Preachers and Plenary Presenters
Preachers
Tuesday and Wednesday
Mary Albing
Thursday and Friday
Randy Engle
Plenary Presenters
Monday Afternoon
Bruce Benson and Jennifer Koenig
Monday Evening
John Ferguson and Marty Haugen
Music: Friend or Foe in Worship?
In reforming worship, Martin Luther said of polyphonic singing and playing instruments, "A person who ... does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs." In contrast, Calvin used only exact words from the Psalms set to simple melodies and disdained instruments in worship, saying, "... employing instrumental music cannot be said so much to imitate the practice of God's ancient people as to ape it in a senseless and absurd manner, exhibiting a silly delight in that worship of the Old Testament ...." Historically, tensions between the arts and the church have always existed, but thinking of the arts as either a slave to worship or a master over worship sidetracks us from the real central questions. Tensions today over choosing styles of music suggest that this is really not the issue in worship planning. The bigger issue is what is worship about, and who is it for? If we answer these questions and understand the implications, issues over the role of the arts and various styles/kinds of art in the worship life of the church often solve themselves.
Tuesday Evening
James Alison
Praise, Presence and Priesthood
What is it to discover in the midst of our world that, “You have come to Mount Zion” (Hb 12), and that “You are a royal priesthood” in adoration of the lamb in the centre of the New Jerusalem, where there is no Temple?
Wednesday Evening
Bruce Benson, Steve Edwins, John Ferguson,
Robert Mahoney, Scott Riedel, Jeffrey O'Donnell and Pete Sandberg
Panel discussion on the remodeling of Boe Memorial Chapel.
Thursday Evening
Mary Louise "Mel" Bringle
Isaiah: A Prophet for All Seasons
Throughout the seasons of the liturgical year, the poetry of the book of Isaiah inspires us to sing hymns toward the hope of a fully inclusive community — one whose gates are opened wide, creating "a house of prayer for all people" (Is 56:7) and enabling "all flesh" to see the glory of God (Is 40:5).
