Join us for a weekend with Dr.  Lori Brandt Hale, president of the International Bonhoeffer Society, English Language Section. Discover how Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s theology and legacy help the Church and people of faith to authentically and humbly act at the intersection of civic life and faith, in contrast and response to the forces of Christian Nationalism.  We are grateful to partner with United Lutheran Seminary’s Kindling Faith to offer this event. 

Registration will open soon. REGISTER BY NOON ON MARCH 4! 

Friday, March 7, 6:00pm – Author’s Reception and Dinner – $50

Seminary Ridge Cupola — Photo courtesy of the Seminary Ridge Museum

Meet Dr. Lori Brandt Hale, president of the International Bonhoeffer Society – English Language Section and author of the “Lessons from Dietrich Bonhoeffer” curriculum for congregations and communities. A happy-hour reception at the Seminary Ridge Museum and dinner at United Lutheran Seminary will be a chance to meet with Dr. Brandt Hale, see the museum, and hear a brief talk on the unfinished work of Reconstruction by Rev. Dr. Martin Otto-Zimmann. Tickets include an opportunity for attendees to visit the historic cupola at the Seminary Ridge Museum!

Saturday, March 8, Chapel of the Abiding Presence  – Public Lectures and Panel Discussion – $25; Optional Boxed Lunch – $20; Livestream – $10

Tentative Schedule

10 a.m. — Guest Lecture TBA. This presentation defines what Christian nationalism is, explains how it works in our society (and beyond), interprets the movement in the light of the gospel, and offers suggestions for Christian response.

11 a.m. — Dr. Brandt Hale will give a public lecture on Bonhoeffer’s concept of “This-Worldly” Christianity, also known as “religionless” Christianity. Dr. Brandt Hale will illustrate how Bonhoeffer’s conception evolves, and how ultimately, he believes that the Christian witness is most faithful and powerful when “viewed from below,” from the perspective of real people, especially the poor and oppressed.

Noon — Lunch — Order a boxed lunch when you register for the day, or dine on your own in Gettysburg.

1:30 p.m. —  A panel discussion will follow lunch to help participants understand the ways in which Bonhoeffer’s theology counters the ways in which Christian Nationalist forces frame “faithful” participation in the public sphere. Speakers will include Dr. Brandt Hale and Rev. Dr. Teresa Smallwood. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of ways in which they can speak about their faith and public life and can take concrete action to counter the harmful narratives of Christian Nationalism.

2:45 p.m. — We end our time by coming together around the Word and Sacrament, reminding ourselves of our connection to one another in concrete community and as part of the communion of saints throughout time and space. We are sent nourished and filled, ready for the work we are called to do.

Registration will open soon!

Dr. Lori Brandt Hale is Professor of Religion in Department of Religion and Philosophy at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN. She is the President of the International Bonhoeffer Society – English Language Section and a Westar Institute Scholar. Brandt Hale is co-editor of and contributor to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Political Resistance (June 2020), the second volume in a new series on faith and political theology by Lexington Books. Her chapter in this book, a constructive read of Bonhoeffer’s work, is titled, “The Interfaith Imperative: How Bonhoeffer Compels Interfaith Action.” She is also the co-author of Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians (Westminster John Knox, 2009) and has written numerous articles and book chapters on Bonhoeffer’s political resistance, understanding of vocation, and relevance in contemporary times – including the now perennial question, “Is this a Bonhoeffer moment?”

The Rev. Dr. Martin Otto-Zimmann is the Senior Director of Continuing Education. In addition, he also serves as the Executive Director of the Stewardship of Life Institute and as Adjunct faculty in the area of Church in Society. Martin taught at Siena Heights University in Adrian Michigan and Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio on a variety of topics, including Ethnic Studies, Literature and Composition, Climate Change and Sustainability, and Apocalypse Theology. Beginning in February of 2013, he served the English Congregation of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem and was assistant to former LWF President, Bishop Munib Younan for 1.5 years. He is passionate about racial and gender justice issues, and the prophetic witness of the mainline Protestant Church in America.

The Rev. Dr. Teresa Smallwood is the James Franklin Kelly and Hope Eyster Kelly Associate Professor of Public Theology and Dean and Vice-President of Academic Affairs for United Lutheran Seminary. Dr. Smallwood graduated from Howard University School of Divinity in 2010 with a Master of Divinity degree. In 2011, Dr. Smallwood pursued a Ph.D. from Chicago Theological Seminary, which she earned in 2017. Dr. Smallwood has held ministerial staff positions at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, Lewiston, NC, Israel Baptist Church, Washington, DC, and New Covenant Christian Church Disciples of Christ, Nashville, TN. She is currently on the ministerial staff of Saint John African Methodist Episcopal Church, Nashville, TN with Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Lisa Hammonds. Dr. Smallwood has taught at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the Religious Freedom Center in Washington, D.C., Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois, and Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. Dr. Smallwood served as the Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate Director of the Public Theology and Racial Justice Collaborative at Vanderbilt Divinity School from 2017 to 2021.