The Bjarne W. Teigen Reformation Lectures are an annual tradition at Bethany Lutheran College. Each October, guest speakers deliver lectures on topics related to the Lutheran Reformation. Students, pastors from around the region, and others attend the informative series.
2025 Lectures
Luther’s Great Treatises of 1525:
Not by My Own Reason or Strength
“Against the Heavenly Prophets in the Matter of Images and Sacraments”
Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Austin, TX
“How Christians Should Regard Moses”
Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux, Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, MN
“The Bondage of the Will”
Dr. Keith Wessel, Martin Luther College, New Ulm, MN
Bethany’s annual Bjarne W. Teigen Reformation Lectures will be held on October 30 and 31, 2025. First lecture begins at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday in the Sports and Fitness Center. See the main Reformation Lectures page for more details. Lectures will be recorded for later posting on your YouTube channel, but will not be live streamed.
Next events:
Past Lectures
2024 – “The Fiftieth Anniversary of Seminex”
The LCMS Perspective
— Pres. Matthew Harrison, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, St. Louis, MO
The WELS Perspective
— Dr. Mark Braun, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, WI
The ELS Perspective
— Pres. Glenn Obenberger, Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Mankato, MN
2023 – “Lutheran Ethics”
Lutheran Bioethics
– Dr. Scott Stiegemeyer, Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, CA
Lutheran Social Ethics
– Dr. Angus Menuge, Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, WI
Lutheran Ecoethics
– Dr. Doyle Holbird, Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, MN
2022 – “Lutheran Care of Souls”
Care of Souls in the Lutheran Reformation
– Dr. Mark Mattes, Grand View University, Des Moines, IA
Care of Souls in Lutheran Orthodoxy
– Dr. Benjamin Mayes, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN
Care of Souls in Modern Lutheranism
– Dr. John Pless, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN
2021 - "We Confess Jesus Christ"
The 2021 Lectures took place October 28–29, 2021 at Bethany Lutheran College.
Early Church Christology
– Dr. Joel Elowsky, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri
Early Modern Lutheran Christology
– Dr. Carl Beckwith, Beeson Divinity School, Birmingham, Alabama
Modern Lutheran Christology
– Dr. Jack Kilcrease, Lutheran Institute of Theology, Brookings, South Dakota
2020 – Audio replay of inaugural Reformation Lectures
In place of in-person lectures for 2020 (postponed until 2021), we presented this audio recording of the very first Reformation Lecture hosted on a snowy day in 1965 in the banquet room of the Viking Motel, Mankato, Minnesota. Rev. Erling Teigen gives us the modern-day introduction from the podcast studio at Bethany Lutheran College.
- Dr. Hermann Sasse – March 1965
2019 - "Lutheran Preaching through the Centuries"
Preaching in the Reformation
– Dr. Paul Robinson, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO
Preaching in the Nineteenth Century
– Dr. Thomas Kuster, Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, Mankato, MN
Preaching Today
—Pres. Emeritus Paul Wendland, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, WI
The lectures will take place at Bethany Lutheran College, S. C. Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center, Mankato, Minnesota, beginning October 31 at 10:30 a.m. These lectures delve into the Reformation heritage with presentations on the history and theology of Lutheranism with application to the teaching and practice in the Lutheran church today. The lectures are presented in free conference format.
2018 - Evangelical Lutheran Synod: "Three Perspectives"
Evangelical Lutheran Synod: “Three Perspectives”
- ELS: A WELS Perspective—Dr. John Brenner
- ELS: An LCMS Perspective—Dr. Lawrence Rast
- ELS: An Introspective—Rev. Craig Ferkenstad
2017 - Luther’s Three Treatises: The Reformation Platform
2016 - The Cost of Confessing: Luther and the Three Princes
Prior Years
- 2024 “The Fiftieth Anniversary of Seminex,” Pres. Matthew Harrison, Dr. Mark Braun, Pres. Glenn Obenberger
- 2023 “Lutheran Ethics,” Dr. Scott Stiegemeyer; Dr. Angus Menuge; Dr. Doyle Holbird
- 2022 “Lutheran Care of Souls,” Dr. Mark Mattes; Dr. Benjamin Mayes; Dr. John Pless
- 2021 “We Confess Jesus Christ,” Dr. Joel Elowsky; Dr. Carl Beckwith; Dr. Jack Kilcrease
- 2019 “Lutheran Preaching Through the Centuries,” Dr. Paul Robinson; Dr. Thomas Kuster; Pres. Em. Paul Wendland
- 2018 “Evangelical Lutheran Synod: Three Perspectives,” Dr. John Brenner; Dr. Lawrence Rast; Rev. Craig Ferkenstad
- 2017 “Luther’s Three Treatises: The Reformation Platform,” Prof. Em. Erling Teigen; Dr. Erik Herrmann; Rev. James Langebartels
- 2016 “The Cost of Confessing: Luther and the Three Princes,” Dr. Roland Ziegler; Dr. Charles Cortright; Dr. David Lumpp
- 2015 “Lutheranism and the Arts,” Prof. William Bukowski; Dr. Robert Rosin; Prof. Brian Dose
- 2014 “Apologetics in Lutheranism,” Prof. Allen Quist; Dr. Daniel van Voorhis
- 2013 “Confessional Lutheranism’s Answers to the Challenges of Modern Society,” Dr. Harold Senkbeil; Prof. Mark Harstad
- 2012 “Bible Translations for the 21st Century,” Pres. Paul Wendland; Dr. Cameron MacKenzie
- 2011 “Lessons from Laypeople of the Reformation,” Rev. Jerome Gernander; Dr. David Schroeder
- 2010 “Baptism in the Three Reformation Camps,” Rev. Thomas Rank; Dr. Robert Koester; Dr. Lawrence Rast
- 2009 “Lutheranism and Islam,” Dr. Adam Francisco; Dr. Roland Cap Ehlke
- 2008 “Freedom of the Will in Three Reformations,” Prof. James Korthals; Dr. John Maxfield; Dr. Cameron MacKenzie
- 2007 “Paul Gerhardt—400th Anniversary,” Pres. Gaylin Schmeling; Dr. Carlos Messerli
- 2006 “Synodical Conference Exegetes,” Dr. Joel Pless; Rev. Peter Prange; Prof. Stephen Geiger
- 2005 “Luther and Education,” Dr. Mark Lenz; Dr. Paul Lehninger; Prof. Dennis Marzolf
- 2004 “The Reformation Legacy on American Soil: Pieper, Hoenecke, and Krauth,” Dr. Lawrence Rast; Prof. Lyle Lange; Prof. David Jay Webber
- 2003 “Reformation Legacy of the Norwegian Synod,” Rev. Rolf Preus; Pres. em. George Orvick; Prof. Erling Teigen
- 2002 “Lutheran Missiology,” Dr. K. Detlev Schulz; Prof. David Haeuser
- 2001 “Luther as a Historian,” Dr. James Kiecker
- 2000 “Biblical Interpretation,” Dr. Kenneth Hagen; Dr. John Brug
- 1999 “Eschatology,” Dr. Charles Arand; Dr. Stephen Minnema; Prof. John Brenner
- 1998 “Luther’s Legacy: The Luther–Erasmus Debate Revisited,” Prof. Arnold J. Koelpin
- 1997 “Philipp Melanchthon, the Second Reformer,” Dr. Oliver Olson
- 1996 “Luther and the Fanatics: The Gospel Under Fire Then and Now,” Rev. Harold Senkbeil
- 1995 “Hermann Sasse,” Dr. Ronald Feuerhahn
- 1994 “Luther, Erasmus, and Calvin,” Dr. Heiko Oberman
- 1993 “Studying the Bible Under Martin Luther,” Dr. Robert Kolb
- 1992 “Scripture, Doctrine, Confession,” Dr. Robert D. Preus
- 1991 “Christian Martyrdom,” Dr. Paul Maier
- 1990 “Luther the Educator,” Dr. James Kittelson
- 1989 “Luther the Missionary,” Dr. Eugene Bunkowske
- 1988 “Luther the Musician,” Rev. Kurt Eggert
- 1987 “C. F. W. Walther,” Dr. Robert Kolb; Dr. August Suelflow; Prof. Arnold Koelpin
- 1986 “Luther, The Shepherd of Souls,” Dr. George R. Kraus
- 1985 “Martin Chemnitz—The Second Martin,” Dr. Eugene Klug; Dr. J. A. O. Preus
- 1984 “Law and Gospel in Luther and the Confessions,” Pres. Armin Schuetze
- 1983 “Luther and the Doctrine of Justification,” Dr. Gottfried Hoffmann
- 1982 “Luther and the Christology of the Old Testament,” Dr. Raymond Surburg
- 1980 “Luther on the Christian’s Cross and His Final Deliverance,” Dr. David Scaer
- 1979 “The Lutheran Theology of Certitude,” Dr. Wilbert Kreiss
- 1978 “The Pulpit and Pew in Luther and the Confessions,” Dr. Herman A. Preus
- 1977 “The Doctrine of Justification,” Prof. Kurt Marquart
- 1976 “Quest for True Lutheran Identity in America,” Prof. E. C. Fredrich
- 1975 “The Lutheran Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms,” Dr. Bjarne W. Teigen
- 1974 “Means of Grace, Church and Fellowship,” Dr. Manfred Roensch
- 1973 “How is the Lutheran Church to Interpret and Use the Old and New Testaments?” Dr. Robert D. Preus
- 1972 “Studies in the Lutheran Heritage: Law, Love, and Order,” Dr. N. S. Tjernagel
- 1971 “Confessional Lutheranism’s Answer to Today’s Problems,” Dr. Hans Kirsten
- 1970 “Lutheranism and the Defense of the Christian Faith,” Dr. John W. Montgomery
- 1969 “The Present State of Confessional Lutheranism,” Dr. W. Oesch
- 1967 “The Word as Truth, the Word as Life,” Rev. Kurt Marquart
- 1965 “The Impact of Bultmannism on American Lutheranism,” Dr. Hermann Sasse