ARGENTINA – The International Lutheran Council’s (ILC) 8th World Seminaries Conference is taking place from June 11-14 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The theme for the conference is “Church and State: Challenges and Opportunities for Seminary Education.”
Participating in this year’s conference are representatives from the seminaries and theological programs of 21 church bodies in 19 different countries, as well as a number of other guests. Nations represented at the conference include Argentina, Canada, England, Germany, Ghana, India, Kenya, Latvia, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, the United States of America, and Venezuela.
Theological Perspectives on Church and State
The morning of the first day of the conference featured a presentation by Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF). Bishop Pohjola, who also serves as Chairman of the International Lutheran Council, presented on “Theological Perspectives on Church and State.”
“The question of spiritual and earthy authority and how they relate to each other has been an issue for every Christian generation,” Bishop Pohjola noted. Different periods of history have seen different approaches to the question: sometimes the state has been elevated over the Church; sometimes the Church has exercised authority over the state; and sometimes they have been treated as entirely different entities that are unrelated to each other.
Lutherans take a different view, Bishop Pohjola continued. “The three estates—Church, marriage, and the civil state—are instituted by God and are His good gifts,” he explained. For that reason, Christians are called to actively participate in all these areas, “always recognizing that the civil state power is not absolute but limited.”
Christians must recognize therefore “not a separation but a distinction between civil authority and the Church” without confusing them, Bishop Pohjola said. “The civil power may not interfere with the holy calling of the Church to preach the salvific Gospel of Christ,” he explained, “and the Church must not use sword and coercion in her mission or focus on civic and mundane matters in a way that overshadows her true calling.” The state is based on the Law, and is “guided by reason and justice grounded on man’s moral nature written in one’s heart.” It looks to the things of this world. But the Church is based on the Gospel: it has, “with its Word and Sacrament ministry, different methods and ends than the secular authorities.” It must speak prophetically to wider society; but it must remain “vigilant that her message… remains always Christ-, cross-, and salvation-centered.”
Bishop Pohjola went on to explain Luther’s conception of two kinds of righteousness in relation to Church and state; to explain how God’s good gifts of church and state can be corrupted to persecute the true Church; the Church’s call to obey conscience and God’s Word in the face of outward pressure; and the importance of the Church in a post-Constantinian age to learn anew how to live like the Pre-Constantine church.
Plenary discussion on the topic followed the presentation.
Worship and Greetings
Prior to Bishop Pohjola’s talk, the conference formally opened with a service of Matins. Serving as liturgist was Rev. Prof. Clécio Leocir Schadech of Argentina, who is conference chaplain, and accompanying on piano was Rev. Claudio Hennig, also of Argentina. Rev. Dr. Roland Ziegler, professor at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, preached for the first service of Matins. Dr. Ziegler is also chairman of the ILC Seminary Relations Committee as well as its North America representative.
Following worship, participants were welcomed to Argentina by President Arturo Truenow of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Argentina (Iglesia Evangelica Luterana Argentina – IELA). “It is a joy to have you here,” President Truenow said. “May God give us a pleasant time for reflection,” he said, “and nurture us with the Gospel.” President Truenow also discussed the context in which the Argentinian church operates, noting also several milestones in the life of the IELA, including the 80th anniversary of its seminary in 2022 and the upcoming 120th anniversary of the IELA in 2025.
Rev. Dr. Roland Ziegler then brought greetings from the ILC Seminary Relations Committee, which organizes the triennial World Seminaries Conference. He also expressed thanks to those who have helped organize the event, especially the ILC’s Business Manager, Alison Blodgett; and Rev. Dr. Sergio Schelske, Latin America representative on the Seminary Relations Committee and Director of the IELP’s Seminario Concordia, which is hosting the conference. In thanks for the seminary’s hospitality, the ILC presented it with a series of Concordia Commentary volumes, published by Concordia Publishing House (CPH).
Later in the morning, the conference received video greetings from Concordia Publishing House. CPH is a valued partner of the International Lutheran Council, especially in theological education through the ILC’s Lutheran Leadership Development Program (LLDP). All delegates to the World Seminaries Conference received a gift subscription from CPH for their new digital app of The Lutheran Study Bible. The ILC also gave each participant a copy of the book, Lutheran Preaching? Law and Gospel Proclamation, which was also published by CPH.
The morning ended with greetings from Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz, General Secretary of the ILC. “The value of this conference is crucial,” Dr. Schulz said, given the increasing challenges to confessional Lutheran faith and practice in the world today. “I believe that we as Lutheran pastors, instructors, and teachers have a duty to promote our faith in such a way that students understand it, take it on, and promote it among their churches and elsewhere.”
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Find more news on the ILC’s 2024 World Seminaries Conference here.
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