Adult Education

Thoughtful people often have questions about God, the Bible, our Christian tradition and the world we live in.  Adult Education classes provide a place to explore a variety of issues in lectures and lively discussions. Bible Study gives us a chance to explore parts of the Bible for a deeper understanding. Book studies allow us to explore a piece of writing and discuss what we’ve learned with one of the pastors. Childcare is available in the church nursery from 8:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Sunday, April 26, at 11:30 a.m. (Fellowship Hall)
We are welcoming back Rev. Angela Denker to share about her new book, “Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood,” and to share an update on the growth of white Christian Nationalism in American politics, and how the theological idol of the movement has shifted, since she first started her work and research in this area in 2018, with her first book “Red State Christians: A Journey into White Christian Nationalism” and the wreckage it leaves behind. Pastor Angela will share about how this movement has increasingly emphasized gender, and how the example of Jesus can counter a push toward violent masculinity, especially in online targeting of white, Christian men and boys.

Sunday, May 3, at 9 a.m. (Seminar Room)
Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois (LCFS) will share about what their organization is doing in the community. After worship, there will be a reception in Fellowship Hall to recognize Pastor Dean and Beverly Lueking for their faithful service as foster parents.

Sunday, May 10 and 17 at 9:00 a.m. (Seminar Room)
Jonathan Stahlke, Professor of Music at Concordia University, will discuss his new work, Song of All Songs, on both May 10 and May 17. This piece is a setting of The Song of Solomon, and will be premiered in the chapel at Concordia University on Sunday, June 21, at 4:00 p.m. Admission to this concert is free.

Sunday, May 24, at 9:00 a.m. (Seminar Room)
What does it mean to say that the Buffalo Bills—or the Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packers—are “a religion”? Drawing on cultural anthropologist Victor Turner’s concept of communitas, Jesse Berger of the University of Chicago Divinity School, argues that sports fandom participates in something genuinely sacred: a liminal space of free play where ordinary social distinctions dissolve and authentic collective joy becomes possible. But this sacred dimension is always at risk of profanation — by sports betting, by winning-obsessed fanaticism, and by any reduction of the game’s value to something beyond the play itself. Berger’s analysis ultimately cuts both ways: if sports can be religious, fanatics can illuminate something true about religious zealotry, but they can also serve self-centered ends. (Berger saw the Bills Mafia in action while living in Western New York.)