The Concord“Here I stand, I can print no other!”

Thursday 8 October 2015 Luther Seminary Volume 45, Issue 1

I have always been a major lover and sup-porter of books. I think books enrich a home by their presence just as they enrich a life with their words, and I admit that my favorite part of any tour of my apartment is watching people browse through the books that fill (to capacity) mine and my wife’s dual Ikea Bookcases. I love books so much that I decided to work at the Luther Sem-inary bookstore, where there were (at that time anyway) literally thousands of books in a dozen or so little alcoves.

The bookstore has since changed its location, its form, and its focus. We sold off thousands of books two summers ago, moved into a sun-ny spot on the first floor, and worked on get-ting books and items that students would want. There’s just one problem: no students.

Well, that’s not completely true, dozens and dozens of you all came through over the last cou-ple of months to pick up your textbooks, and we are proud that we are able to finally fill textbook orders and fulfill our primary capacity as your favorite textbook distributors. Many students come to us for their very first stoles too. Seeing Luther graduates on their way to ordination pick out a stole (often with a parent or spouse) is one of my favorite parts of this job. Also, sometimes the A/C is on the fritz in the OCC and people come to us for all their impulse sweatshirt needs.

But that’s not all we can do. The bookstore has nine cabinets with seven shelves of books per cabinet, and only one cabinet is dedicated to

coursebooks. The rest are full of Bibles, prayer books, texts on pastoral care and psychological theory, theological classics and new theological texts, and many other topics that can help with your ministry. The primary goals of the book-store are to help you with your ministry, to give you resources and knowledge that can help you build on what you learn in class, as well as devel-op your thoughts in directions which classes ha-ven’t touched on yet. When these books become a part of your professional library, they become resources for a lifetime.

As I write this, we have a display about Isra-el/Palestine which includes Brueggemann’s new boo, Chosen?, as well as a book by the president of J-Street, a collection of short stories by a Pales-tinian author, a comic book by a journalist who has toured Palestine extensively, and a Jewish ethicist’s criticism of Israel from a prophetic and postmodern standpoint. Another display con-tains a myriad of theological resources related to Black Lives Matter, including several Cornel West titles, J. Kameron Karter’s text on the theo-logical roots of race, and Christina Cleveland’s bestseller Disunity in Christ. We also have books for fun reading, and journals and coloring books to help you unwind or meditate.

We are a people of the book: we’re the ones who popularized the codex over the scroll and necessitated the printing press. As Christian Public Leaders, I believe we’re called to be curi-ous, self-motivated learners. Our faith is rooted in scripture and is grown by our relationship as readers of that scripture. Then, we turn around

and read other people’s reflections on the Word to challenge ourselves and engage in conver-sations that are thousands of years old. At the Bookstore, we want to help you get involved in that conversation.

I’m not the kind of person who is going to tell you to break the bank over extra reading, and I know many of us (myself included) have trouble scraping together even enough for coursebooks, but if you do have a few entertainment dollars left over, I want to invite you to come to the book-store and let us help you develop your ministry. If you see me working the counter, tell me what you’re interested in, and I can even help you get started with a title that fits your needs.

The Bookstore: A Reflection on Mission and MinistryMike Gold, MA Senior

Welcome to the newly redesigned Concord! Due to restructuring, we are now the only department on campus actually paying students MORE than we used to. Submit an article of at least 500 words in length and you will get $20 if we choose to print it in The Concord. We look forward to your submis-sions and our continued role as a locus of conversation and honest discussion of the important issues facing the Luther Seminary student body.

During the closing worship service of this year’s First Week, Ben Eisele delivered a sermon around the Gospel text John 6:53-69. In this passage, Je-sus tells his disciples that He is the Bread of Life and must be consumed in order for life to be in us. Many found this teaching too difficult so Jesus turns the focus away from bread and asks, “What if I told you the Son of Man will ascend to where He was before?” Still, the teaching was difficult and many began to turn away from Jesus. Looking at the remaining twelve Jesus asked, “Are you go-ing to turn away also?” In this sermon, Ben reflects on this Gospel story and how it relates to our own journey through Seminary.

What if I told you that, as a first-year student, I wasn’t really sure I wanted to be here? My path to seminary was one of resistance. My dad is a Lutheran pastor and, while we get along quite well, growing up I didn’t want to do what he did. I went to college, determined to study something that was not Religion, Philosophy, or English. So, what if I told you that, naturally, by the end of my freshman year I had declared a major in Religion,

and by the time I graduated my degree would also have Philosophy and English tacked on to it?

So, still actively discerning how I’d gotten here, I participated in first week. At that time they had student leaders for groups, and mine was Matt, a wise senior whom, I thought, surely had this whole discernment thing figured out. On the sec-ond day of first-week, I arrived early at our start-ing room and the only person to beat me there was Matt, with Matt’s iPad. When I asked Matt what he was doing with said iPad, imagine my surprise, when Matt replied with an apologetic smile and said, “Just imagining what else I could be doing with my life if I wasn’t in seminary.”

Jesus has been busy, leading up to this Gospel story. Just days ago he was on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, with five thousand people, using only five loaves of bread and two fish to feed them all until they were full. The crowds of people – per-haps never having been full before in their lives – plot to make Jesus King by force – but sneaky Jesus leaves unnoticed. After his disciples shove off for the other side of the lake, they get stuck in a storm, and, after meeting Jesus hiking across on the water halfway there, they all make it to the other side of the lake. The crowds of fed-fol-

lowers that were left behind figure out where Je-sus went and they follow Jesus. Maybe they sense something more about this Jesus. Maybe they just want bread. But when they catch up with Je-sus, looking for signs and direction, he launches into a Bread Saga – like he’s having a contest with himself to see how many times he can throw out the word bread in a few verses. Then he says, “I am the bread of life. You have to eat this bread,” meaning, impossibly, “You have to eat me.” And then you’ll live forever. Sound good?

That’s where we crash into the Gospel text, John 6:53-69.

Those gathered there think they’ve just been told to eat Jesus, and are discerning what seems to be a call to cannibalism when they say, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” Then those gathered start to leave.

Jesus asks the remaining twelve – “Do you also wish to go away?” Peter replies, “Lord to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

I love this story from John for lots of reasons, but one of them is because this exchange asks to

Continued on Page 3.

Benjamin Eisele,M.Div. Senior

Where We Gonna Go?

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The 63-voice National Lutheran Choir (NLC) is pleased to announce its 2015-16 season, “30 Years of Singing Together.” The choir’s 30th Anniversa-ry Season includes a four-concert subscription series, a Christmas concert in St. Louis, MO (in addition to its beloved Christmas concerts at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis), a Mid-west tour and a Choral TuneUp with acclaimed composer and conductor, René Clausen. The season culminates with a concert titled The Min-nesota Tradition, honoring the history and col-lection of choral music that has been nurtured and grown out of the many Lutheran colleges in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest.

*Below is a list of concerts in the coming months of October, November, and December. For more information or the full academic year’s con-cert calendar, please visit http://www.nlca.com/2015-16-season-announcement or contact Keyla Christenson, a current member of the Alto section.*

All Saints Concert: Blessed Are TheyThe 30th Anniversary Season begins with the National Lutheran Choir’s signature All Saints Concert. At a minimum, it is an eclectic offering of some of the most deeply moving music com-posers have written. The All Saints program has become a source of healing, comfort and hope for those who have experienced loss. This year’s repertoire includes some of the most loved lit-erature from past NLC All Saints programs and includes music by Larry Fleming, John Tavener and Johann Michael Bach, as well as more re-cent compositions by William Beckstrand, Rob-ert Buckley Farlee and Alexander Dmitriyevich

Katalsky. Sun. Nov 1 4pm - St. Andrew’s Lutheran, 900 Stillwater Rd, Mahtomedi, MN 55115Fri. Nov 6 7:30pm - St. Bartholomew Catholic Faith Community, 630 Wayzata Blvd East, Way-zata, MN 55391 Christmas Festival: The Spotless RoseIn December, the National Lutheran Choir re-turns to the awe-inspiring Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis for its popular Christmas Fes-tival program. Known for the “experience,” the Christmas Festival removes the listener from any sense of time and space and draws them into a place of reverence. Through a unique use of space, the choir performs from the front and back of the Basilica, amidst and surrounding the audience. This year’s literature ranges from his-toric (Herbert Howells, Victoria) to new music by Dale Warland, David Conte and others. Concerts at Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St. Minneapolis, MN 55403:Fri. Dec 11 4:30pmFri. Dec 11 8pmSat. Dec 12 8pm

Sat. Dec 19 2pm -- First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood, 100 East Adams Avenue, Kirkwood, MO 63122

*All text, unless italicized, is from the National Lutheran Choir website, which can be found at www.nlca.com.

National Lutheran Choir: 30 Years of Singing Together

I’ve been asked to give my perspective as a white person on the Black Lives Matter move-ment, which grew out of the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri after the police shooting of Michael Brown last summer. Activists in this movement have called for a host of police reforms in order

to address the issue of police violence against black Americans. Although some may question the tactics of the movement, such as interrupt-ing public events, the case still remains that black Americans face structural racism—from violence against blacks to economic injustice and ongoing attempts to restrict voting rights. It was only in the 1960s that black Americans were guaranteed the right to vote and we still have much more

Black Lives MatterLois Malcom, Prof. of Systematic Theology

work to do as a nation if we truly seek to address the reality of racism in our country.

Most pressing on my mind, however—espe-cially as a Lutheran—is the shooting that took place this summer at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. This racially motivated killing of nine innocent people—at a Bible Study no less!—was nothing less than an act of terrorism.

The fact that the perpetrator of this crime was a member of an ELCA congregation gives me much pause. And the way this young man was forgiven in the name of Jesus by the fami-ly members of the victims has also left a deep impression on me. If anything, this incident has made clear to me the fact that we still have much work to do not only as a nation, but especially as a church in order to address the issue of racial-ly motivated violence in our society and, quite literally, in our church. If the Black Lives Matter movement makes us more aware of this issue and its causes, and the broader issue of racial injustice in general, then perhaps—especially in light of the Charleston murders—it has much to teach us.

In this inaugural edition, I’d like to describe the purpose of this column, and explain how I feel its title relates to theological education. When I was originally approached to contribute to The Con-cord, I was hesitant. I try to keep a low profile. But then I realized that it might be a great way to discuss why I think writing (and, by extension, language) is important. Therefore, at the request of the publication’s editor, Julia Olson, I’ve agreed to field monthly questions related to writing at the seminary. It’s like “Dear Abby” but with ques-tions about citation, format, grammar and usage. (Let’s face it. This could flop so fast.)

Now to the title. Without getting into too much detail, the Old Testament’s Book of Judges recounts the episode in which, upon the com-pletion of a battle, the Gileadites slaughter the Ephraimites based on their accent after sepa-rating them from among the others who are re-treating. (The Ephraimites allegedly could not pronounce the /∫/ in shibboleth.) So why does this matter? I feel that academic writing, and pretty much any human interaction, is full of shibboleths. To navigate academia successfully, it requires one to be aware of the myriad forms of language that exist simultaneously all around us and use them strategically to navigate social situations. So with that in mind, I invite you to ask any questions you might have by emailing me at writingcenter@luthersem.edu, or drop your question in the writing center’s mailbox outside of 110A Northwestern Hall.

Until next month,Peter SusagAssociate Director of the Center for Writing

and Research

The Shibboleth

Illustration by Ian McConnell

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@Lot: “Huh. God seriously doesn’t kid around. #saltywife” @Saul: “@David SING ME A SONG, YOU’RE THE LYRE-PLAYING MAN!! SING ME A SONG, TONIGHT!!”@David: “@Saul Fine, but I’m not clobbering any giants for you.”@David: “…Okay, I’ll clobber one giant for you.” @Saul: “@David, I’m keeping my eye on you, kid. #1Sam18:9” @Isaac: “Woohoo! Going on a day trip with my dad.”@Isaac: “Update: day trip got super weird.” @Luke: “@Theophilus, I will write you the sequel as soon as I’m done binge-watching The Real Housewives of Antiquity.” @Adam: “She handed me a pomegranate. A POMEGRANATE. What was I supposed to do, not eat it?! #notmyfault” @LetMyPeopleGo: “Day 12576 of wandering in the wilderness. No one thought to bring sun-screen. #burned.” @DreamInterpreter: “I’m not saying that the Technicolor coat is bad, I’m just saying, a three-

piece suit would be nice.” @Joseph: “@Mary Uh…………..what?” @Creator: “Have a couple legs, a duck bill, and a beaver tail left over. How about, I don’t know…a platypus?” @LetMyPeopleGo: “No. There is no command-ment about what color #thedress truly is. Quit asking.” @PatmosRulez: “Working on the story of Jesus turning water into wine.”@Matthew: “@PatmosRulez. Wait. What?”@DearTheophilus: “@PatmosRulez @Matthew John? Are you sure that happened? @Mark?”@Mark: “@DearTheophilus @PatmosRulez @Matthew New to me.”@PatmosRulez: “Haters gonna hate.”

@Matthew: “@DearTheophilus @Mark Hey, guys. Who has the Q source this week? I can’t remember exactly what Jesus said about the fox-es having dens and birds having nests…”@Mark: “@Matthew @DearTheophilus If you’re not going to keep better track of that, we’re only going to have one Gospel.”@DearTheophilus: “@Matthew Easy, @Mark. I’ll bring it to coffee next week.”@PatmosRulez: “What’s the Q source?”@Mark: “@Matthew @DearTheophilus @Pat-mosRulez Shh! No one tell him. ;)”

#biblicaltweetsCarrie Smisek, M.Div. Senior

be spoken aloud for meaning. Let me tell you what I mean. If we take John – the Gospel writer – seriously as a story teller, we do him the honor of imagining that these stories and conversations between Jesus, the disciples, and the crowds hap-pened between real people, with real voices, in real places, in a real time.

The question that Jesus asks, for example: Did he abruptly snap to the twelve, challenging their faith, asking if they were going to leave, too? Or did Jesus shrug it off, and ask flatly if the others were gonna stay or gonna go? Or, maybe, did Je-sus, after a long pause – ask the twelve hesitantly, tenderly, “Are you going to leave me, too?”

It depends on how you read it. And how you hear it. Here’s the good news?

The church has historically taken Peter’s reply, added an Alleluia to it, and made it a triumphant Gospel acclamation: “Alleluia! Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life! Alleluia!” I like that. But some days that’s not how I hear it.

Some days, Jesus’ disciples hear his tough teachings, recognize maybe to their surprise that they’re still standing there with their Lord, and Jesus asks if they’re going to leave him too. Pe-ter takes the lead. “Lord, where else are we going to go? At this point – we’ve left everything be-hind to follow you. We had reasonable careers in fishing and tax-collecting.” Some disciples sense where this life is leading and think, “we’re gonna be dead men.” Thomas just can’t believe Jesus is even asking the question.

We’ve done everything required. We’ve been unsettled enough and have felt called enough to get us here despite shrinking churches, despite

the world’s objections, despite the internet com-ments that blame religion for everything bad. And yet, we’ve come to believe and know that you, Jesus, mean something. That you are The Holy One we gotta follow. And so, here we stand.

Some days, Jesus’ disciples hear his tough teachings, recognize maybe without surprise that they’re still standing with their Lord, and Je-sus asks if they’re going to leave him too. We’ve left other things behind, but we knew what we were doing. Nothing we’ve ever done before – no school, no work, no path – has ever felt as right as this one that we’re on. We have been moved by the promise that you are the Light of the World. And so here we are. With you we stand. To whom else would we go? Amen.

Sermon Continued from Front Page

eschaton, /ˈeskəˌtän/n.

1. divinely ordained climax of history2. end of the world, end of time3. the fulfillment of God’s promise of

new creation; the final event in the divine plan

4. a helpful filler word when you’re not sure what to say in class, i.e. “it will all be made clear in the eschaton”

Word Nerd

a day of seasons.Jaime’s Poem

I woke up at daybreak to a silence.to a fresh snow silence,to a stranger silence.The birds were gonetheir song abandonedand I ate my breakfast by an open windowfor absolutely no reason.Morning was here.Broken,but here.My bones felt like stone.My words were rough whisperscarved into the stone bones of others.

But morning isn’t forever.Silence fades and there’s a calling.A steady build like spring’s first rainfall.The death and stillness that winter bringscalling us back to a life of breathing.Fresh flowers pry open lumped coal lungs.The air I breathe tastes like water,tastes like brisk morning coffee with a friend I love.Still in my pajamas,waking up after a winter of sleeping is hard.

Spring to summerdays become clearer so slowlythat one day I blink and the sun pierces.

A source of light and joybrings a stunned sting toeven after eyes are closed.Behind closed eyelids we cansee the outline of the sun,and still her face.The white of the bright sun flusheseverything else to one color.But her face.Her laugh.The way she moved across the room.Even after 60 sunsshe will never be flesh flushed outbecause she’s still there when I close my eyes.

Crisp air makes blood flow slower.And so it is the way with autumn.And so it is the way with evening.Every fall the trees teach us how to let go,and how to grieve their leaves lost.The fear of winter death triggers a scarcity of time.Trying to pick up all of the leaves,I want to glue them back on their branches.A semblance of an existence where everything lives.Where there isn’t a threat of winter tomorrow.

Not a threat,a promise.of breakfast by open windows,of brisk morning coffee with someone I love,of a memory that won’t fade with 60 suns,that the trees will still be here tomorrow.

e.e.martin.

Scribbler’s Sidebar

Please submit poems or melodic prose toconcord@luthersem.edu

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Bone to Pick: Stilled by the Promise?

My dear friends, colleagues, professors, and mentors of Luther-I write to inform you all…I’ve got a bone to pick.

There I was on the first day of the school year, sitting in chapel, in the midst of our convocation and the opening of a new academic year. The professors all processed in, dressed in their ac-ademic regalia and the pomp and circumstance of the day added to the general feeling of antic-ipation and excitement. President Steinke read from the Gospel of Luke, a beautiful passage in which Jesus is teaching the disciples to pray. And my response was “Praise to You, O Christ” deliv-ered with the same kind of excitement I bring to learning Greek verb conjugations.

I’d love to report that this was a one-time ex-perience, but unfortunately, I’ve noticed that this is a rather concerning habit of mine-and I tend to think that I’m not alone. We tend to respond to the hearing of the Word with a certain lack of enthusiasm. Now, I understand, this communi-ty has a whole lot of exposure to Scripture; we are constantly immersed in conversations about Law and Gospel, or perhaps Promise, Commu-nity, and Neighbor. Perhaps our familiarity with words like faith, and hope, and promise, and gospel diminishes our ability to hear the revo-lutionary, earth-shattering message they carry. But here’s the deal, not witnessing to the power of this message, not attending to it, not hearing it as a proclamation of freedom to us who were captives…ain’t gonna cut it.

Under the Luther Seminary insignia on the wa-

ter bottle I carry around, it reads, “moved by the promise.” I believe that is true. On some level we have been moved by the promises of God, other-wise, why would we be here? We understand, at a deep and intuitive level, that our lives have been transformed by the Gospel-that belief has called us together in this seminary community. But wit-nessing our chapel services, in our classrooms and offices, in the way we interact with one an-other and with our community, does it look like we’ve been moved by the promise? Does it sound like it? I don’t come from a tradition that shouts our “Amen,” in fact, I remember getting the dis-tinct impression that it was best for me to make as little noise as possible in church and when I did speak it should be short and not betray any emotion. The message I got from my church of origin was that if I had an emotional reaction to what I was hearing, it was best to keep that be-tween me and God, and to be honest, my own practice still reflects this. But while having a per-sonal relationship with God is a necessary com-ponent in the life of a Christian, we have been called to more. The movement that the promise inspires is outward; it turns us out of ourselves and towards one another. It is public and it de-mands of us public witness and proclamation of our own transformation. It demands, actually, that we live (and we look and sound) like trans-formed people.

Certainly transformation is no small thing and it manifests itself in different ways in our lives, but I might suggest that one way to live as trans-formed people might be, the next time we hear the Word, that we remember what a powerful word it is. May we remember that this is a Word

that turns the world on its ear, that makes saints out of sinners. And may our response reflect our wonder, our gratitude, and our joy.

If you have a bone to pick, contact The Concord at concord@luthersem.edu

Emily Kuenker, MDiv Middler

DISCLAIMER: This article in no way reflects 100% accuracy among political views or religious views of Donald Trump.

In a recent interview with a reporter from CNN, Donald Trump gave honest opinions on what he believes to be the answers to our coun-try’s problems. The reporter began with asking Trump, “Christians would like you to tell us what your thoughts are on the laws in Leviticus that state, ‘You shall not go around as a slander-er among your people’, What do you have to say to people who think that you so clearly do not follow this law?” Trump confidently responds, “I am not sure what laws in Leviticus you are re-ferring to, but I cannot help that I am an honest man. I speak the truth and if the truth makes people feel uncomfortable then that is on them. You know, I don’t feel I am slandering “my people” and by that let me be clear, I am saying that if people want to come to this nation they can do so legally.” Trump seemed to not agree with the reporter’s reaction and began calling people who disagreed with his views “disgusting animals.” The reporter decided to bring in the Megyn Kelly incident where Trump insulted her by insinuating she must be having her time of the month. Trump graciously responded by saying, “You see women are harder to work with because you have to work around them during those difficult-to-handle moments. I firmly believe there are so many “Biblically correct” foolish Christians out there that do not see what

really happens in the Bible. Sarah was always grumpy with Abraham, because she was having her time of the month. It seemed to have lasted 70 years for her to the point here Abraham had to find comfort elsewhere. If the American peo-ple stopped being so “Biblically correct” then we could finally make headway in this country.” The reporter tried to keep the conversation going, but Trump insisted that her head must be fogged up and that she was too emotionally invested in this conversation and insisted that this interview was over in the present moment and to resume the interview in a week.

Celebs Read the Bible:Donald Trump

Sarah Fike, M.Div. Middler

The Concord Staff

Editor-In-Chief Julia OlsonLayout Editor Peter ClarkCopy Editors Keyla Christenson Louis Tillman Samuel Chamberlain Brian Henning Emily Stelling Emily Martin Emily Kuenker Eric Christenson

October Student Events

Oct 1-CPE Information Fair, Min-neapolis Ideas Xchange

Oct 2-CPE Q&A Session, Minneap-olis Ideas Xchange

Oct 3- Luther Bowl*Oct 5- Internship and Endorsement

Information SessionOct 6- Internship and Endorsement

Information SessionOct 9- Lunch with President Steinke

and the Board of Directors (RSVP Required), Roseville Fall Festival

Oct 12- Climate Change and Social Justice: Action at the Intersections

Oct 17- The Dakota ExperienceOct 20 & 21- Reading DaysOct 23- Game Night in the Library*

*Luther Seminary Community Life events

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The Concord needs your help to keep going. Every month we have to read articles and make sure that we spell things good and use more right grammar, or else we end up looking like uneducated gits, like the Pioneer Press or something *shudder* and we don’t want that. So if you’re willing to help proofread even one or two articles a

month, please email concord@lu-thersem.edu and we will get you connected and ready to help The Concord put its best foot forward so that we can prompt-ly stick it in our mouths and let students say what they really want to say about the school and world we find ourselves in.

The Noncord“Insert Slogan Here”

Greetings Sisters and Brothers, I write to you today from the

Noncord’s new office locat-ed within the Concord Office. That’s right my friends. We, the humble staff of the Noncord, have submitted to the tyranny of the Concord. We the Non-cord praise our new Concor-dian overlords. Long live the Concord!

I know what you’re think-ing, dear readers, “How could the once proud and mighty Noncord, Defenders of Truth, Bringers of Light, Heralds of Christ, fall so low?” The truth is,

we’re tired. We’re tired of creating Pea-

body winning stories that bring joy and happiness to your lives. We’re tired up standing up for Truth, Justice, and the Ameri-can Way. We’re tired of losing staff to internships and first calls. We’re tired of our edi-tors being silenced and “disap-peared” by Luther Seminary’s jack-booted thugs.

After three years of fighting we’re just tired and want to take a nap. Our Tigger-like zeal has been replaced by an Eeyore-es-que melancholy. We will contin-

Under New Management?ue to produce the finest satire Luther Seminary has ever seen but our hearts won’t be in it.

We mildly encourage you to continue reading the Noncord. Or don’t. We don’t really care. If you want to join us in our futile quest to bring laughter to this dreary land then seek us out. Or don’t. We don’t really care. We’re just tired. So very tired. Oh look! A couch! I’m just going to lay down for a moment…

Yours Truly,Les PhaithNoncord Editor in Chief

12 students have been arrested after they were found holding worship services in Old Mus-kego, according to seminary officials. Speak-ing to reporters, Chief of Campus Police Scott Walker revealed details about the investigation that led to the late morning raid on the aging wooden structure.

According to Walker, an investigation into de-clining worship attendance was initiated at the request of Seminary Pastor Thelander. Worship attendance has been down 146% compared to last year and the sharp decline had been a major concern and a mystery. “When we first noticed the drop in attendance we started monitoring the parking lots to see if people were just going home but the number of people leaving campus between 10:50 and 11:00am didn’t explain the decline,” Pastor Thelander said. “We couldn’t figure out where everyone was.”

Detectives pursued a number of theories at the outset of the investigation. At first they assumed everyone was going straight to Din-ing Services to take advantage of the early bird special but this turned out to be a dead end. Dining Services denied having an early bird special or customers. Investigators also con-sidered the possibility that students were going to Northwestern Chapel by mistake but quick-ly dismissed it after finding the chapel doors rusted shut due to neglect. The Northwestern chapel hasn’t been used for official purposes since 1982.

The first break in the investigation came when

a student worker was mowing grass near Old Muskego.

The student worker had been cutting the grass behind Gullixon Hall when the lawn mower broke down at which point he heard voices coming from the long abandoned building. The student, whose name is being withheld due to safety concerns, immediately called campus po-lice. After receiving the tip, investigators began monitoring the building.

“We started tracking who was coming and go-ing and when. Within a few weeks we came up with a theory which proved to be true.” Walker told reporters.

Documents filed with Luther Seminary Eccle-sial Court reveal that 12 students began holding the unauthorized worship services during First Week. The 12 students, all M.Div seniors re-turning from internship, gathered to hold daily services in which they took turns preaching and presiding over the Lord’s Table. The students allegedly engaged in an aggressive campaign to recruit worshipers. Their efforts were so success-ful that within a few weeks they added a second service.

Seminary Stormtroopers raided Muskego Wednesday morning and rounded up 75 stu-dents. Most were released shortly thereafter but 12 students were held and charged with “conducting unauthorized worship” in violation of the non-competition clause in the Student Handbook. Items seized during the raid includ-ed: 60 LBWs, 7 cases of Mogen David, 12,000

communion wafers, and an autographed copy of Worship as Repentance by former seminary Professor Walter Sundberg.

When asked why it took so long to discover the underground church Walker replied, “No one was talking about it. You never heard any-one mention it. It’s almost like Fight Club. Ya know, ‘the first rule of Fight Club is you don’t talk about Fight Club.’ Man I love that movie. Did you know Meatloaf was in Fight Club? He was that guy with the boobs. I wonder what Meatloaf has been up to.”

Alternative Worshipping Community Busted by Campus Police

The Noncord needs peo-ple who want to write

moderately humourous arti-cles, preferably also mod-erately topical. Unlike the Concord, we don’t pay, but we do have lower

standards, so there’s that. Anyway, this is mostly to fill space, so y’know, find someone to give your ar-ticle to...or not. Whatever.

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Boston | More than 35,000 of his disappointed supporters packed Fenway Park when Donald Trump officially ended his bid for the White House yesterday, but departed later with even greater hopes.

“Look, I’m the kind of guy who wants to get things done, but if I’m president that means I have to work with Democrats who hate me and I hate them,” Trump said. “I said to myself, ‘You don’t want to be president, you want something with real power, a position where everyone loves you even when they hate you.’ So, screw it! I want to be Pope!”

The unexpected announcement was greeted with raucous applause that lasted at least five minutes, during which the loudspeakers played a rock-and-roll version of “Ave Maria” by Gene Simmons.

The news baffled GOP officials, who recently secured a no-third-party-run concession from their former frontrunner. “I never know what he’s going to say from one day to the next,” said House speaker John Boehner. “Tomorrow he’ll probably say he wants to be the Cheetos mas-cot.”

Perhaps those most surprised, however, are Catholics, who apparently already have a pope. But The Donald already has an answer ready for naysayers by pointing to Benedict XVI. “Look, if a pope can resign from the papacy,” he said, “well, I’m just gonna have to say it: Pope Francis, you’re fired!”

While the Vatican could not be reached for

comment, many Catholics, such as Sean Hann-ity, were ecstatic at the news. But others are still waiting to hear all the details of his platform to improve the Roman Catholic Church.

“I’m gonna make the Church great again,” Trump said “The problem with the Church to-day is all these Mexicans coming in here, filling up our pews, and drinking our transubstantiat-ed wine. When I’m Pope, we’re going to build a wall around every cathedral and make Mexico tithe for it.”

Still, it was not too long ago that Trump de-nied attempts to quote his favorite Bible verse, causing some to wonder if he is even a Chris-tian. But yesterday the tycoon affirmed his belief in the Son of God.

“Jesus? Yeah, He loves me,” he said. “I love how He was a carpenter, worked with His hands. And He died doing what He loved, you know, with the wood and the nails. A real American hero. He’s great.”

Trump: Screw It, I Want To Be Pope

Also in the News

Evangelized Soccer Hooli-gans Riot After Communion

Local Prophet Writes “Jesus Returns” on Each Day of His Calendar

Luther Offers New Physician Assistant Concentration

Olive Industry Benefits from Viral Hashtag Typo #blacko-livesmatter

Luther Increases Staff Diver-sity by Hiring a Finn

Scientists at CERN Verify Ex-istence of Higgs-Boson Par-ticle, Gozer the Destructor

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore, flickr.com

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WANTED: HETE-RO-LIFE MATENT Prof seeks male HLM to fill position for 1yr. Requirements: Bibli-cal Scholar (prefer-ably NT but OT ok); snappy dresser; at-tractive & youthful; enjoys long walks around campus. Contact: E_Baret-to@compuserve.com (Prof. Chan need

not apply)

WANTED: SKILLED ESSAYISTApplicants should have strong writing skills; Deep understand-ing of Missional Leadership; Knowledge of what God is up to in the world.

FREE COUCHSlightly stained

couch perhaps grey at one time.Might have bed bugs. Must be will-ing to pick up. Located in Bockman Lounge.

WANTED: FOOD SERVICEHungry student seeks early evening dining options.Moderately priced, reasonable selec-tion preferred.

Non-Classifieds

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Draw Your Own Noncord Back Page

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This month’s edition of Call to Community intro-duces Richard Webb, one of the newer additions to the Luther community, as Director of Multicultur-al Enrollment Management. You may have seen him in Northwestern or in the cafe, but chances are you were introduced to him at Community Day’s forum about the identity of the seminary.

Luther Seminary has a long history with mul-tiple initiatives aimed at building a more racially and culturally inclusive environment. In my con-versation with Richard he indicated to me that he has learned quite a bit about Luther from his in-tentional listening sessions with faculty, staff, and community members. He shared with me that it was a practice at Luther that an individual would assume duties with multicultural recruitment, professional development, academic advising, or spiritual guidance with the intent of yielding a more racially and diverse student body. The results of these past efforts have been mixed where Luther Seminary has graduated some amazing racial-ly and culturally diverse clergy within the Metro Area and beyond. Where the challenge has been is that institutional change has impacted initiatives and a systematic set of procedures has not been developed to solidify the presence, matriculation, and graduation of racially and culturally diverse students at high numerical levels at Luther.

This is how Mr. Webb is entering the Luther com-munity. He is charged with lifting some of these past initiatives, continuing the hard work of others before him, and breaking new ground in response to data provided from two assessment reports by the accrediting bodies for Luther Seminary that call for the school to become more racially and cul-turally inclusive.

I continued to pepper Mr. Webb with questions about what his role entails, what he hopes to ac-complish, and what he did before coming to Lu-ther. Little did I know that this interview would turn into a conversational experience that led to developing new ideas and potential opportunities for Luther to grow into being a place that fosters multicultural and multiracial discussions, in addi-tion to discovering how to stay abreast of current issues in different ministries.

The LifeBefore I present the big questions, let’s take a

look at what led Mr. Webb to our community. He was born in Cedar Rapids, IA. His paternal grandfather was the founding pastor for Re-demption Missionary Baptist Church (est. 1971). His maternal grandmother fostered a great sense of spirituality in Richard through her soul sing-ing and taking him to her church, Mt. Zion Mis-sionary Baptist Church. His mother would also take him to the Gospel Tabernacle Baptist church so between the divided lines with mom, grandfa-ther, and grandmother, his early church life was lifted up by different family members, churches, and church communities. In high school he be-came involved in the Upward Bound Program and it was there that he established a core group of friends that later led to employment positions where he explored the foundations of the impact

that social norms have on a person. He attended college at the University of Northern Iowa where he focused his studies on multicultural issues.

Throughout his life Richard moved around. He has lived in Kansas, California, Florida, South Dakota, Iowa and now Minnesota. “I have al-ways been a person who has many homes. At the time I didn’t know God was carrying me through life...I didn’t know why I’d make these spiritual stops at churches and at different communities,” he commented.

While he was working on his his Masters from UNI in Multicultural Relations, Webb worked as a residential treatment counselor for youth in need of assistance and youth who had been ad-judicated. He later worked in the Upward bound Program at Coe College and eventually transi-tioned to Minnesota to work at Augsburg Col-lege, where he played a pivotal role in establish-ing an access program that raised the percentage of admitted students of color from 10.5 % in 2005 to about 42%. Right now, the enrollment percent-age is maintained at 37%. It wasn’t just Mr. Webb who worked on this amazing feat at Augsburg, but also our very own Carrie Carroll. After a few years at Augsburg, Webb left to join a dedicated office that works to desegregate public schools through professional development and services for students and other community stakeholders. Webb then shifted from the public school system to higher education when he became a multira-cial and multicultural consultant and recruiter at Hamline University and UNI. After marry-ing his wife, Karey, he moved back to Minneso-ta where he worked in sales for a time and then went to Normandale Community College to lift up a new program. This program, called Finish Line, assisted students in finishing their two year degrees. In August of 2015, Mr. Webb officially started his new position at Luther Seminary.

Reflecting on the plethora of experiences he has had throughout his life, Richard states, “[it wasn’t] driven by me. Through it all I gained a wealth of different experiences.” Based on this story alone, I am convinced that Richard Webb is the perfect man for the large tasks ahead of him. Let’s explore what those tasks are.

The Big QuestionsWhat is your position and what do you hope

to accomplish in this role?Mr. Webb’s first response to this question was

to pull up his description. I was a little taken aback because it should be simple to describe one’s newly-established role, right? I understood immediately that his job description is anything but simple when he pulled up the long list of bul-let points that cover his daily obligations to the community. The first point identified that Mr. Webb’s new position was created in order to have a director for multicultural and multiracial en-rollment. “The point is to establish a holistic ap-proach for someone who is a perspective student all the way through graduation,” he stated. He is also in charge of making sure that the seminary improves the demands set up by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada as well as the Higher Learning Com-mission that assessed that the seminary must

improve its diversity of multiracial students. Mr. Webb is in partnership with Carrie Carroll who is the Chief Diversity Officer at the seminary. The position also serves as a consulting resource for the Luther community as well as its partners and the greater Church. He stressed that his role is a living and learning position to grow into the future of both the seminary and the church it in-fluences. “As community we should be deciding the role,” he concluded.

It is his intention to encourage students and staff to coordinate discussions and groups in or-der to implement “tool kits” to develop skills for people to cross culture and experience ways of confronting prejudices that are present in society as well as ourselves. It is Mr. Webb’s goal to devel-op relationship building between all people. How do we implement these in our own community here or in our congregations? Mr. Webb says that we have to meet people where they are at and un-derstand our own story in order to start building the bridge of relationship. “The goal is to equip all levels of the church to develop cross cultural and multicultural relationships to foster equita-ble and just systems, policies, and processes” Mr. Webb stated.

How do you see Luther’s role in and among the recent national strife over the race-related tragedies?

“First and foremost it is important to acknowl-edge that any educational institution has the abil-ity to shape minds and experiences,” Mr. Webb responded. As an influential seminary, it is up to us as an institution to make equality and social justice issues a top priority in our classes, theo-logical discussions, and what we actively do in the community. Mr. Webb stresses the impor-tance of recognizing one’s own identity and how the culture relates to that identity. “I would like for Luther Seminary to be the beacon institution that is seen and experienced as a multiracial and multicultural inclusive institution where God’s work is lifted and magnified.” Mr. Webb contin-ued to talk about Janet Helms’ Racial Identity Model and he has a surfeit of knowledge about how to apply similar racial theories to real situ-ations.

What are some resources for students to en-gage in these conversations?

The most obvious one is to go straight to Mr. Webb’s office located in the Admissions office. There he has plenty of printed information to give you (including ELCA Social Statements, and the ELCA’s African Descent Strategic Plan booklet that outlines the intent of the church). “The biggest thing for us to do is to come togeth-er as community on these topics. I need people to share with me what the community needs,” he said. Since his position is still new and the school year has just begun, the recent events are focused on places off-campus. It is the goal to establish groups and forums on campus, but this is still developing.

Final WordI want my final word to be that THIS IS NOT

THE FINAL WORD. Richard Webb and I have shared interest to make this kind of discussion a

Call to CommunityRichard Webb

Emily Stelling, M.Div. Junior

Continued on Page 10.

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Man, that’s a terrible/hilarious/annoying/spot-on editorial cartoon, right? Here’s where we’d normally like to put your opinion about things you see in the newspaper or around campus, but no one complained to us this month. That’s right, we want some serious letters

to the editor, folks! Anonymous, pseudonyms, real names, whatever, just send your opin-ion about Luther Seminary goings-on to con-cord@luthersem.edu and we just might print it here. And let’s face it, we usually need to fill space, so we probably WILL print it here. Are we too liberal? Not liberal enough? Did we accidentally insult your mother? Should

we have insulted your mother? The only way we’ll ever know is if you tell us. Again, send those opinions to The Concord at concord@luthersem.edu, drop it in our mailbox, or de-

liver via vaccinated squirrel.

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monthly addition to each edition of The Concord. This series will create a space for our community to start a dialog centered around multiracial and multicultural issues or questions. The title of the series will be Beacons of Hope for a Racially and Culturally Diverse Neighborhood, Communi-ty, Country, and World. (I have to give credit to Mr. Webb for that one!) If you are interested in writing under this topic, please contact The Con-cord office. Even more importantly! If you want to engage in this conversation please talk directly to Richard Webb or Carrie Carroll. Get active in forming a group on campus that addresses issues of race and inequality, or, when one does form, join up! We have to form this place in order for us to be formed.

*Call to Community: Introducing One of the Neighbors is a new series that The Concord is interested in presenting. We found that it is im-portant to let everyone know just how stacked our professors and staff are. Look for it every month to see what some of our own people are doing!

CommunityContinued

Editorial Cartoon by Peter Clark, M.Div. Senior

Dear Pharaoh, I’ve got some problems with my workforce.

It seems like no matter what I do, they expand. It’s not like they aren’t working hard enough, of course. I’ve got them on all sorts of projects, from statues to cities. Most of my people don’t see this as a problem but their rapid expansion really grinds my gears. What do you recom-mend to keep them in check?

Signed, Whopping Workforce

Dear Whopping,What you have here is a real tough situation.

Let me start out by saying that your dislike of their rapid growth is totally legitimate. Chances are, once they’re big enough, they’ll side with your enemies and then you’ve got big trouble on your hands. Nobody wants a rebellion, am I right? What you should do is try to get rid of every male child. Keep the women - who don’t work and who DO give birth - because life is nothing without a few problems here and there. But definitely exe-cute the boys. So what if you’re taking away valu-able workforce resources?! This is SO much more than a knee-jerk reaction to a troubling situation. This is a good strategy and I promise you it’s going to pay off.

Here’s hoping a good old execution will solve your problem,

Pharaoh

Dear Pharaoh, I think my daughter is raising a slave as her

own. I can’t be sure of it, but there are some things that really make me suspicious. For ex-ample, when he was nursing the whole situation was really bizarre. Now, I’m not one to under-stand why women do what they do, but it really felt like someone was trying to pull a fast one when it came to his wet nurse. We’ve got plen-ty of them in the palace and for some reason, a slave woman has a weird attachment to this kid and is always around. Also, I’m pretty sure I heard about him killing some of my people be-cause they were attacking a slave. What is that, some kind of solidarity? Is he an abolitionist? I don’t need this kind of trouble. Could it be that my daughter adopted a slave child? Or am I just paranoid?

Signed, Suspicious Grandpa

Dear Suspicious, What a laugh! Your daughter would never do

that - what on earth would possess her to adopt a slave rather than to have her own child? Now, you simply must put your worry to rest. Chances are he’s a regular old Egyptian, just like you. But now we have a bigger problem. Your grandson, Egyptian though he may be, is a murderer. Don’t try to get more information. Don’t try to talk to him and CERTAINLY do not ask your daughter about it. You should just seek to kill him. It’s really

the easiest way to handle situations like these, I promise. Who wants a long drawn out conversa-tion when you can just chase him down and be done with it? That’s right. Efficiency is key in this office, that’s for sure. Don’t spend time wondering who’s who or where he’s from, just kill the guy. It’s that easy!

Dear Pharaoh, This uppity guy keeps coming to my palace

and asking me to let some of my slaves go. He goes on and on about some sacrifice to his god, but I don’t know that god and I don’t have time for his shenanigans. When I tell him that, he threatens all sorts of atrocities that he says will happen in my country. I don’t want to listen to him, but I don’t want to be the idiot that didn’t listen to him, you know? Should I be worried here?

Signed, Plagued With Questions

Dear Plagued, This guy is a joke. If you don’t know the god he

is talking about, what can you do? Don’t give in; he is obviously trying to manipulate you. Here’s my advice: get some of your best magicians. They’re going to be really helpful in calling this guy’s bluff. They’ll probably be able to do every-thing he can, and if they can’t, just go ahead and never mention it again. A king who doesn’t admit his faults is the best king, right? If something does happen, just ignore it. Stick to your guns here, and don’t let those lazy people leave. I promise you this: your stubbornness in this situation will be the quality by which everyone remembers you, so don’t let that go! This is your chance for glory!

I look forward to seeing your name remem-bered by history,

Pharaoh

Ask a Biblical Character:Dear Pharoah

How did your application process go? What was easy about it? What was difficult?

The application process was a bit daunting, just because internship feels like such a big thing. I would say that the easy part was knowing that a lot of other people were going through the process too. The difficult part was the self-as-sessment that goes along with answering those questions honestly. Did you restrict? If so, what is your experience with that?

I did not. Did you end up where you wanted to/thought you would?

Haha. Not at all. I thought I would end up on one of the coasts, or in a big city, at least that’s what I thought I wanted. However, my site’s pro-file really excited me, and the meeting with the supervisor really confirmed that this is the place where I was going to learn the most. What was the first week after your arrival like? How was meeting your supervisor?

The first week was half driving around and getting tours of places like hospitals, and half waiting to be told what was next. I certainly got a lot of reading done!

Have you encountered any unexpected diffi-culties while on internship?

I didn’t expect to be as intimidated as I was by the congregation. I’m a fairly social person, but I think meeting so many people in such a short amount of time impacted me more than I thought it would.

Any positive surprises so far?

I have been surprised by the variety of expe-riences that are all under the umbrella of this ministry. What are you glad you learned before you started, and what do you wish you would have learned or prepared for?

I am so thankful that I took classes on pastoral care and aging. Studying this has really helped me relate with a majority of the congregation. I do wish I had taken Lutheran Confessions before arriving here. This shortfall seems to be most obvious when it comes to weekly text study. Do you have any advice for those who are cur-rently in the application process?

Look for a profile that excites you! And when

it comes to your interview with supervisors, follow your gut. I had interviews that felt like interviews and interviews that felt like conversa-tions and the beginning of a relationship. Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun with it. How about for those who are waiting on place-ment/beginning their internship?

You’re going to be twiddling your thumbs for a bit. Don’t worry, things will pick up and soon you’ll have more to do than you have hours in a day. Don’t forget to take care of yourself. This is your internship experience; so don’t lose your-self in the process.

Are there any resources you can recommend for dealing with the potential stress of applica-tions?

I think that your best resources are your human resources. Lean on those who have been on internship before, your peers that are on intern-ship now, and the contextual education office. These people are typically ready and willing to share their experiences with you, as well as answer questions you have. And remember that you’re not going through it alone.

Interns Anonymous

Nominate someone forInterns Anonymous!

Email concord@luthersem.edu

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Created on TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Maker

Down1. Mistaken identity of Jesus post resurrection2. His father gets the fatted calf for his return (2 words)3. Noah’s youngest son5. The Bible’s first murder victim9. He needed a better view in Jericho10. OT abode of the dead12. Pharaoh was defeated here (2 words)14. His slave ran away and returned with a letter fromPaul15. Philip’s eunuch friend was from here16. He hid his dirty underwear17. He had a talking donkey20. He gets and loses his sea legs in the book ofMatthew21. What Israelites ate in the desert25. ‘Get behind me, _____’26. This woman thinks God is a stitch29. Luke’s sequel30. She didn’t have reservations at the inn

Across4. The first ‘first-aider’6. You cannot live by this alone7. Solomon’s _____ throne8. God’s water pet in Job11. Bathsheba’s first husband13. Ishmael excels with this weapon16. He dined on locusts and honey (3 words)18. Jesus wept at his grave site19. Jesus is the ____ and the Omega22. Judas’ sign of betrayal23. The pharaoh may say that he’s a dreamer24. Temple of Dagon destroyer26. An ancient weight27. Site of Jesus’ boozy wedding28. Naomi’s bitter name31. Hard to pass through a needle32. His staff had the biggest apetite

The Childrens’ Bulletin

So, this is where the answers will normally go for the previous month’s puzzle, but as this is our first issue of the year, we don’t have any answers to give you yet. Deal with it.If you want to come up with a crossword or other puzzle/maze/whatever for people to doodle on in class, please submit it The Concord at concord@luthersem.edu, drop it off at our office in the basement of Gullixson, in our mail-box in the faculty office, or deliver via carrier pigeon or squirrel (we need the meat for sustenance). Please have all carrier squirrels vaccinated before use.As always, we look forward to continuing to share your voices and opinions in this public forum.

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