You reached this page through the archive. Click here to return to the archive.

Note: This article is over a year old and information contained in it may no longer be accurate. Please use the contact information in the lower-left corner to verify any information in this article.

Religion prof meets with head bishop of German Lutheran church

Amy Gage
March 11, 2003

During his sabbatical in Germany, Professor of Religion Gary Stansell recently was asked by newspaper editor Stephan Richter -- whose son, Thomas Richter, is a first-year student at St. Olaf -- whether Stansell would sit for a joint interview with the head bishop of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany, Dr. Hans Christian Knuth. The two-hour discussion, which took place in early March, focused on whether there can be a "just war" and how American theologians and church authorities understand the current political climate. "Richter thought it would be interesting for German readers to hear how an American religion teacher would see things," Stansell said, "not the least because of the differences between Germans and Bundeskanzler G. Schoeder and the Bush administration." An edited version of the article appeared in newspapers throughout northern Germany. Stansell is abroad researching reciprocity and gift-exchange in ancient societies and the biblical world.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.