News Archives - 2007

"In Conversation with Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastors Gathering in Life Together," a conference exploring the life, theology, political activism, and spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer will be held on campus from June 4 - 7.  

Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and participant in the movement against Nazism. He was ultimately hanged for his ties to the Nazi resistance. To this day, Bonhoeffer is recognized by many as a model pastor and a modern Christian martyr. He was quoted as saying: “The Church is the Church only when it exists for others…it is only by living completely in this world that one learns to have faith."

Dr. Larry Rasmussen, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics Emeritus from Union Seminary in New York, and Dr. Lisa Dahill, Assistant Professor of Worship and Christian Spirituality at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio will offer keynote presentations.

Bonhoeffer scholars and officers in the International Bonhoeffer Society - English Language Section, including Rev. John Matthews, Dr. Joel Lawrence, Dr. Lori Brandt Hale (Augsburg Religion department), and Rev. Paul Lutter will facilitate break- out sessions.

"This conference is the first of its kind and we will explore the possibility of making it an annual event. The idea for this gathering began to take shape in conversations I had with two pastors who attended the International Bonhoeffer Congress in Rome in 2004," says conference organizer and Augsburg Assistant Professor of Religion Lori Brandt Hale. 

For more information contact Hale at hale@ausgburg.edu.