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The Significance of Presence

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Written by Dr. Jeremy Myers, Executive Director of Augsburg’s Christensen Center for Vocation

headshot of Brian Bantum

On Tuesday Oct 5, 2021, Dr. Brian Bantum gave a lecture entitled “All Things are New: The Language of Our Life in the Face of Empire” at our 2021 Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium. Dr. Bantum is the Neil F. And Ila A. Fisher Professor of Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. He writes, speaks, and teaches on identity, racial imagination, creating spaces of justice, and the intersection of theology and embodiment for audiences around the United States.

He is a contributing editor of The Christian Century and is the author of “Redeeming Mulatto: A Theology of Race and Christian Hybridity,” “The Death of Race: Building a New Christianity in a Racial  World,”  and  “Choosing Us: Marriage and Mutual Flourishing in a World of Difference,” which he co-authored with his spouse, Gail Song Bantum. You can view a recording of his talk here.

Continue reading “The Significance of Presence” →

Join us for the Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium

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Augsburg University’s Christensen Symposium will feature the esteemed Dr. Brian Bantum next week, Oct. 5 from 11:00am-12:00pm. Please join us either in the Hoversten Chapel at Augsburg or via livestream (register to attend online through this link.) His talk is titled, “All Things Are New: The Language of Our Life in the Face of Empire.”
Brian Bantum, PhD, writes, speaks, and teaches on identity, racial imagination, creating spaces of justice, and the intersection of theology and embodiment for audiences around the United States. He is a  contributing editor of The Christian Century and is the author of “Redeeming Mulatto: A Theology of Race and Christian Hybridity,” “The Death of Race: Building a New Christianity in a Racial  World,”  and  “Choosing Us: Marriage and Mutual Flourishing in a World of Difference,” which he co-authored with his spouse, Gail Song Bantum.

2019 Christensen Symposium

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Headshot photos of Dr. Hamdy and Bishop Younan next to presentation title "Suffering and Hope in the Midst of Conflict"Thursday, October 3
11 AM – 12 PM
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center

Speakers:

  • Hamdy El-Sawaf, founder and psychotherapist at the Family Counseling Center and imam of Masjid Al-Iman in Minneapolis
  • Munib Younan, retired bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and former president of the Lutheran World Federation

Hamdy El-Sawaf and Munib Younan will share personal experiences and their religious faith perspectives on hope, reconciliation, and resiliency in the midst of suffering and struggles that often are intensified by religious convictions and differences.

About the Christensen Symposium:

Each year, the Christensen Symposium provides the opportunity to explore and apply the lessons rooted in former Augsburg President Bernhard M. Christensen’s legacy:

  • Christian faith liberates minds and lives.
  • Diversity strengthens vital communities.
  • Interfaith friendships enrich learning.
  • The love of Christ draws us to God.
  • We are called to service in the world.

The 2019 Christensen Symposium is co-sponsored by the Christensen Center for Vocation and the newly created Interfaith at Augsburg: An Institute to Promote Interreligious Leadership.

Note: This session may be audio recorded. If you would like to be alerted as soon as the audio is available, please email ccv@augsburg.edu

For requests related to accommodations at the Symposium, email events@augsburg.edu or call 612-330-1104.

2018 Christensen Symposium with Rahuldeep Gill

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October 3, 2018

Morning Event

Christensen Symposium Address by Rahuldeep Gill
Who Are “We?” A Sikh Perspective on Vocation, Justice and Death

10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center
625 22nd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55454

Rahuldeep Singh Gill, PhD; Associate Professor, Department of Religion; Campus Interfaith Strategist, Division of Mission and Identity at California Lutheran University

Afternoon Event

Open conversation with Rahuldeep Gill, facilitated by Fardosa Hassan and Ole Schenk
Igniting hope in un-hopeful times

2:00 P.M. – 3:30 P.M.
Student Lounge, Christensen Center
720 22nd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55454

Rahuldeep GillAbout the speaker

Rahuldeep Gill, Ph.D., is a sought-after Speaker, Author, and Igniter for social change, whose life goal is to develop effective and heartful leaders with broad perspectives to drive innovations. Through his lectures and workshops he works to build pluralism and cross-cultural relations to inspire connected communities on campus, in the workplace, and in the marketplace.

He recently published his first book, Drinking from Love’s Cup, with Oxford University Press, and he is currently writing two more books about leadership and pluralism. He is a tenured professor and Campus Interfaith Strategist at California Lutheran University, and is the visiting professor of Sikh Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has twice been voted Cal Lutheran’s Diversity Professor of the Year and lives in Los Angeles with his family.

About the Christensen Symposium:

Each year, the Christensen Symposium provides the opportunity to explore and apply the lessons rooted in former Augsburg President Bernard M. Christensen’s legacy, which include:

  • Christian faith liberates minds and lives.
  • Diversity strengthens vital communities.
  • Interfaith friendships enrich learning.
  • The love of Christ draws us to God.
  • We are called to service in the world.

Learn more on the Augsburg convocation series site.

Note: These sessions will be audio recorded. If you would like to be alerted as soon as the audio is available, please email ccv@augsburg.edu

Bishop Elizabeth Eaton to speak at 2017 Christensen Symposium

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Bishop Elizabeth A Eaton2017 Christensen Symposium: Address by Bishop Eaton and #decolonizeLutheranism community panel

Thursday, September 21
Augsburg University

Morning Event
Christensen Symposium Address by Bishop Eaton
Interfaith Friendships: How Difference Can Bring Us Together

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Hoversten Chapel, 625 22nd Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55454

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will speak at Augsburg University’s annual Christensen Symposium Thursday, September 21. Bishop Eaton’s address, “Interfaith Friendships: How Difference Can Bring Us Together,” will explore Lutheran identity and the ongoing Reformation in the 21st century.

To mark the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, Augsburg is hosting a series of events this fall. As the first event in this series, Bishop Eaton’s address will touch on how “interfaith friendships enrich learning.” This theme is one of five lessons tightly connected with the work of former Augsburg President Bernard M. Christensen. Each year, the Christensen Symposium provides the opportunity to explore and apply the lessons rooted in Christensen’s legacy, which include:

  • Christian faith liberates minds and lives.
  • Diversity strengthens vital communities.
  • Interfaith friendships enrich learning.
  • The love of Christ draws us to God.
  • We are called to service in the world.

About the speaker

Elected as the ELCA’s fourth presiding bishop at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton earned a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School and a Bachelor of Music Education from the College of Wooster. Eaton also represents the ELCA in a wide range of ecumenical and interfaith settings. She serves on the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA Governing Board and Development Committee, Religions for Peace USA Council of Presidents, and Lutheran World Federation Council. At gatherings, Bishop Eaton often shares her four emphases for the ELCA: We are church; We are Lutheran; We are church together; We are church for the sake of the world. These four emphases are fundamental to identifying who the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is.

Afternoon Event
#DecolonizeLutheranism Community Panel with Bishop Eaton
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Hoversten Chapel, 625 22nd Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55454

Panelists:

  • Jessica Davis, Christian Educator and #decolonizeLutheranism Chaplain
  • Rev. Lura Groen, Pastor and #decolonizeLutheranism Chaplain
  • Francisco Herrera, Ph. D candidate at LSTC and Convener of #decolonizeLutheranism
  • Rev. Angela Shannon, Dean of Student Life at Luther Seminary
  • Kelly Sherman-Conroy, Native American Theologian, Educator, Speaker, and Mentor

Through a panel presentation and conversation, Bishop Eaton will join representatives of #DecolonizeLutheranism in exploring Christensen’s second lesson, “Diversity strengthens vital communities.” The #DecolonizeLutheranism grassroots movement challenges long-held patterns of white power and privilege in the ELCA and exclusivity associated with stereotypes regarding what it means to be Lutheran. This reforming movement has 11 specific goals for the ELCA.

The topic for Bishop Eaton’s address and the focus of the panel conversation speak to the rich and increasing diversity of the Augsburg community; the priorities reflected in Augsburg’s mission, vision, and values; the urban and global contexts that shape Augsburg’s vocation; and Augsburg’s deep grounding in, and vibrant relationship with, the Lutheran Church. Join us for this day of challenging conversations as together we envision what it means to be neighbor in a richly diverse world.

Please Note:

  • We regret this event was scheduled on Rosh Hashanah. Prayers for God’s blessings on Jews throughout the world during their high holy days. 
  • These sessions will be audio recorded. If you would like to be alerted as soon as the audio is available, please email ccv@augsburg.edu

 

 

500th Anniversary of the Reformation

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HONORING LUTHER’S LEGACYMartin Luther

To mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Augsburg is hosting a series of events this fall.

 

Bishop Elizabeth A Eaton Christensen Symposium: Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

September 21, 2017
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center

This year’s Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium speaker is Reverend Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Morning Event
Christensen Symposium Address by Bishop Eaton
Interfaith Friendships: How Difference Can Bring Us Together
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Afternoon Event
#DecolonizeLutheranism Community Panel with Bishop Eaton
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Learn more about the 2017 Christensen Symposium

Heritage Day: Mary LoweMary Lowe, Associate Professor of Religion

Martin Luther on the Body, Our Bodies, and the Body of Creation

October 24, 2017
7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center

As part of the Reformation series, Mary Lowe, associate professor of Religion at Augsburg University, will give an evening lecture followed by discussion and a reception.

Martin Luther wrote, “There are three elements in a human, the body, the soul, and the spirit.” Many of today’s complex issues involve our bodies and the body of creation: climate change, gender and sexuality, abuse, and deforestation, etc. In Augsburg’s 2017 Heritage Lecture, Prof. Lowe will introduce Luther’s perspectives on bodies and creation and examine how—even today—his theology can help us better understand and address these embodied challenges.

Fine Arts Convocation: The Rose Ensemble

November 2, 2017
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center

Award-winning musical group The Rose Ensemble will present “Welcome the People: The Musical Legacy of the Reformation.”

Learn More about the Fine Arts Convocation

Advent Vespers: “Welcome, Noble Guest,”

December 1-2, 2017

This year’s theme, “Welcome, Noble Guest,” is inspired by Martin Luther’s hymn “From Heaven Above.”

Learn More and Reserve Tickets

Recap of 2016 Christensen Symposium

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On Tuesday, September 20, Jim Wallis, a bestselling author, public theologian, and social activist, led this year’s Christensen Symposium. Wallis discussed topics from his recent book, America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America.

Members of the Carnival de Resistance provided opening music for the convocation. They are a traveling arts carnival and ceremonial theater company, a village demonstration project exploring ecological practices, and an education and social outreach project; all focusing on ecological justice and radical theology.

Following Wallis’ address, students Grace Corbin, Winnie Godi, and Nick Stewart-Bloch responded with their own reflections.

Later that day, discussion continued with a community panel, “The Bridge Toward More Just Communities: What Needs to Happen”. The event was moderated by former ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson, and included: Pastor Kelly Chatman, Redeemer Lutheran Church, North Minneapolis; Nora Barr: Augsburg Alumna; Devin Wiggs: Augsburg Student; Fardosa Hassan: Muslim Student Advisor to Campus Ministry, and a response from Jim Wallis.

Many thanks to all of the student respondents, panelists, and Augsburg community for engaging in these important conversations!

Jim Wallis visit on September 20, 2016

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This year’s Bernhard Christensen Symposium on September 20 features three opportunities to engage with Jim Wallis, a bestselling author, public theologian, and social activist.

Wallis-MugWallis is president and founder of Sojourners, a nonprofit, faith-based organization whose mission statement calls for “putting faith into action for social justice.” He has written for major newspapers and authors regular columns for Huffington Post and TIME.com. Wallis teaches at Georgetown University and has taught at Harvard University. He served on President Obama’s first White House Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Christensen Symposium Convocation Address: The Bridge to a New America with Jim Wallis (poster PDF)
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center
Listen to the 2016 Convocation Address

 

Community Panel- The Bridge Toward More Just Communities: What Needs to Happen
4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center.
The panel will be moderated by former ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson, and will include:
Pastor Kelly Chatman, Redeemer Lutheran Church, North Minneapolis
Nora Barr: Augsburg Alumna
Devin Wiggs: Augsburg Student
Fardosa Hassan: Muslim Student Advisor to Campus Ministry
Plus, a response from Jim Wallis.

 

Kick-off address for North Minneapolis Forum on Faith and Race
8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1800 Glenwood Ave, Minneapolis, MN  55405
Note: The evening address is preceded by live entertainment from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

 

 

Fall Book Group – America’s Original Sin

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CCV Fall Book Group – America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America

UPDATE: The book group is now full, and there are no more free books available.

In connection to the September 20 Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium, faculty and staff are invited to participate in a book group discussion of America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America by Jim Wallis. The group will be co-led by Martha E. Stortz, Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation, and David Hamilton, Director of Operations and Global Inclusion, CGEE.

The Book Group will meet for brown bag lunch discussion in the Riverside Room from 11:30am-12:30pm on Sept. 7 and Sept. 28.

To receive a free copy of the book, please be sure the dates work for your schedule. Sign up by emailing ccv@augsburg.edu. Once registered, you may pick up the book in Oren Gateway 106.

Christensen Symposium Archive 1990-2015

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WHY DO WE HAVE THE SYMPOSIUM?

The annual Christensen Symposium-first held in 1990-is made possible through the Christensen Endowment, which was established by alumni and friends of Augsburg to honor Bernhard M. Christensen. As the president of Augsburg College and Seminary from 1938 to 1962, Christensen was a central figure in drawing Augsburg fully into the study of the liberal arts.

The Symposium is designed to reflect and reinforce the principles to which Christensen showed such deep commitment:  academic integrity, the Christian Gospel, and a mutually supportive relationship with the church. In addition, it serves as a vehicle for the Augsburg community to explore and apply the five lessons that are Christensen’s legacy:

  • Christian faith liberates minds and lives.
  • Diversity strengthens vital communities.
  • Interfaith friendships enrich learning.
  • The love of Christ draws us to God.
  • We are called to service in the world.

For more information, see all Christensen Symposium posts.

2015  Living Religion
Richard Rodriguez, author Continue reading “Christensen Symposium Archive 1990-2015” →