Summer Workshop: Professor Okamoto in Santa Barbara, CA

Description

Being Lutheran in a Post-Denominational Situation

“Denominations” mean less and less to individual American Christians and the notion of “being Christian” is increasingly thin and personal. Recently Christian researcher George Barna summarized the situation by saying: “People say: ‘I believe in God. I believe the Bible is a good book. And then I believe whatever I want'” (USA Today, Sept. 13, 2011). Similarly, among congregations it is increasingly unclear what “Lutheran” or “Methodist” or “Baptist” really means, as differences in preaching, worship, theology and ethics grow between churches. In this workshop we will consider ways of defining, embodying and explaining a “Lutheran” identity for the church, for practices, for confession of faith and for theology. We will discuss “good” answers to such questions as, What does it mean to be Lutheran? How does Lutheran matter today? What makes a church Lutheran? and What is a Lutheran confession of faith?
 
Register Bulletin insert

Dr. Joel Okamoto

Okamoto is well known among graduates for bringing a thoughtful analysis to today’s increasingly non-Christian culture and exploring how the church can address the issues it faces within that culture. And thus he has spent much time studying how we can carry out apologetics today, engage science, and always, keeping Jesus at the center of everything we do.

Registration deadline: July 25, 2019
Contact: Rev. Paul Nelson