2013 Reformation Lectures

The forty-sixth annual Bjarne Wollan Teigen Reformation Lectures were held at the Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center, Mankato, Minnesota, on October 31–November 1, 2013. These lectures are sponsored jointly by Bethany Lutheran College and Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary.
This year there were two presenters. The first lecture was given by Prof. Mark Harstad of Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota. Prof. Harstad grew up in Watertown, Wisconsin, where his father served as chaplain at Bethesda Lutheran Home. He is a graduate of Northwestern College, Watertown, Wisconsin (1970), and Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary (1974). He served congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS) in Madison, Wisconsin, and Brewster (Cape Cod), Massachusetts. Professor Harstad holds the M.A. degree in Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1974) and completed the course work for a doctorate in the same field. He has taught courses at the college and seminary levels in History, Biblical Hebrew, and Religious Studies, specializing in Old Testament studies. He has also made six trips to Latvia, where he conducted lecture programs on Confessional Lutheranism, teaching exegetical courses in the School of Theology at the University of Latvia and courses in Biblical Hebrew at the Augsburg Institute in Riga. Over the years, he has served on various boards and committees of the ELS, including the Doctrine Committee and the Catechism Review Committee. He currently serves on the board of the ELS Historical Society and the ELS Centennial Committee. Prof. Harstad and his wife of 39 years, Peggy, are blessed with four children.
The second presenter was the Rev. Dr. Harold Senkbeil. Harold Senkbeil was born in Ortonville, Minnesota, in 1945 to Harold and Enid Senkbeil and raised on the family farm near Bellingham. He received an A.A. from Concordia College, St. Paul, Minnesota (1965), a B.A. from Concordia Sr. College in Fort Wayne, Indiana (1967), a B.D. from Concordia Seminary in Springfield, Illinois (1971), and a Masters of Divinity (1978) and S.T.M. (1986) from Concordia Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was honored with the Servus Ecclesiae Christi award (CTS, 1988) and received the Doctor of Divinity, Honoris Causa from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri (2001). While in the pastoral ministry, the Rev. Senkbeil served parishes in Mahnomen and Morris, Minnesota; Madison and Elm Grove, Wisconsin; and Fort Wayne, Indiana. His academic service includes a variety of positions at each of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) seminaries in St. Louis and Fort Wayne. He currently serves as the Executive Director for Spiritual Care for DOXOLOGY: The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel. Following his 31 years as a parish pastor, he served as Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana (2002–2008). He has served the LCMS in a number of capacities, including the South Wisconsin District Board of Directors (1989–1997), the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (1998–2002), and the Concordia Seminary, St. Louis Board of Regents (2011–present). Pastor Senkbeil is the author of several books, such as Sanctification: Christ in Action (NWPH, 1989), Dying to Live: The Power of Forgiveness (CPH, 1994), and several others. He and his wife Jane were married in 1971 and are blessed with three children and three grandchildren.
The theme of the lectures was “Confessional Lutheranism’s Answers to the Challenges of Modern Society.” The first lecture, given by Prof. Harstad, was titled “The Christian’s Vocation in the Three Estates: Family, Church, and Society.” The second lecture, presented by Dr. Senkbeil, was titled “The Christian Faces Contemporary Challenges.”
The Reformation Lectures were a study of the three estates and their relationships with modern society. In the Reformation, Luther provided structure for social life by using the three estates originating in the Middle Ages: those who provide nourishment (Nährstand), those who ensure order (Wehrstand), and those who teach God’s Word (Lehrstand). Luther indicated that people have responsibilities in all three estates. Understanding one’s duty in each of these estates will help one meet the challenges of modern society.
The complete lectures will be published in the March 2014 issue of the Lutheran Synod Quarterly.