Nebraska Synod ELCA
Event
Program Description:
There is an argument to be made that Martin Luther was the most important human being of his millennium. There is no aspect of life – from religion to politics to society to personal life – that his work did not affect. It is amazing to think that this one man of such modest beginnings should become the instrument of such great change. Even now, 500 years later his works challenge how we understand and practice our faith. The core of his work is its spiritual insights. His struggles to find the truth, his own faith and his hopes for the renewal of the church of his day closely mirror our own. It turns out we still have much to learn. Particularly amid the rising nationalism, authoritarianism and legalism of the modern American church, his witness calls us to grasp firmly to the Gospel and say with him, “Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.”
Course Overview:
1) The World at the time of the Lutheran Reformation.
a) changes in Society
b) Luther bio
c) “I will become a monk”
2) Luther discovers faith
a) Medieval RC Theology (Scholasticism)
b) The Tower Experience
c) The Indulgence Controversy
3) Three Treatises
a) The debate expands
b) The German princes
c) The Church
d) The people (Peasant’s revolt)
4) The Diet of Worms
a) The church tries to quiet Luther
b) Confrontation with the Emperor
c) Exile
5) The Wittenberg Years
a) Translating the Bible
b) Worship
c) Faith and Society – 1. Schools 2. Commerce 3.Government (2 Kingdoms) 4.Charity
d) Marriage and Family Life
6) Three Opponents
a) Zwingli and the Swiss Reformers
b) Erasmus and the Bound Will
c) the Lutherans (Small and Large Catechism)
7) Augsburg
a) The preceding documents
b) The Reformation as an ecumenical movement
c) Organization of the Confession
d) The reaction
8) The later years
a) The reformers organize
b) The counter-reformation
c) Later writings
d) The Formula of Concord
e) The Lutherans come to America
Instructor:
Rev. Glen Thomas shares he is a born and bred Husker, a Fremont native and a UNL alum. He found his calling to ministry at the Lutheran Student Center at UNL and did his seminary training at Luther Northwestern Seminary in St. Paul Minnesota. There he discovered a new outlet for his love of history and began what has been a life-long adventure of plumbing the depths of theology, piety and the life of the church. Pastor Glen is challenged and excited by the constant enterprise of living up to the Lutheran Reformation motto Semper Reformanda (always reforming). The living witness of Lutheranism has so much to offer the community of faith, and he thinks that has become more and more true in this moment in history. He loves to preach and teach. Pastor Larry Meyer always reminded us of the importance of biblical literacy, and Pastor Glen’s recent explorations in the Emerging Church conversation has opened his eyes to see where that journey can lead and he finds great joy in seeing people discover anew what the Bible truly says and the breadth and depth of God’s living Word. Wife, Lorie Thomas, is a social worker for Region VI Behavioral Health and teaches at UNO. She has a passion to serve people with significant mental health needs, and especially in the aging population. They have two grown and married sons and a beautiful granddaughter.
Course Details:
Dates: Tuesdays, January 7, 14, 21 and 28 and February 4, 11, 18 and 25
Time: 7:30-8:45 PM Central/6:30-7:45PM Mountain
Format:
This is an online Zoom course. Course details and link will be sent by Pastor Glen Thomas after the registration deadline.
Target Audience:
This is a great review for those who got a taste of Reformation history and Luther’s story in confirmation but long for more details and are ready to connect the dots and see Martin Luther’s impact on today’s church.
Costs:
$40 for the eight-week course. Participants are responsible for securing reference materials for the course. Registration deadline January 3, 2025. No refunds after January 3.
Course Material:
Pastor Glen recommends these two books as reference books for this course.
+ Where God Meets Man: Luther’s Down-to-Earth Approach to the Gospel by Gerhard O. Forde
+ Martin Luther: An Introduction to His Life and Work by Bernhard Lohse
Have note taking supplies handy.
Continuing Education Credit: Continuing education credits will not apply for individuals who have already taken a Luther course as part of their earlier studies. Others may count this course as 10 continuing education hours if the full 10 weeks course is completed.