnect with the roots of my Christian faith, but armed me with rational arguments to justify my faith in a skeptical world where Christianity is under constant assault. What a heavenly gift! Thank you ILT!

My Student Response at ILTKathleen Murrin

Contuned on Page 11

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Donald Dahl, Spring Valley, MN

Jean DeWalt, Delaware, OH

Loren DeVantier, Niagara Falls, NY

Robert Dierks, Chokio, MN

Gary Diers, Waverly, MN

David Doerr, Ridgecrest, CA

Gerhardt Dohmeier, Perry Hall, MD

Robert Donham, Douglas City, CA

William Drew, Spokane, WA

Henry Early, Cornwall, PA

Paul Edstrom, Saint Paul, MN

Irene Ehlers, Omaha, NE

Galen Eiben, Shell Rock, IA

Leland Ellingson, Crookston, MN

Richard Elmquist, Tacoma, WA

Emanuel American Lutheran Church, Lodi, CA

Robert Engwall, Minneapolis, MN

Elton Erdahl, Minnetonka, MN

Curtis Erickson, Saint Paul, MN

Richard Erickson, Brainerd, MN

John Erlandson, Minneapolis, MN

Irvin Eshenour, Dillsburg, PA

Robert Esse, Green Valley, PA

John Fahning, Minneapolis, MN

Faith Lutheran Mission Church, Eau Claire, WI

First Lutheran Church, Pipestone, MN

Ora Dell Fischer, Sleepy Eye, MN

William Fitch, Dubuque, IA

Willard Fluck, Hector, MN

Herb Foelber, Brenham, TX

Nels & Janet Forde, Minneapolis, MN

Diane Franson, Pinecliffe, CO

Max Fritzler, Osseo, MN

Marilyn Fuhr, Redwood Falls, MN

James Gardner, Iowa City, IA

Michael Gibbs, Waterville, IA

Ernest & Beryl Gilbertson, Fargo, ND

Alden Gjevre, Moorhead, MN

Hilda Goetzka, Sparta, MI

Good Sheperd Lutheran Church, Boardman, OR

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Washington, IN

Grande Lake Trust, Lake Park, MN

Kenneth Grimm, Gainesville, VA

Scott Grorud, Hutchinson, MN

Knud Grosen, Great Falls, MT

Charles Gross, Newport Beach, CA

Conrad Guetzlaff, Sheldon, IA

Cliff Hadley, Huron, SD

Raymond Hagberg, Spencer, NE

Ethel Hagen, Orient, SD

William Haggis, Dover, OH

Lorraine Hammer, Bird Island, MN

James Hanley, Saint Paul, MN

Robert Hansen, Jordan, MN

Paul Hanson, Minneapolis, MN

Harold Harms, Brunsville, IA

Ralph Harper, Roca, NE

James Harrison, Lindsborg, KS

Vernon Hartung, South Sioux City, IA

Jonathan Haseley, Niagara Falls, NY

Kenneth Hauge, Fredericksburg, VA

Nelda Heiman, Clintonville, WI

Richard Helgerson, Chisago City, MN

Marlin Helmick, La Grande, OR

Roy Hendrickson, Scottsdale, AZ

Mary Henriksen, Omaha, NE

Gerald Hibbard, Chetek, WI

Gail Hill, Kent, WA

Paul Hinlicky, Catawba, VA

Barbara Hinton, La Jolla, CA

Ramona Hjerpe, Hutchinson, MN

Richard Hofstad, Minneapolis, MN

Eugene Holen, Arnegard, ND

Margaret Hopkins, Mesa, AZ

Barbara Hughes, Chinook, WA

Tom Hunt, Story City, IA

Marcella Ingvoldstad, Minneapolis, MN

Alfred Jacobs, Fergus Falls, MN

Emogene Jacobsen, Saint Paul, MN

M L Jacobson, La Valle, WI

Gerhard Jacobson, Hamilton, VA

Mark & Cindy Jamison, Sterling, NE

Bernice Jensen, Eugene, OR

Lynda Jeppesen, Oak Park, IL

Judeen Johnson, Volga, SD

Eileen Johnson, Mercer Island, WA

Linda Johnson, Scandinavia, WI

Ch R. William Johnson, Lakewood, WA

Rodger Johnson, New Braunfels, TX

K.D. Johnson, Hopkins, MN

C. Thomas Kangas, Bremerton, WA

Neil Karpe, Anoka, MN

John Karriker, Statesville, NC

Terry Kaskie, Hudson, SD

Edwin Kauffman, Allison Park, PA

Karnig Kazanjian, Mobile, AL

Paul Keppler, Irvine, CA

M. Kessler, Danville, PA

Gene Kind, Saint Peter, MN

H Kleinsteuber, Savannah, GA

Earl Knitt, Pardeeville, WI

Alton Knutson, Forest Lake, MN

Jan Koeller, Flanagan, IL

M.D. Koenig, New Braunfels, TX

Klaren Koompin, American Falls, ID

John Koziol, Saint Paul, MN

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Leonard Kramer, Milan, MN

Frank Kube, Reedsburg, WI

Victor Langford, Seattle, WA

Philip Larsen, Blair, NE

Kenneth Lee, Fairfield, MT

David Leidig, Rochester, NY

Arlene Lellelid, Saint Paul, MN

Robert Lerohl, Sacred Heart, MN

Gaylen Lerohl, Alexandria, MN

Vernal Lind, Battle Lake, MN

Robert Logan, Montoursville, PA

Fritjof Lokensgard, Maple Plain, MN

David Loppnow, Minneapolis, MN

Harold Lund, Minneapolis, MN

Melville Lundin Patricia Mahlstedt, Glendive, MT

Donald Mann, Lancaster, NY

Maritime Bethel at Savannah,Rincon, GA

Reinhold Markwart, Marshall, WI

James Marsho, Brookfield, WI

Dale Masher, Los Altos, CA

Marjorie McDaniel, Hickory, NC

Byron McGregor, Mankato, MN

Gerald Miller, Annapolis, MD

Richard Miller, Hubbard, OR

Gerald Moe, Arlington, SD

Wesley Moehring, Hondo, TX

Maynard Moen, Clifton, TX

David Morken, Thief River Falls, MN

Ronald Negri, Minnetonka, MN

Craig Nehring, Caroline, WI

Irven Nelson, Minneapolis, MN

Mary Jane Nelson, Gold Canyon, AZ

John Nelson, Saint Paul, MN

Don Nelson, Vida, MT

Irene Nelson, Saint Paul, MN

Arthur Nendza, Landisville, PA

Albert Ness, Sharon, ND

Wanda Newkirk, Valley City, ND

Howard Nielsen, Fresno, CA

Lois Nieman, Belmont, CA

Leslie Niemi, Au Train, MI

Greg & Wendy Norman, Saint Cloud, MN

Wallace Oien, Stillwater, MN

Joy Olinger, Hector, MN

Olivet Lutheran Church, La Crosse, WI

Francis Olson, Hutchinson, MN

David Olstad, Hanska, MN

Harlan Orham, Great Falls, MT

Thomas Orr, Long Prairie, MN

Daryl Ostercamp, Moorhead, MN

Randal Ouimette, Arroyo Grande, CA

Lavonne Parker, Sedro Woolley, WA

Lucille Pederson, Hutchinson, MN

Peerless Lutheran Church, Peerless, MT

George Peliska, Virginia, MN

Phillip Perkins, Knoxville, TN

Eldon Person, Northfield, MN

Clyde Peterson, Hutchinson, MN

Kevin Peterson, Herndon, VA

Greg Peterson, Brookings, SD

H.V Phillips, Hutchinson, KS

Frank Pieper, Emden, IL

Pleasant Valley Lutheran Church, Britton, SD

James Powers, Moorhead, MN

Sylvia Pridal, Taunton, MNEdward Quamme, Hettinger, NDRichard Quirion,Schoharie, NY

Carl Rasmussen, Kirkland, IL

O.D. Ratliff, Des Moines, IA

Mary Regan, Minneapolis, MN

Thomas Renslo, Caledonia, MN

Janine Rew-Werling, Milbank, SD

Loren Richardson, Tracy, MN

Barbara Riessen, Madison Lake, MN

Deborah Ritter, Medford, NJ

Donald Roberts, Cornelius, OR

Inez Rodning, Sun City West, AZ

Beth Rosenquist, Omaha, NE

C. Rosenquist, Pendleton, OREleanor Rud,Decorah, IA

Chelsey Rud, Volga, SD

Donna Saathoff, Sterling, NE

Barbara Scherer, Fredericksburg, TX

Lois Schlaefer Dumont,Cataldo, ID

Waldemar Schmiesing,Hanska, MN

Russell Schnur, La Habra, CA

Wm. Schoneck, Marion, WI

M. Roy Schwarz, Winchester, VA

Ruth Schwinge, Waitsfield, VT

Robert Seibold, Shippensburg, PA

H.W. Selman, Willow Grove, PA

Richard Shouse, Spanaway, WA

M. James Simonson, Oshkosh, WI

Gerald Siverson, Saint Paul, MN

Ken Slag, Bismarck, ND

Donald Slinden Sr., Atwater, MN

William Smith, Ruthven, IA

Richard Smith, Bismarck, ND

James Snyder, Wooster, OH

Edward Solberg, Dodson, MT

Randy Sook, Marshall, MN

Leland Sorenson, Minnetonka, MN

St. Pauls Lutheran Church of Blossom, Elma, NY

Robert Stam, Amery, WI

Wesley Sunvold, Rogers, MN

Larry & Connie Swanson, Fargo, ND

Austin Swanson, Clarence, NY

Dean Swenson, Chisago City, MN

Eunice Swiggum, Decorah, IA

Timothy Taron, Sacramento, CA

John Thompson, Mankato, MN

Gary Throp, Ashville, OH

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Jack Trethewey, Milwaukee, WI

Richard Trost, Clive, IA

Richard Vasgaard, Centerville, SD

Margaret Wall, Comfrey, MN

Gordon Waller, Circle, MT

Gretchen Walther, Dayton, OH

Harold Watrous, New Effington, SD

Albert Weisbeck, Bismarck, ND

Virgil West, Wallingford, IA

Frithjof Westby, Minneapolis, MN

Garet Williams, East Aurora, NY

Howard Winholtz, Rochester, MN

Arnold Winter, Sheldon, IA

John Wissmann, Clintonville, WI

David Wolber, Key Largo, FL

Erma Wolf, Brandon, SD

Bob & Mary Wrase, Plymouth, MN

Robert & Marguereta Yaeger, Ortonville, MN

Helen Yetter, Duluth, MN

Roberta Yoder, Urbandale, IA

Wayne & Jenice Yoder, Knoxville, TN

Harold Ziemann, Hudson, WI

Zion Lutheran Church, Kerrville, TX

$250-$1,999Irvin Aal, Surprise, AZ

Jim & Lois Aasland, Appleton, MN

Abounding Joy Lutheran Church, Saint Joseph, MN

Advent Lutheran Church, Elmont, NY

Ruth Anderson, Puyallup, WA

Bryan Anderson, Clear Lake, WI

Larry Anderson, Sioux Falls, SD

David Anderson, Hudson, SD

Philip Anderson, Columbus, NC

Courtney & Myrna Anderson, Sioux Falls, SD

Appelwick Living Trust, Madison, SD

Augsburg Lutheran Churches, El Paso, TX

Eric Ause, Chicago, IL

John & Carla Beem, Miltona, MN

Roger Benrud, Goodhue, MN

Bethany Lutheran Church, Bigfork, MT

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Harlan, IA

Grace Bohannon, Topeka, KS

Hugh Brewer, Lennox, SD

Ronald Brugger, Huron, SD

Christ Lutheran Church, Canada Morden, MB

Christ The King Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, MN

James Clark, Atlanta, GA

Dana Crooks, Toronto, SD

Charles DeHaven, New Braunfels, TX

Harold Emerson, West Bend, WI

Wayne Faber, Le Mars, IA

Faith Lutheran Church, Great Falls, MT

Faith Lutheran Church, Little Falls, MN

Faith Lutheran Church ELCA, Moline, IL

Fellowship of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, La Mesa, CA

Dale Feser, Defiance, IA

First Lutheran Church, Britton, SD

Alton & Carolyn Fiskness, New London, MN

Foxhome Lutheran Church, Foxhome, MN

Norman Freund, Fremont, NE

Randall Freund, Hutchinson, MN

Nathan Goodwin, Austin, MN

Gerhardt Gosnell, Clyde, OH

Margaret Grorud, Hutchinson, MN

Theodore & Carol Guetzlaff, Waverly, IA

Timothy Hansen, Kent, WA

Rex Heidmann, Clackamas, OR

Roland Henderson, Genoa, OH

Charles and Anne Hesse, Coralville, IA

Darlo Thomas Hill, Dubuque, IA

Lyle Hollander, Boyden, IA

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Abington, PA

Robert Janssen, Clarksville, IA

Francis Jeffery, Lakewood, WA

James Johnson, Lake Elmo, MN

Juri Jurisson, Sun City, AZ

James and Myrlte Kettner, Minneapolis, MN

Paul Knudson, Hutchinson, MN

David Kulow, Riverview, FL

Lands Lutheran Church of Moe, Hudson, SD

Living Word Lutheran Church, Puyallup, WA

Living Word Lutheran Church, Alexandria, MN

Lutheran Bible Institute in CA, Irvine, CA

Lutheran Church of the Cross, Laguna Woods, CA

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Judy Mattson, Lanse, MI

David McGettigan, New Braunfels, TX

Bruce Merle, Kent, WA

David Moxness, Fremont, NE

New Life Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL

Michael Niebaum, Minneapolis, MN

Norway Lutheran Church, Saint Olaf, IA

James Olsen, South Haven, MN

Donald Orton, Omaha, NE

Paul Overgaard, Albert Lea, MN

Gary Parfit, Star, ID

Peace Lutheran Church, Fremont, NE

Ivan Pederson, Westbrook, MN

Fred Peters, Salem, OR

Don and Char Petersen, Starbuck, MN

Paulus Pilgrim, Hutchinson, MN

Pioneer Lutheran Church, White, SD

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Rockton, IL

Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fridley, MN

Charles Reppert, Pender, NE

John Schaertel, Harrisburg, PA

Harold Schlachtenhaufen, Tucson, AZ

Scobey Lutheran Church, Scobey, MT

Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran Church, Jacksonville, FL

Keith Smith, Revillo, SD

Alvin & Marilyn Smith, Minneota, MN

Richard Solberg, Fargo, ND

St. James Evangelical Lutheran, Philadelphia, PA

St. John Lutheran Church, Sterling, NE

St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church, Osceola, NE

St. Pauls Congregation of American Lutheran Church, Rantoul, IL

St. Timothys Lutheran, San Jose, CA

St.Johns Lutheran Church, Howard Lake, MN

Arlan Stangeland, Pelican Rapids, MN

Jon Stoneman, Camano Island, WA

Bill Swope, Marshall, MN

Roger & Rita Tiede, Hutchinson, MN

Trinity Lutheran Church, Hudson, SD

Trinity Lutheran Church, Titusville, FL

Kenneth Truckenbrod, Sun City, AZ

D.E. Trued, Lindsborg, KS

Allan Turmo, Fargo, ND

Dan Tvedt, Volga, SD

Kip Tyler, Omaha, NE

Morris & Grace Ulring, Minneapolis, MN

Francis Vande Veegaete, Powell, WY

WC Word Alone Fellowship, Chokio, MN

J.R. Wifall, Albuquerque, NM

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Skanee, MI

$2,000-$4,999Bethesda Lutheran Church, Dresser, WI

Canadian Association of Lutheran Congregations, Morden, MB

Christ Lutheran Church, Whitefish, MT

Christ the King Lutheran Church, Birmingham, AL

Christus Lutheran Church, Clintonville, WI

Palmer Freund, Sun City, AZ

Grace Lutheran Church, Hayward, WI

Jean Hansen, New Hope, MN

Hans Hillerbrand, Durham, NC

Living Word Lutheran Church, Marshall, MN

Carol Matson, Kent, WA

Our Saviours Lutheran Church, Audubon, IA

Our Saviours Lutheran Church, Victoria, TX

Ronald Sagness, Outlook, SK

Robin Schickedanz, Cochrane, AB

St Lukes Lutheran Church, La Mesa, CA

St. Peters Lutheran-Cochrane ALB,Cochrane, AB

Philip & Ruth Wold, Mankato, MN

WordAlone Network, New Brighton, MN

$5,000-$24,999Faith Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, MN

Foundation of the Master, Omaha, NE

Lou and Deb Hesse, Moses Lake, WA

Lutheran Church of the Master, Omaha, NE

St. Andrew-by-the-Sea Lutheran Church, Atlantic City, NJ

Timothy Swenson, Arnegard, ND

Zion Lutheran Church, Kent, WA

Above $25,000Dennis Bielfeldt, Brookings, SD

R.E. Gandrud, Glenwood, MN

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Prayer is one of those topics that many Christians like to discuss, but rarely practice in a substantive manner outside of the communal prayers at church. Yet prayer is something we must always have at the fore of our lives.

I'm guessing that many of you have not heard of the "Persian Sage," Aphrahat, a Syriac theologian who wrote in the fourth century, but his writings on prayer are among the earliest in Church History. He presented a system of prayer where the petitioner's focus started, not on the actual prayer itself, but on the purity of one's heart. He likened the prayers of the faithful to the sacrifices of the Old Testament, ones that must be pure and spotless before God. If the petitioner's heart was not right before God, how could they present a prayer that was pure?

Within the Lutheran context, purity of prayer has often been overlooked. Of course within this tradition one holds that the petitioner cannot be pure because they are a sinner and hence all they do is tainted with sin. But can we learn something from this "Persian Sage?" Although many will not look to present "pure prayers" to God, feeling this is an impossible task, the state of one's heart is a continual theme throughout the Old and New Testaments. This may be best exemplified in Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Luke 18:13 (NRSV) states, "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'" In this simple prayer, which some Christians title "The Jesus Prayer," the humility of the petitioner is clear. How can one bring anything

worthy to a holy God? Only through Jesus Christ, our mediator can this be accomplished. So we must approach God the Father through Christ Jesus in humility, knowing this is only possibly

through God's mercy. In this way, the state of one's heart is essential to prayer, and something that all Christians should hold dear. God grant us humility to approach Him in prayer.

The Heart of Prayer by Dr. George Tsakiridis

Prayer RequestsPlease keep the following in your prayers:

° Fall semester: For our faculty to teach with wisdom and compassion and our students to learn with open and discerning minds.

° Word at Work Program: For our instructors to equip congregations with a deeper knowledge of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the tools they need -- as the body of Christ -- to share the Gospel.

° From Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Maple Lake MN- asks that we pray for those working with SOLA Publishing - they are very busy and understaffed.

Have a prayer request? Please send it to: admin@ilt.org

ILT Board of Directors

Anderson, G. Barry Associate Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court

Bielfeldt, Dennis Vice President of Academic Affairs and founding President, Institute of Lutheran Theology

Erickson, Paul Entrepreneur/Investor, Sioux Falls, SD

Hesse, Debra Family Farmer, Moses Lake, WA

Hillerbrand, Hans J. Professor of Religion, Duke University\

Richardson, Mark Interim Service Coordinator, Augustana District, LCMC; Interim Associate Pastor, Christ the King Lutheran Church, Hutchinson, MN

Schickedanz, Fred Real Estate Developer, Calgary, Alberta

Siemon-Netto, Uwe Executive Director, The League of Faithful Masks, Irvine, CA

Tyler, Kip Senior Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Master, Omaha, NE, and Chair of the Board

ILT StaffBaltz, Frederick Interim President

Bielfeldt, Dennis Vice President of Academic Affairs

Dillner, Doug Registrar & Director of Information Technology

Patterson, David Director of Information Services

Patterson, Penny Bookeeping

Schmit, Marsha Communications Assistant

Institute of Lutheran Theology • 910 4th Street • Brookings, SD 57006Phone: 605-692-9337 • Fax: 605-692-1460 • http://www.ilt.org

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