Hein-Fry Lectures 2006 kick-off at LTSP
spoke to challenges to living together in the 21st century

From left are the Rev. H. George Anderson, the Rev. Mark Hanson, and the Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom at the Hein-Fry Lectures. [More images]

PHILADELPHIA, PA (February 9, 2006) - There are definite challenges to living together as Lutherans that are unique to the new millennium, but those challenges can and should be overcome, according to former presiding bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in this year's annual Hein-Fry Lecture Series. The current presiding bishop was the respondent to the former presiding bishops for the lectures Wednesday, February 8, 2006 at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP).

Past presiding bishops the Rev. Herbert W. Chilstrom and the Rev. H. George Anderson presented plenary lectures on this year's theme, "Living Together in the 21st Century As Lutherans in the ELCA" during the morning sessions and current presiding bishop the Rev. Mark Hanson responded to the lectures and opened discussion in an afternoon session. LTSP was the first of eight seminaries of the ELCA to host the annual lecture series this year.

The annual Hein-Fry Lecture Series grows out of prestigious traditions dating back nearly 40 years in the histories of the ELCA predecessor church bodies and identifies lively, pressing theological issues facing the church. The lectures are free and open to the public are designed to stimulate intellectual inquiry and discussion of those issues throughout the church.

The goals of the endowed series are to:

• foster original scholarship;
• encourage broad dialogue throughout the church on a theological topic; and
• give seminary faculty, students, clergy, church leaders, and other interested persons access to leading theologians.