Luther College's "Liberating Grace Conference" begins Friday evening

(Image courtesy of Luther College)

Luther College will be hosting a two-day conference titled "Liberating Grace: The Power of the Reformation in the World Today" as part of a year-long commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reforamation.

The conference will begin Friday evening and will conclude Sunday morning.  The two-day conference will address the Reformation's continuing impact on the church as it interacts with the wider world. 

The conference is divided into four parts.  Participants are invited to attend any or all events:

Part 1: Friday at 7:30 p.m.- Nadia Bolz-Weber will present the 2017 Farwell Distinguished Lecture, unpacking her vision of the role of the church in broader society as that vision connects to its Reformation roots. Bolz-Weber is a best-selling author and pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The lecture will be held in the Main Hall of the Center for Faith and Life. Tickets for this lecture have sold out but will be live-streamed to an auditorium next door. After the lecture, all are welcome to join her book signing. Tickets to her Saturday presentation and for the live stream Friday night may be obtained on-line or at the Ticket Office.

Part 2: Saturday at 8:45 a.m. - Ralston Deffenbaugh will deliver the conference's plenary address "Welcoming the Stranger: Refugees at the Core of the Lutheran World Federation." Deffenbaugh is a human rights lawyer and coordinates the Lutheran World Federation's international affairs and human rights advocacy and policy development, advises the General Secretary, and serves as the Lutheran World Federation's main representative to the United Nations offices in Geneva, Switzerland. The lecture will be held in the Main Hall of the Center for Faith and Life.
  
Saturday at 10:30 a.m. - attend one of the following three seminars in the Center for Faith and Life:
Nadia Bolz-Weber: "A Week in the Life of a Preacher"
Ralston Deffenbaugh: "The Global Challenge of Refugee Protection in an Age of Fear"
A Conversation with Lutheran Leaders: featuring Carol Birkland '67, April Ulring Larson '72, Sue Rothmeyer '81, and Heidi Torgerson-Martinez '00. Moderated by Luther president Paula Carlson.

Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. - Luther College faculty and alumni will lead breakout sessions on a wide variety of topics related to the Reformation and the life of the church today. Locations will vary.

Part 3: Saturday at 6:00 p.m. -  Pre-concert dinner in Peace Dining Room. The menu includes: baked apple and baby kale salad, rye bread and brötchen rolls, roasted thyme-scented chicken breast over honey braised root vegetables or roasted vegetable stuffed charred red bell pepper, and caramel almond cake with red wine poached pear and thyme-infused whipped cream. Wine and beer will be available for purchase beginning at 5:30 p.m., with dinner served at 6:00 p.m.

Part 4: Saturday at 7:30 p.m. - Luther College Nordic Choir and Symphony Orchestra will perform J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall. Bach's monumental work, a prominent example of the Lutheran musical tradition, serves as a reminder of the cultural impact of the Reformation. 

The weekend will conclude with a festival worship service at 10:00 a.m. Sunday in the Main Hall of the Center for Faith and Life.

For more information and to register for conference events visit www.tickets.luther.edu/