Trip Report
Lutheran Theological Seminary Pretoria, South Africa 16-31 August 2013 This trip marks my ninth trip to Pretoria as a visiting professor at Lutheran Theological Seminary. My thanks to the congregations and individuals whose contributions purchased the airline ticket and also the books both for distribution to students and pastors as well as for the Saint Augustine Library at LTS. Students received copies of Steven Paulson’s Lutheran Theology, Jonathan Fisk’s Broken, and my Mercy at Life’s End. Library books donated by the Southern Illinois District included copies of recent releases in the Concordia Commentary Series, Volume 75 of Luther’s Works, Creation and Predestination by Johann Gerhard, Commentary on Luther’s Catechisms: Confession and Christian Life by Albrecht Peters, Gospel Sermons by C.F.W. Walther, I am not Afraid: Demon Possession and Spiritual Warfare by Robert H. Bennett and The Self Donation of God by Jack Klicrease. Each student in my courses also received a CD containing the first twenty volumes of Logia: A Journal of Lutheran Theology. I also brought along books for specific students who had requested them for writing projects at the University of Pretoria. I taught one course (four hours each day) on each of the two weeks. On the week of August 19, I taught a course entitled “Toward a Pastoral Theology.” In this class we worked with the Psalms of Lament, Oswald Bayer’s “Toward a Theology of Lament,” II Corinthians as Paul’s “Pastoral Theology of the Cross,”, Peter Stuhlmacher’s “Eighteen Theses on Paul’s Theology of the Cross” and selected Luther texts as examined issues related to theodicy and the pastoral care of those suffer. This course was especially significant in providing a Lutheran approach to suffering in contrast to the so-called “prosperity Gospel” (health and wealth) on the one hand and liberationist theologies on the other hand as both figure into the African context. We had twenty-one participants in this class including ordination course students, pastors from the LCSA, ELCSA, and FELSISA and several evangelist/lay preachers. In addition to students from South Africa, Uganda, Liberia, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Botswana, we had two first-time students from the Congo. The second week (week of August 26) was devoted to a homiletics course, “Learning How to Preach from Paul’s Epistle to the Romans.” Using Steven Paulson’s Lutheran Theology and Gerhard Aho’s The Lively Skeleton: Thematic Approaches and Outlines, we examined the theology of preaching in Romans. Students engaged in workshop style presentations on writing and defending sermon outlines based on texts from the Epistle. Eighteen students participated in this class along with several occasional auditors. In many ways this course represented a kind of “high point” in my teaching at LTS. Over the past few years I have had several of the students enrolled in this course, in other classes on topics such as the theology of Law and Gospel, Luther’s On the Freedom of the Christian, and the theology of the cross. Preaching is always the ultimate test of theological learning. It was gratifying to see these students were not only retaining what they had learned in previous courses but utilizing it in their work with texts from Romans. It is true that learning the distinction between the Law and the Gospel is the highest and most difficult art, taught only by the Holy Spirit in the school of experience. It is gratifying to see students make real progress in this art for the sake of proclaiming the cross of Jesus Christ with clarity and power. Over the last three trips to South Africa, I have noted an increased number of pastors, evangelists, and lay preachers coming in for the courses. This is a good thing. In the USA, we regularly accent the need for continuing education. It is important that those who are already working in the field have the opportunity to return to LTS for additional training and mutual support. I’m pleased that Bishop Weber is encouraging this among the LCSA pastors. I hope that in future course we will continue to see this trend grow even as additional pastors from FELSISA and also from LWF-related southern African churches are invited to attend. In addition to teaching, I preached for Matins at the seminary on August 19 and 26 and for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Arcadia on Trinity XIII, August 25. I also assisted with the Confessional Service at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pretoria on Trinity XII, August 18. The time in Pretoria afforded me the opportunity to consult with Enoch Macben who is in the final stages of writing a master’s thesis at the University of Pretoria on the understanding of law in Paul and Luther. My thanks to Bishop and Mrs. Wilhelm Weber and Pastor Martin Paul for their hospitality and for providing housing during my stay in Pretoria. I also appreciate the collegiality of Prof. Nathan Mntambo who graciously welcomed into the life of his congregation. Mr. Christoph Weber was very helpful with a variety of logistical matters including transportation and reproducing handouts for classroom use. My deep thanks to all of them for their friendship and assistance but especially for the work they are doing on behalf of the Lord’s kingdom in the whole of southern Africa. As I have said before, LTS occupies a unique and strategic position for confessional Lutheran theological essay in Africa. I am happy and honored to donate my time to teach at LTS twice each year. As I receive no financial support from the LCMS or the seminary in making these trips, they are dependent on donations from congregations and individuals. I will gladly continue in these efforts as long as we can secure funding for air travel. God willing it, I will return again for another two courses from March 3-15, 2014. -Prof. John T. Pless 1 September 2013
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The Northwest and Spencer circuits of Iowa District West gave a nice gift to the mission society earlier this spring. Thank you to the congregations and pastors who were so generous in giving these funds. The following article appeared in the Sanborn Pioneer on Thursday, June 13, 2013. I have had the privilege of teaching Philippians for two weeks (13-24 May 2013) at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Pretoria, South Africa. This is my fifth teaching trip to South Africa (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) and funding this venture has always been a challenge. However, after Bishop Wilhelm Weber expressed his desire for me to teach again last February, I was in touch with the pastors of two LCMS congregations in the US who kindly picked up my airfare and some additional living expenses during the 2.5 weeks I lived and worked in South Africa. The two congregations that sponsored me were Elm Grove Lutheran Church, Elm Grove, WI (Rev. Eric Skovgaard) and Immanuel Lutheran Church, Frankentrost, MI (Rev. Mark Loest). Another congregation had previously dedicated approximately $400 for books (Faith Lutheran Church, Merrill, WI; Rev. Kevin Hoogland). Since the students already had the books I used to teach the course, Bishop Weber requested that the book money be used this year to purchase books for the seminary’s library. Thus, my two 50-pound suitcases were filled with up-to-date New Testament books for the library, 16 Small Catechisms, 4 Lutheran Study Bibles, devotional materials for the deaconess students, and a number of other materials needed in the educational objectives at the seminary.
Instruction for the Philippians class took place 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon and 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (3 hours of instruction per day). I projected the Greek text of Philippians onto a screen and worked through selections of the letter exegetically and theologically. Here are the assignments I expected from each student: 8 daily quizzes (1 quiz per day) 50 % Assignment Sheet on Kuschel (due over the weekend) 20% In-class Translation and Text Explication (assigned) 10% Final Exam 20% Total 100 pts possible The assignment sheet consisted of some questions that were drawn from Harlyn J. Kuschel (Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. People’s Bible Commentary. Revised edition [Concordia, 2005]), designed to get the students to think about various isagogical issues that attend the letter (author, date, likely place of Paul’s imprisonment, theological accents, etc). The In-class Translation and Text Explication gave each student opportunity to work through the text in Greek (parsing, insights), and the Final Exam provided an overview. The daily Greek quizzes were an effective way to get students into the habit of parsing Greek words and requiring them to translate the Greek text into suitable English—no mean feat, given the fact that English is not the students’ first language. All in all, I believe the students worked very hard and derived the full benefit of my coming to them from America. The daily quizzes also allowed each student to work with the text every day and so improve—usually quite dramatically—from the first few days until my final time with them. My colleague, Prof. John Pless, had informed me that the numbers of students I could potentially teach Philippians to (the seniors) was “dramatically down” from previous years when I’ve taught as many as 27 students in a combined class (deaconesses, first years, seniors). Thus, I was surprised when Bishop Weber contacted me in early February, sincerely requesting me to come again this year and serve as I could. He said it would be a “different year,” with only three seniors who were suitably trained in Greek to profit from the Philippians course. Nevertheless, he wanted me also to mentor three additional graduate students who are working on master’s degrees at the University of Pretoria and are at the dissertation stage: Peter Abia text-critical treatment of John 4 Enoch MacBen Pauline “New Perspective” in Galatians Frank Kainerugaba service of women in the Africa Lutheran churches I met with each student for an hour, to hear how their work was progressing and to see if I could help. I am satisfied that these three students are “on track” theologically and should complete their work at the university on time. In addition to the teaching and mentoring Bishop Weber requested that I preach twice in Chapel (15 and 22 May) and accompany him on a weekend trip to TseTse in the Northwest Province to deal with a pastor who was caught in an extra-marital affair. After consulting with the Dean of the Northwest Diocese (the Rev. Tebelo Johannes Mafereka), his staff, the church council of the TseTse congregation, and Bishop Weber, the pastor was asked to resign; he did resign, so the next day (Pentecost) Bishop Weber preached to a full house and had to deal with several congregational members who felt that the pastor had been unfairly treated. I’m pleased to say that Bishop Weber patiently listed to all sides but firmly and consistently supported the scriptural requirements for pastors to lead chaste and holy lives. On Thursday 23 May I presented “Does Ephesians 5:21 Support Mutual Submission?” before perhaps 25 undergraduate students at the University of Pretoria, and another 12-15 students and colleagues from LTS. This is the fourth time I’ve presented such a paper at the university: it is good for me professionally and helps LTS to maintain its partnership with the University of Pretoria in the education of LTS’s master’s students. I am grateful to Professor Kobus Kok (Department of New Testament, University of Pretoria) for the opportunity to present this paper. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to Rev. Dr. Carl Rockrohr and Deaconess Deborah Rockrohr who hospitably hosted me in their home throughout the 2.5 week period. Also, I must thank Bishop Weber and Angelika who also kindly welcomed me into their home for several meals and overnights, and treated me as part of their family. Bishop Weber has been to me a great host over the years and a real brother in Christ. In many ways I’ve felt that the extended Weber family has been the backbone of both confessional Lutheran churches in South Africa, and their personal faithfulness and piety have mentored many Lutheran pastors throughout the entire continent of Africa. It is vital that the LCMS continue to support LTS with our offerings and prayers, even as we respond to dramatic requests for assistance in Ethiopia and elsewhere. I welcome this opportunity to have served the Lord and his church by teaching at LTS in May 2013 and hope that the seminary can continue to influence confessional Lutheranism throughout Africa for many years to come, even as it has so faithfully in the past. I hope, by God’s grace, to return to teach at LTS next year. Sincerely, Dr. John G. Nordling Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology Concordia Theological Seminary 6600 N. Clinton Street Fort Wayne, IN 46815 On behalf of the Saint Philip Lutheran Mission Society, we would like to thank all of the donors who have so kindly given to the support of the seminarians in South Africa. We're pleased to inform you that last week we wired the first installment of support to LTS! Bishop Weber would like to express his gratitude to all of you, as well.
3/10/2013 Trip Report From Professor PlessTrip Report
Teaching Trip to Lutheran Theological Seminary, Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa 23 February- 9 March 2013 First of all, I am thankful for those whose financial support made this trip possible. I am grateful to Pastor Gerald Paul and the people of Trinity Lutheran Church in Great Falls, Montana for covering the cost of the airline ticket to South Africa. Without their generosity it would have not been possible for me to travel to LTS for this course. President Timothy Scharr and the Southern Illinois District covered the cost of thirty copies of Letters to Lutheran Pastors by Hermann Sasse which were used as a textbook for the class and distributed to other South African pastors and LTS students and faculty. Pastor Wade Johnston of Magdeburg Press donated ten copies of Then Fell the Lord’s Fire by Bo Giertz which was also used in the class. With funds from several additional individuals and congregations we were also able to purchase copies of Luther’s A Simple Way to Pray and Bioethics: A Primer for Christians by Gilbert Meilaender to use in the class. Second, I deeply appreciate the hospitality of Dr. Carl and Deaconess Deborah Rockrohr at whose home I stayed for the first part of my visit. Likewise, I am grateful for the hospitality of Dr. and Mrs. Wilhelm Weber who took me in when the Rockrohrs had to leave Pretoria to be with their son, Ted, who had to undergo emergency surgery. The friendship of all these dear brothers and sisters in Christ is cherished and it certainly is a very positive benefit to my time in South Africa. I taught an “ordination course” made up of advanced students and LCSA pastors who were able to be with us for all or portions of the course. A total of 16 men participated in the class which met for four hours each day. This course was designed as a “topics” course giving us flexibility to cover a variety of topics:
The course provided an opportunity to give the students a theological sampler. Some of the most interesting discussion grew out of reading Sasse’s 1951, “Mary and the Pope” in Letters to Lutheran Pastors. Sasse’s careful parsing out of the development of the Marian cult leading up to the papal declaration of the dogma of Mary’s Assumption in 1950, led to a lively and clarifying discussion of syncretism. Students were fascinated with Sasse’s insights into the way that Mary became a replacement for the female deities of antiquity in such a way that the Marian cult became “A pagan religion in Christian guise” (372). Rome’s assertion of the continuum between nature and grace in contrast to the Lutheran law/gospel approach leaves Rome open to a syncretistic approach to missions. This led to a very fruitful discussion of missions and so-called contextualization. In the discussion, I posed the question to the African students, “Would it be an opportunity for Christian witness if in an African village in a time of famine or drought, a Lutheran pastor would join with a Roman Catholic priest, an African Independent Church minister, a Muslim cleric, an animist shaman, and an Anglican priest to each pray in his own way for rain or crops at a community prayer vigil?” The students quickly recognized this not as a witness for Christ but a confusion of competing belief systems. Perhaps American Lutherans could learn a few things about the danger of syncretism from our African brothers. Readings from Sasse nicely flowed into a discussion of an essay by Werner Elert on “Truth and Unity.” We used this piece from Elert to get at issues of church fellowship which of necessity must be fellowship grounded in the truth of the Gospel and Sacraments in the way of Augsburg Confession, Article VII. The ordination of women into the pastoral office destroys church fellowship. Here the essay by Bo Giertz, “To Believe as the Apostles” led us into a careful study of I Corinthians 14:33-38 and I Timothy 2:11-15. We were able to resource African students for issues that they are even now facing in their own context from the ever-present Lutheran World Federation. The study of these topics might also serve as a catalyst for graduate work. This is already the case with Frank Prince Kaine who is working on a Master’s thesis at the University of Pretoria on “the place of women in the Lutheran Church in Africa.” Perhaps a PhD candidate from Africa might work with the implications of Sasse’s theology for African Lutheranism. This could be a promising topic especially given the influence of F. W. Hopf , Sasse’s friend, on Lutheran missions in South Africa. With a donation from Bethany Lutheran Church in Naperville, Illinois, I was able to take another batch of books for the growing library at LTS. This time the following volumes were added to the collection:
On my last trip, also with funds from Bethany Lutheran Church, we able to complete the library’s collection of Luther, Gerhard, Bonhoeffer, and the catechetical works of Albrecht Peters in English. These books along with the above-mentioned titles are now being processed for the library by our new German volunteer, Tobias Schmidt-Dahl. The building which houses the library is nearly out of space for additional books. In discussion with Dr. Weber, he suggested that an expansion of the building could be completed for $20, 000. This could be a good project for an American donor. I am suggesting it to the Saint Philip Lutheran Mission Society for consideration. On this trip as on others, I had the opportunity to consult with LTS students who are working on Master’s theses at the University of Pretoria. This time, it was Eric Macben, a student from Uganda who is preparing a thesis proposal on “Freedom in the Letter to the Galatians.” Eric’s advisor is an advocate of the so-called “New Perspective on Paul” so we had an opportunity to work through some of those issues and I provided him with a bibliography to balance what he is receiving at the University . We will also add the Stephen Westerholm’s Perspectives Old and New: The ‘Lutheran’ Paul and His Critics and similar titles to the LTS library next trip as the New Perspective appears to be very popular among the Reformed biblical scholars at the University of Pretoria. There are two LCSA pastors who whose blessing to the church and seminary would be enhanced if they had the opportunity for doctoral work at Concordia Theological Seminary: Rev. Nathan Mntambo and Rev. M. John Nkambule. In addition to teaching, I preached three times while in South Africa. On both Wednesdays, I preached for the Confessional Service at the seminary’s Chapel of Saint Timothy. On Sunday, March 3, I preached for the Divine Service at the Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Arcadia which meets on the seminary campus. About 150 people were present for the Service of this growing congregation. Included in the congregation are several American families whose work brings them to Pretoria. Rev. Nathan Mntamco of the seminary faculty also serves as the called pastor of the congregation. After the Service I enjoyed a braai at the home of Mike and Cindy Rodewald . Dr. Rodewald serves as the Area Director of LCMS work in Africa. I appreciate his welcoming me to South Africa and the encouragement which he gives to those who serve here. On my last evening in Pretoria, I hosted a braai for the students in the course. It is good to have social occasions like this for the students enabling me to get to know them better outside the classroom setting. Dr. Weber presented me copies with the Setswana translation of the Book of Concord for the CTS library, for Dr. Rast and Dr. Schulz. Published with the assistance of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation, the influence of the Lutheran Confessions in the Setswana language could be far-reaching. The book will be unveiled at a convocation in Pretoria on April 26 and its appearance marks a very significant milestone in the life of the LCSA. The revised edition of the Setswana hymnal is also now in print. The revised hymnal includes updated hymn texts, new hymns, as well as Luther’s Small Catechism. While LTS faces many challenges, it remains a very crucial part of a strong, confessional Lutheran witness not only in South Africa but over the whole of Africa. It is worthy of ongoing support by the LCMS and by individuals and congregations in the USA. I am very pleased with the progress that the Saint Philip Lutheran Mission Society headed up by Pastor Jesse Burns is making in developing further financial support. I am honored to have a small part in the work at LTS and I’m willing to make periodic trips to teach there as long as Dr. Weber finds this helpful and funding can be secured. God willing it, I will return to South Africa in November over our Thanksgiving Break (November 16-29) to teach another short course and speak for the LCSA General Pastoral Conference. Prof. John T. Pless III. 10. 2013 |