May edition of LTJ out now
LTJ seeks to encourage and challenge its readers — chiefly the pastors, teachers and lay members of the LCANZ, and the teaching staff and students of theological colleges in Australia and overseas — by keeping them abreast of recent developments in the primary areas of biblical, theological, historical, educational and pastoral studies. It also provides a forum for students of theology to publish the fruits of their research.
In the May issue of LTJ you will witness the journal’s purpose as you experience two distinct sets of theological voices at work. To begin with, you will be invited into three sets of enquiry that arise from the unique settings and life experiences of each writer. By coincidence that setting for each writer is educational.
- Tom Brennen provides a detailed exploration of Martin Luther’s creation theology as the basis for developing a Lutheran approach to social justice.
- Jacob Fabich combines his love for music with his growing awareness of God’s actions through the liturgical forms of Christian worship and how musical selection and construction necessarily aligns with this.
- Tim Jarick shares his own postgraduate research as he explores the formation of Lutheran school staff according to Lutheran theology and spirituality by analysing four descriptive case studies.
Also in this edition, five colleagues of Dr J.T.E. Renner honor his witness and service as a theological scholar and teacher, pastor, and friend. Dr Renner died on 31 December 2021, aged ninety-nine years. He served as a lecturer in Old Testament at both Immanuel Seminary and then Luther Seminary. He was also actively engaged in diverse congregational settings and in various LCANZ’s committees and ecumenical activities. While offering their own personal memories and insights into Dr Renner’s life, each writer describes Dr Renner’s Christ-centred, pragmatic and pastoral spirituality.
The issue concludes with a book review and a selected list of e-books recently acquired by the ALC Library, which you are encouraged to explore to see what might be relevant to your own ministry
Preparations are now underway for the August edition of LTJ which will focus on the future ordering of ministry in the LCANZ—a current topic of conversation largely inspired by the changes that many Lutheran congregations have been experiencing, including the introduction of licensed lay preachers in congregations, lay chaplains in schools and the ongoing conversation surrounding the ordination of both women and men.
Whether you serve the Lutheran Church in a congregational, school, aged care, indigenous or community care setting, ALC invites all church workers to send in short contributions (rather than formal articles) that offer a variety of thoughts and perspectives on the theme, ‘What might the ordered ministry look like in the contemporary changing contexts of the LCANZ’. Submissions will be accepted until 1 July 2022.
To find out more contact LTJEditorialAssistant@alc.edu.au
