Mission

The Center for Global Theologies at Wartburg Theological Seminary strengthens the ongoing dedication of the seminary to the global and local mission of the church through multi-dimensional activities.

The Center for Global Theologies serves to:
  • Focus the commitments of Wartburg Theological Seminary to the global mission of the church;
  • Infuse those commitments into the programs and policies of the institution through scholarly research, church linkages, academic, and programmatic initiatives;
  • Facilitate the encounter with “difference” in order to enhance self-understanding;
  • Enrich those involved in such encounters by recognizing the connections between local and global contexts.

Wartburg Theological Seminary (WTS) and the Archdiocese of Dubuque are sponsoring a two-day ecumenical event celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ). Morning and evening events will take place on Thursday, October 31 and Friday, November 1 at the WTS campus in Dubuque.

  • The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine Justification is a historic agreement, signed by Lutherans and Catholics on 31 October 1999 in Augsburg Germany, resolving divisions on the “basic truths” of salvation as a free gift from God. Commonly known as the JDDJ, it was later affirmed by the World Methodist Council (2006), the Anglican Consultative Council (2016) and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (2017), making it a multilateral agreement between five equal partners. In 2019, all five partners jointly re-affirmed their commitment to the JDDJ at a consultation at Notre Dame University (USA). – Lutheran World Federation
  • Wartburg Theological Seminary and the Archdiocese of Dubuque, with presenters and ministers representing Lutheran, Roman Catholic, United Methodist, Episcopalian, and Presbyterian/Reformed communities invite members of these traditions and all people of good will to join in celebrating their common understanding of how humanity is reconciled to God through the life-giving death of Jesus Christ.

Visit dbqarch.org/jddj25 to learn more about the celebration including:

  1. JDDJ Summary and Milestones – Lutheran World Federation
  2. The Statement from 2019 Notre Dame Consultation at
  3. Welcome Statement from Bishop Current and Archbishop Zinkula
  4. The agenda for the day
  5. Speaker bios

Click here to attend online via Zoom

 

CGT-Sponsored MDiv Theses

Beginning in the 2009-2010 academic year, the board that oversees the Center for Global Theologies began encouraging research using our rich archived resources for both Namibia and Papua New Guinea. This has resulted in a series of Master of Divinity theses on various topics, which are available below for reading:

Wartburg Theological Seminary and the Lutheran Churches in Namibia: Walking Together in Solidarity, Tanner Howard (Namibia), 2015

A People Burning Between Two Fires: The Church of Namibia Caught Between South Africa and SWAPO, Seth Nelson (Namibia), 2014

Becoming Who We Are: An Examination of Identity Construction Among the German Colonists and the Indigenous Southwest Africans In the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries, Lisa Konzen (Namibia), 2013

Manifesto and Mission: The Historical Convergence of Mission in the American Lutheran Church and Lutheran Churches in Namibia in the 1970s, Part 1, Part 2.
Katherine Chullino (Namibia),  2012

Listening for Indigenous Voices of Papua New Guinea with Consideration for the 125 Years of Lutheran Missionary History, Wendy Kalan (Papua New Guinea) 2011

SWAPO, the Church, and the Role of Accompaniment in Namibia’s Liberation, Richard McLeer (Namibia), 2011

Prisoners of Hope: The Struggle for Namibian Independence, the Church, and the Gospel, Dena Stinson (Namibia), 2010

Theological Anthropology in Pope Francis

These three lectures were featured at an ecumenical colloquium focusing on Pope Francis’ encyclical “On Care for Our Common Home.” The seminar entitled “Theological Anthropology in Pope Francis’ Laudato Si,” was held on November 6, 2015 at Wartburg Theological Seminary. The event was sponsored by Wartburg Theological Seminary’s Center for Global Theologies.

Dr. Kent Anderson, Professor of Philosophy, Clarke University

Dr. Sam Giere, Associate Professor of Homiletics & Biblical Interpretation, Wartburg Theological Seminary

Dr. Jacob Kohlhaas, Assistant Professor of Moral Theology, Loras College

For more information about the Center for Global Theologies contact, Dr. Winston Persaud, Professor of Systematic Theology.