20 years of
Living Theology in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod since 1996
By Frederick J. Schumacher
By John A. Lang
By Frank C. Senn
By Benjamin Dueholm
By Gordon J. Straw
By Maxwell E. Johnson
By Frank C. Senn
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.
Ritual Systems What do theatrical productions, sports games, the procedures of the U.S. Congress, and the liturgy of the church all have in common? Answer: they are all ritual systems. Rituals allow social groups to get certain things done, whether the goal is to stage Romeo and Juliet, score a touchdown, enact legislation, or facilitate […]
One of the enjoyable aspects of being on the Let’s Talk Editorial Council is that we talk theology. Our round table discussions lead to the formulation of topics for issues of Let’s Talk. We hope we aren’t talking only to ourselves but that we are engaging you, the leaders of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, in […]
In my last column I asked, “What do we expect of our bishops?” To answer, I simply laid out the job description of an evangelical episcopate in the Augsburg Confession, Article 28. Since I wrote that article, we have elected and installed a new Presiding Bishop of the ELCA and installed our own Synod Bishop. […]
I had thought about writing this article before the Synod Assembly because of the interest generated in the process of electing a new bishop. Because I was designated in the Pre-Assembly Canvas as a “potential nominee” for that office, I deferred writing this article. I did have an opportunity to state my views on the […]
Reports by our synod delegates to our church council are usually pro forma. Last year, however, there was considerable discussion of the 2000 Metropolitan Chicago Synod Assembly at our council meeting. Part of the reason was that we had dutifully tried to respond to the bishop’s exhortation to send 10-15 lay leaders. We didn’t send […]
The Metropolitan Chicago Synod Assembly passed a resolution asking the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1) to develop a rite of blessing of gay and lesbian persons living in committed same-sex relationships, (2) to produce materials to support pastors as they provide pastoral care and counseling for same-sex couples, and (3) to provide educational materials […]
On October 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. A Joint Celebration by sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at Immanuel Lutheran Church […]
The first round of Lutheran-Episcopal Dialogue (LED) in the United States began exactly thirty years ago in 1969. LED I was established to explore the possibilities of dialogue. Instead, it concluded with a report that so much agreement exists between Lutheran and Episcopal Churches “in matters theological, liturgical, creedal, in sacramental life and practice, as […]
How surprised I was to receive an emotional phone call from an acquaintance at the ELCA Churchwide Office asking how I could endorse such an attack on the ELCA! At first I didn’t know what my caller was talking about. But the 9.5 Theses had arrived by mail on Higgins Road; I hadn’t received my […]
You invited Bill Roberts and myself, as the ecumenical officers of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Metropolitan Chicago Synod respectively, to give a report on Lutheran-Episcopal Relationships. The invitation to address this symposium was extended before the votes were taken at our respective church assemblies this past summer. […]
In Let’s Talk, Volume 1, Issue 4, Philip Hefner addressed the question, “How is the Church Necessary for Salvation?” by describing the church as God’s well of possibility.” I found his description not so much objectionable as tame, perhaps because it lacked a specific reference to the death-embracing and death-defying sacrament of regeneration. The word […]
As of now the 1997 Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA is scheduled to make decisions on two momentous ecumenical proposals: full communion (altar and pulpit fellowship) with The Episcopal Church and with three Churches in the Reformed tradition (the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ). Both of […]
This issue of Let’s Talk is devoted to theological education. The idea for devoting an issue to this is because of the emergence of new models for doing theological education in our seminaries and curriculum changes in response to new contexts in church and society. Certainly factored into these changes are such practical considerations as: […]
During Lent of 2014 I was invited to serve as the Sunday morning preacher at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston. There was interest in the parish in the catechumenate and mystagogy (instruction in the sacraments). The Gospels in Year A of the Roman and Revised Common Lectionaries are the preferred readings if the parish […]
The St. Nicholas Catholic Church building is an imposing gothic structure on Ridge Avenue in south Evanston whose tall steeple is a visible landmark. The parish was founded by German-speaking Luxembourgers in 1887 who embraced German-speaking Catholic immigrants from Germany and Poland who lived in nearby communities. The neo-gothic structure was erected in 1904-06. St. […]