FACULTY - David Tiede
Bernhard Christensen Endowed Chair
Chemistry, English, and music were my major college interests. To be honest, I spent more time thinking about my girlfriend at a different school, and later I married her J. So, college was good, and my first teaching jobs were at a blue collar college in Boston and then an elite women’s college in California., along with graduate teaching. College was again good for me, as I sought to learn what interested hard working young men at one school and privileged young women at the other. Now after 35 years as a Professor of New Testament and 18 years as President of Luther Seminary, I am back in college as the Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation. It’s great! If you are planning your future, teaching at Augsburg College is good work if you can get it!
If you read the attached resume, you will see I love to study, write books about, teach, and learn from the New Testament and the beginnings of the Christian movement. The New Testament itself is a hopeful commentary on the scriptures of Israel, i.e. the books Christians call the Old Testament. In my “Apostles of Hope” course, we interpret the story of how the early Christian movement emerged with irrepressible confidence from within Israel into the Greco-Roman world. It is exciting when students from different backgrounds tie into this material: when sociology students or physics wonks and football players mix it up with religion groupies or philosophers. Nobody has all the answers, but everyone is trying to figure out how the beacons of promise may shine light on their own pathways into the future. These classic stories have inspired people for centuries, often in the midst of hard times. Please consider this as your invitation to enroll in the course.
You also need to know the five lessons Augsburg College has learned from Bernhard Christensen. He was a president of Augsburg whose spirit, wisdom, and deep thought continue to guide and bless the College on its way to the future to which we are called.
- The Christian faith liberates minds and lives.
- Vital communities are strengthened by diversity.
- Inter-faith friendships enrich learning.
- The love of Christ draws us to God.
- We are called to service in the world.
Each of these five “lessons” is rich and complicated. A dear friend said, “They sound smooth, but the truth is ‘lumpier’ than that!” Yes! And more gritty and organic and alive!
Christians, Muslims, Jews, agnostics, spiritual seekers, and skeptics, whoever you are! Augsburg is a place that welcomes you into the center of its faith with respect for who you are, what you bring, and how your sense of purpose or vocation can be examined, informed, and strengthened. You can only imagine the great privilege it is for me to join with you in the quest!