Conference on Christianity and Culture: Saturday, October 23, 2010
Conference Theme: The Theology of the Cross in the Church and World
St. Paul Lutheran Church (ACLC) in Escondido, CA will hold its annual
“Conference on Christianity and Culture” on Saturday, October 23.
Conference Speaker: Rev. Dr. Steven A. Hein, Director of the Concordia
Institute for Christian Studies
Dr. Hein will give the main morning and afternoon presentations entitled:
Double-Crossed: The Way of the Cross in the Church and World
Morning Session: The Afflicted Shall Live by Faith
A. The two-fold powers of God against sin
1. The Law: The use of force to curb sin by a justice where
everyone receives
what they deserve
2. The Gospel: The use of evil to accomplish its own demise with a justice
where
all get what they do not deserve
B. The Cross life of the Christian: Living with the Cross of Christ and one of
your own
1. Tentatio: ordinary experience for ordinary saints
2. Holy Anguish: The blade of the Law and the trials of life
3. The false promises of the “glory stories”
C. The righteous shall live by faith
1. The paradoxical relationship between faith and experience
2. Making progress as sinners and saints by always starting over
again
3. Righteousness: you have it all, but you always need more
Afternoon Session: Christian Vocation: Taking the Cross into the World
A. The call to serve Christ in the neighbor’s need
1. Salvific worldliness: God’s mundane methods in creation and
redemption
2. The parameters of work and its value: loving God, and the love
of God
3. The God-given boundaries of vocation: determining the neighbors
and works
given to you
4. Faithfulness vs. successfulness
B. The perils of Monasticism – then and now
1. Addressing the question of “higher callings”
2. Contemporary congregational monasticism
3. Being done and matters of Christian freedom
C. Vocation: Service in the Cross as seen in the Law and the Gospel
1. The impact of the Gospel: the delight of your loves in Christ
2. The impact of the Law: obligations and duties motivated by
self-love
3. The crosses to be endured from laboring in a fallen creation
Conference Reactors
Morning Reactor: Rev. Steven Brockdorf, Pastor of Reformation Lutheran Church
(ACLC), Hillsboro, OR
Afternoon Reactor: Rev. David Jay Webber, Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church
(ELS), Scottsdale, AZ
Conference Schedule
8:30: Coffee
9:00: The Office of Matins
9:30: Morning Presentation – Dr. Hein
10:45: Reactor – Pastor Brockdorf
11:15: Q & A
11:45: Lunch
12:45: Afternoon Presentation – Dr. Hein
2:00: Reactor – Pastor Webber
2:30: Q & A
2:50: Panel Discussion with Dr. Hein, Pastors Brockdorf, and Pastor Webber
3:20: The Office of Vespers
Cost: The conference is free of charge and open to all. There will be a basket
out at lunch for free-will donations if you wish to help offset the cost of the
conference.
If possible, please register by October 4 so that we know how many to plan
lunch for.
For more information, or to pre-register, contact Rev. Robert Lawson at
760-743-4440, or send an e-mail [email protected]
Speaker Biography
Rev. Dr. Steven A. Hein currently serves as Director of Concordia Institute for
Christian Studies, an organization that offers auxiliary educational services
to Christian congregations and church gatherings across the country. He also
serves as associate pastor at Shepherd of the Springs Lutheran Church in
Colorado Springs and affiliate professor of Theology and Ethics at Colorado
Christian University teaching Apologetics also at New Geneva Seminary. He has
previously served for over two decades as a professor of Theology at Concordia
University, River Forest. He earned his Master of Divinity from Concordia
Theological Seminary, a Master of Theology in Systematic Theology from Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Historical
Theology from St. Louis University. He is a contributing editor to the
theological journal Logia: A Journal of Lutheran Theology and has published
many scholarly articles over the years. He also serves on the Board of
Directors of the Consortium for Classical and Lutheran Education. He has been
in demand as speaker and essayist in the Church at conventions, pastoral
conferences, and various congregational groups throughout the country. He is a
frequent guest on the syndicated radio program Issues Etc. His special areas
of interest focus on classical, Christian education, and the shape and
challenges of faith-life and vocation in the Church and the world.
