Tuesday, October 31, 2017; 9:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m.
Location:  Center for Faith and Life, Main Hall, and various locations around campus.

What was the Reformation? What impact did it have on Christianity, the Church, education, broader society and culture? How has it shaped Luther College? What might its influence look like in the future? On October 31, the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of the Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Luther College will devote the community's energies to an investigation of the Reformation, its historical impact, and its continuing influence in religion, education, academic disciplines, social and political thought, art and music, and many other areas of life.

At 9:00 a.m. in the Center for Faith and Life, Dr. Brad Gregory of the University of Notre Dame, an expert on the Reformation and its impact, will provide the plenary opening address for the college’s symposium, “The Reformation of Everything, 1517-2017, Examining the Reformation and its Continuing Impact”. In his keynote lecture, “Why the Reformation Still Matters (Whether We Want It to or Not),” Professor Gregory will show how what started with an Augustinian friar anxious about his salvation became a movement that escaped his control, spreading throughout Europe and inspiring conflicts that defined an era—to which Western modernity has been the response.  We’re still dealing with the ongoing outcomes.

Prof. Gregory is Director of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study, Professor of History, and Dorothy G. Griffin Collegiate Chair.  He will be available to sign copies of his new book, Rebel in the Ranks : Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the Conflicts that Continue to Shape Our World, immediately following his lecture.

Marty Haugen '73, distinguished composer of liturgical music for both Catholics and Protestants, will offer a workshop entitled, “Faithful Worship in the Light of the Reformation and Vatican II:  Learning from the past, looking toward the future.”  In it he will examine the lessons we can learn from our ancestors in faith in today’s challenging and often chaotic society, and he will address the question, how has music (and especially congregational song) served God’s people in reformation and renewal?

Mr. Haugen is a liturgical composer, performing and recording artist, & author from Eagan, Minnesota. For the past 30 years, he has presented workshops and concerts across North and Central America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific Rim. He has over 35 recordings and more than 400 separate printed editions available through GIA Publications. He has several published mass settings for Roman Catholic communities, including Mass of Creation, and liturgies for Lutheran congregations, including Holden Evening Prayer, and Now the Feast and Celebration.

For the remainder of the day, faculty from across the disciplines as well as other members of the broader Luther community will present, perform, and discuss the Reformation and its varied legacies.

Open to the public with no charge for admission.