November 5th, 2009
SEGUIN – On Monday, Nov. 9, Texas Lutheran University and Dr. William Russell, Scholar in Residence in the department of theology, philosophy and classical languages at TLU, will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the reunification of Germany. Russell’s lecture and a roundtable discussion, both free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Timmerman Room of Hein Dining Hall on the TLU campus.
Russell will speak on “The Church’s Role in Building and Bulldozing the Berlin Wall.” He has worked and traveled in eastern Germany, both before and after reunification, and will place the extraordinary events of Nov. 9, 1989 in the context of the complex relationship between church and state in western culture. With special reference to the role of Martin Luther and Lutheranism in the rise and fall of Nazism and Communism, Russell will glean lessons for how religious and political institutions might engage one another in the present.
A post-lecture roundtable, featuring representatives of unique perspectives, will discuss issues of religion and government, walls and borders, oppression and liberation. Taking part in the round table discussion will be TLU faculty members and a student with unique understanding of other countries. They are Dr. David Baer, associate professor of theology and philosophy at TLU and author of the book “The Struggle of Hungarian Lutherans Under Communism;” Prof. Juan Rodriguez, associate professor of English and modern languages and director of the Mexican American Studies Center; Dr. Carolyn Schneider, associate professor of theology who has traveled and worked extensively on the West Bank, especially in Palestine, and TLU senior Getoar Mjeku, an international student from Kosovo.
Founded in 1891, Texas Lutheran is an exclusively undergraduate university of the liberal arts, sciences and professional studies located in Seguin. For more information, visit the university’s Web site at www.tlu.edu.
Categories: Academic