University of Dubuque
10/03/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/03/2024 14:56
UDTS to Host Lectureship on Presbyterian Identity Today
DUBUQUE, Iowa - The 2024 Florence L. Warren Lectureship at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, titled "Presbyterian Identity Today," will be held Monday, October 21, 2024.
Free and open to the public, the lectureship will begin with a panel discussion from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Straatmeyer Rehearsal Room, Heritage Center, University of Dubuque. The discussion will also be livestreamed at www.facebook.com/DubuqueSeminary.
The panelists will include John Burgess, PhD, a teaching elder in the PC(USA) and professor of systematic theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; Alyson Janke, a ruling elder and stated clerk in John Knox Presbytery; Bradley Longfield, PhD, a teaching elder in the PC(USA), professor of church history at UDTS, and co-director of the master in arts in Reformed theology program at UDTS; Joseph Small, DMin, a teaching elder in the PC(USA); and Charles Wiley, PhD, a teaching elder in the PC(USA) and senior director for leadership and support at Columbia Theological Seminary. The moderator will be Rev. Beth McCaw, DMin, a teaching elder in the PC(USA), associate professor of ministry at UDTS, dean of UDTS, and vice president of the University of Dubuque.
Additionally, there will be an interactive workshop in response via Zoom from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
"Presbyterians in America have frequently wrestled with questions of denominational identity in regard to freedom and order," Longfield said. "Current efforts in the church to compose a new confession and revise ordination standards have brought such issues freshly to the fore. In this panel discussion and workshop, we will discuss what it means to be a church that requires its officers to affirm the Book of Order and Book of Confessions, and yet provides for freedom of conscience. We will consider how doctrine and polity contribute to Presbyterian identity today, and how much space there is for disagreement under the Constitution of the church."
Registration is required to attend the panel discussion in-person and to participate in the workshop via Zoom. Please register by Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at [email protected].
The panelists bring a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Among Burgess' many publications are Confessing Our Faith: The Book of Confessions for Church Leaders and, as co-author, A Pastoral Rule for Today: Reviving an Ancient Tradition. His additional research interests include Christian witness under German fascism and Soviet communism, and in contemporary Russia and Ukraine.
Since 1995, Janke has been the stated clerk in John Knox Presbytery where she interprets Presbyterian polity. She served on the PC(USA) Advisory Committee on the Constitution for 12 years where she interpreted polity with a more global scope. Janke also taught Presbyterian polity at UDTS for many years. She has had articles on polity published in the Presbyterian Outlook, on the PC(USA) website Regarding Ruling Elders, and in Coming Alive in Christ: Training for PC(USA) Ruling Elders and Deacons based on the Constitutional Questions.
Longfield's works include Presbyterians and American Culture: A History and The Presbyterian Controversy: Fundamentalists, Modernists, and Moderates.
From 1989 to 2011, Small served as director of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Theology and Worship. He is the author or editor of Flawed Church, Faithful God; To Be Reformed: Living the Tradition; and Conversations with the Confessions.
Wiley is the author or editor of a wide number of articles, book chapters, and books, including co-author of New Worshiping Communities: A Theological Exploration. He served for 21 years in the Office of Theology and Worship in the Presbyterian Mission Agency and currently serves on the Special Committee to Write a New Confession of the PC(USA).
The Florence L. Warren Lectureship, established through the generosity of the late Florence L. Warren, a friend of the seminary, has brought to UDTS distinguished scholars who have lectured on topics related to religion and culture.