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Articles by Frank C. Senn

Frank C. Senn was born in Buffalo, NY, received his BA at Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY in 1965, his M.Div, from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 1969, and a Ph.D. in liturgical studies from the University of Notre Dame in 1979.

Dr. Senn was Assistant Professor Liturgics at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago from 1978-81. He has been an adjunct professor at other institutions, including Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston. He served congregations in South Bend, IN, Louisville, KY, Chicago, IL, Linconshire, IL, and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Evanston (1990-2013), from which he retired.

Frank is the author of many books and articles. His most recent books are Embodied Liturgy: Lessons in Christian Ritual (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2016) and Eucharistic Body (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2017).

Frank is an adjunct professor of liturgy at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston. He lives with his wife Mary in Evanston.

Sermon on Embodied Racism

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Preached in Zoom Service, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Wilmette, IL. Fifth Sunday after Pentecost. Year A. July 5, 2020 Text: Romans 7:15-25a I haven’t given a sermon since before COVID-19 made us go into Zoom church. So this is my first experience of preaching to virtual images on my computer screen. I trust that there […]

As I See It: Public Health and Public Worship During COVID-19

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By Frank C. Senn For years I wrote an opinion column for Let’s Talk at the invitation of the editorial board called “As I See It.” Even though Let’s Talk has adopted a blog format rather than an issue number format, I feel the need for another one as our states begin opening up society […]

“Eternity,” You Thunder Word

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Johann Sebastian Bach Gwen GotschMark Bangert Edited by Frank Senn On November 24, 2019 (what for us contemporary Lutherans was Christ the King Sunday, a twentieth century Roman Catholic festival we adopted in 1978, but for the old Lutherans the Last Sunday after Trinity with its eschatological theme of the last judgment) the Bach Cantata […]

My Appreciation of Martin Luther’s Sacramentality and His Attention to the Human Body

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Let’s Talk has invited readers to write what they appreciate about Martin Luther as we observe the 500th anniversary jubilee of the Reformation. I’m a cradle Lutheran who grew up in a church-going family, so I’ve had a long relationship with the reformer. I don’t know when I first became aware of Martin Luther, but […]

Indulge Me: King Johan III

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Indulge me. One of my Reformation heroes is a Swedish King, Johan III (1537-92; reigned 1568-92). Why? Because of his liturgical interests. He authored, with the help of his secretary Petrus Fecht (a student of Melancthon’s), a Liturgy that included offertory prayers and a full Eucharistic prayer, elements long considered not acceptable in a Lutheran […]

As I See It: Born, Dying, Dead, Buried, and Resurrected

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This issue of Let’s Talk is about death. As I see it, when it comes to an open discussion of death, which affects us all in a most direct way—in our bodies—we practice avoidance. The church participates in this avoidance by not paying enough attention to the body in our ministries to the dying and […]

As I See It: Everyone Is Welcome to Worship…Except Children

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When I was growing up in the 1950s I had the impression that everyone in the congregation attended worship. Admittedly, my frame of reference is limited to what I knew my friends did in their churches or synagogues in urban Buffalo, NY. There were a few who went to Sunday School, but not worship. But […]

As I See It: The Persistence of Evil

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One of our modern problems with the Devil is the inconsistency of the images of the Devil or Satan in the Bible. Was the serpent that tempted Eve in Genesis 3 the Devil in disguise or just a talking snake? The identification of the serpent with evil is seen in the medieval image of the […]

8.2 Reader’s Response

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Gerald L. Lundby responded to Frank Senn’s column “As I See It … The Need to Observe the Rubrics” in Volume 7, Issue 2 as follows: Pastor Senn’s comments on the proper use of the liturgy were scholarly and appreciated.  I sometimes find that the “contemporary liturgies” popping up all over our synod congregations leave […]

Bibliography of Major Works on Sexuality and the Church

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Analyses Supporting Union Blessings and Ordination Issue Boswell, John. Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980. Brooten, Bernadette J.  Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism.  Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Countryman, […]