Registration is now open for the 28^th Annual Theological Symposium, “The Just Shall Live by Faith: The Reformation Word for Life Then and Now,” set for Sept. 19-20 on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.

This year’s symposium will explore the term “justification” — the watchword of the Reformation. Five hundred years ago, it stood at the center of Martin Luther’s struggle to restore Christian hope and consolation over and against an ambivalent church hierarchy. But what did justification mean for Christians before Luther? What place does it have for us now?

“This year’s Theological Symposium provides a most fitting capstone to our Reformation lecture series of the past two years,” said Dr. Charles Arand, the Eugene E. and Nell S. Fincke Graduate Professor of Theology and dean of Theological Research and Publication. “It will focus on the heart of the Reformation’s insight into the Scriptures and contribution to the church, namely, the doctrine of justification by faith alone. To that end, we will explore how the church appropriated and proclaimed this teaching from the early church through the Reformation and how it continues to address the deepest needs of human existence in our day.”

This symposium will bring together today’s top researchers and theologians to commemorate, celebrate and rediscover justification as a word of life for today.

The plenary speakers and their topics include:

• Dr. Mark Seifrid, professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, “Christ and Justification in Romans”
• Dr. David Maxwell, the Louis A. Fincke and Anna B. Shine Professor of Systematic Theology, Concordia Seminary, “Justification in the Early Church”
• Dr. Erik Herrmann, associate professor of Historical Theology and director of the Center for Reformation Research, Concordia Seminary, “Justification in the Reformation”
• Dr. Mark Mattes, chairman of the Department of Theology, Grand View University, Des Moines, Iowa, “Luther on Justification: Relevant or Irrelevant?”
• Dr. John Koch, rector of St. Francis in the Fields, Louisville, Ky., “Law, Gospel, and Guns N’ Roses: How the English Reformation is Still Speaking Today”

Multiple sectionals also will be presented by Concordia Seminary faculty and staff as well as guest speakers that will address how to apply this learning to congregational life and ministry.

Registration for the symposium is $130 per person through Sept. 1, after which time the fee increases to $140. Online registration closes Sept. 8. Registration options include full, single day or single-session registration, and live stream access. A buffet dinner and the Home Brew Fair, an evening of quality beer tastings from local home brewers, is included in the cost of full registration. Additional meals and on-campus lodging may be available for an additional charge. Visit the registration page for more details.

In addition, participants are invited to arrive on campus a day early for the LCMS Foundation Golf Tournament Monday, Sept 18. The event includes a complimentary golf tournament at Highlands Golf and Tennis Center. Space is limited for this event.

If unable to attend the Theological Symposium in person, parts of it will be available via live stream. Live stream access is $80 and includes the introduction, the plenary speakers and three select sectionals. To purchase live stream access, visit >www.csl.edu/symposium.

For more information or to register, visit www.csl.edu/symposium. Questions? Please contact Continuing Education at 314-505-7286 or at [email protected].

Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit www.csl.edu.