Description
An Introduction to the Early Church
Many people are unfamiliar with the early church and its contributions to what we believe, teach and confess today. Lutherans and Protestants more generally assume that after the time of the apostles, errors crept into church theology and teaching, which only got worse as the years passed. Most Christians will happily skip over the early church and jump to the Reformation when the pure Gospel was rediscovered, assuming that previous ages were in error. This neglects the fact that the Holy Spirit has a history throughout the life of His church. This also has often led the present-day church not only to repeat the errors against which the early church successfully fought but also to neglect the roots of existence, which can help the church navigate our postmodern world. This workshop will help introduce the participants to some of the key figures and issues prevalent in the early church and will explore their relevance to the church of the 21st century.
Dr. Joel Elowsky
Professor of Historical Theology; Dean of Advanced Studies; Director of the Center for the Study of Early Christian Texts; Coordinator of International Seminary Exchange Programs; and the Frank and Valerie Fuerst Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
Dr. Joel Elowsky is professor of Historical Theology, dean of Advanced Studies and coordinator of International Seminary Exchange Programs at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He also is the director of the Seminary’s Center for the Study of Early Christian Texts and is a researcher for the Center for Early African Christianity at the Oden House in New Haven, Conn. He has been a faculty member at Concordia Seminary since 2014. Elowsky has cultivated relationships across the Christian spectrum as a result of his years of work with Dr. Thomas Oden and the Early Christian Commentary Series. In that work he has done great service in helping the church today appropriate its ancient heritage that served as a foundation for Reformation theology. His work dovetails nicely with the cutting-edge research of the history of exegesis of others at the Seminary.
Schedule
| DAY | TIME |
|---|---|
| Monday, June 24 | 1-4 p.m. |
| Tuesday, June 25 | 9-11:30 a.m. |
| 1-4 p.m. | |
| Wednesday, June 26 | 9 a.m.-noon |
Registration deadline: June 10, 2024
Location contact: Rev. Roger Drinnon
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Note: The schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the workshop presenters.