Theological Conference at Holden Village

Can You Hear Me Now? Communicating the Gospel in the Post-Modern World

16th Biennial Theological Conference at Holden Village
Can You Hear Me Now? Communicating the Gospel in the Post-Modern World
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Ever since the early church took the message of Jesus from rural Galilee to the urban centers of the Roman world, it has faced the challenge of communicating the Gospel in changing cultural and contextual circumstances. The postmodern world of the 21st Century presents unique challenges and opportunities for communicating the Gospel, especially for those who are called upon to lead worship and preach. Understanding the postmodern world is not a luxury for sociologists and cultural historians. Being in conversation with that world and hearing the questions that are being asked is essential for anyone who desires to communicate the Gospel in meaningful ways. Join speakers Michael Burk and Maria Erling, worship leader Mark Douglass, along with friends and colleagues at beautiful Holden Village for a stimulating conversation in what is considered by many to be the most beautiful month of the year in the Pacific Northwest.

Michael Burk, ELCA Director for Worship and Maria Erling Associate Professor of Church History and Global Missions at Gettysburg Seminary will engage us in conversation about the Church's ongoing efforts to communicate the Gospel in the post-modern world of the 21st century through worship and preaching.

The Rev. Dr. Burk directs the ELCA Churchwide worship ministry. He travels extensively in support of that work and to represent the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on matters related to worship. As the churchwide executive for worship, he directed the development of the new primary resource, Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Burk is a graduate of Wartburg College (B.A.), Wartburg Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and the University of Iowa (M.A. and Ph.D.). With advanced degrees in American Cultural Studies, Dr. Burk is particularly interested in the culture of the church and in the ways the ministry of word and sacrament inform issues facing the church and engage individual believers within it. Dr. Burk is a member of the Consultation on Common Texts, the North American Academy of Liturgy, and the American Academy of Religion. In addition to his responsibilities as an executive in the churchwide organization, he provides worship leadership for both the Conference of Bishops and the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He lives with his family in Mt. Prospect, Illinois, and is a member of Our Saviour's Saviour's Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

The Rev. Dr. Maria E. Erling has taught the History of Christianity in North America and Global Mission at the Seminary since 1999. During the pursuit of her doctoral degree from Harvard University she conducted research in congregational life and immigration in New England. She has served parishes in New England and supervised urban ministry for the New England Synod. She also served the synod as its ecumenical officer. Dr. Erling has served on the executive board of the Augustana Heritage Association and in recent years on the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America' s (ELCA) Archive Advisory Committee. She has addressed the conference of bishops of th e ELCA on ministry and ecumenical matters, and has participated in the orientation sessions for newly elected bishops. Dr. Erling is currently working on a book project with Mark Granquist on the history of the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church, one of the predecessor bodies of the Lutheran Church in America spanning the 19th and 20th centuries. She lives in Gettysburg with her husband John Spangler, who serves on the seminary staff and their two daughters, Marta and Johanna.