The Seminary Explores

The Fourth of July, the Founding Fathers and the First Peoples of this Country

Think you know everything there is to know about the founding of this country?  Think again!  This year, to celebrate July 4th, listen to this fascinating conversation with Gettysburg College history professor Tim Shannon as he talks about the role of Native Americans during the Revolutionary War, and their varied relationships with the British, the French and the Colonists.  Don’t miss the discussion of Jefferson and his views of Native Americans.

“Left Unsaid”: The Secret to the Longevity of our Constitution

Dr. Kenneth Mott, Professor of Political Science, Gettysburg College; author of “The Supreme Court and the Living Constitution” takes us on a tour of the U.S. Constitution.  In addition to a structure and a process for an American government, the Constitution assumes a distinction between permanent principles and occasional demands, between the “permanent” will of the people and the “whim” of frequent change. Thus what is left unsaid is the key to the endurance of the Constitution. The role of the Supreme Court becomes critical in keeping this dialogue alive and well.

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Traces: A Gathering Up

Sculptor Marlene Alt and Katy Giebenhain from Seminary Ridge Review talk about Alt’s sited sculpture outside the National Park Service Museum and Visitor Center in Gettysburg. “Traces: A Gathering Up” features wax imprints of horse hooves. How do we pay tribute? What is the difference between land and home? How can we imagine the scope of the Battle of Gettysburg? Aside from human casualties there were over 1,000 horses and mules killed here. Alt describes her installation project and her approach to other historical themes in her artwork. She is the May-June 2016 Artist-in-Residence at the Gettysburg National Military Park.

Learn more about Marlene's work.

• http://www.marlenealt.com
• http://www.sou.edu/art/index.html

A Conversation with the Early-rising, Prolific Author Gary Fincke

Author Gary Fincke talks with Katy Giebenhain about the work of writing. His poems have appeared in Seminary Ridge Review and many other journals. He is an award-winning writer of short fiction, nonfiction and poetry (30 books and counting). Gary Fincke is the Charles Degenstein Professor of Creative Writing at Susquehanna University. He was in town for a poetry reading in Gettysburg’s First Friday series.  

For more information about Gary visit:

https://www.susqu.edu/academics/faculty/fac/gary-fincke  

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/gary-fincke

Inside Organic Farming Today

Mary Ann Oyler of Oyler’s Organic Farms and Market discusses the process of converting a 6^th generation family fruit farm into an organic farm.  She explains the motivations and challenges of organic farming.  Mary Ann also  details the day to day operations that make an organic farm different from a traditional non-organic farm. 

The Church of the Augsburg Confession in Serbia and Slovakia

Former Gettysburg Seminary student Ivan Belanji discusses the Lutheran church in Serbia and Slovakia, and describes his study at the seminary in Bratislava.

The Ins and Outs of ELW, from Someone who was There!

In this episode Mark Mummert takes us behind the scenes of the creation of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, explaining why certain decisions were made [The Lord’s Prayer!  The hymns!  The Psalter!], and how ELW serves as a window onto who we are as a church today, past, present and future, both locally and globally.

How we See: Facial Recognition, Make-up, and Beauty

In this episode, Dr. Richard Russell, Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Gettysburg College discusses his work on prosopagnosia [facial blindness] and super-recognizers, and how differently we all “see.”  He also shares some of his current work that involves standards of beauty, the use of make-up, and both cultural differences and similarities.  His work raises larger questions about what we view as “normal,” and how we view ourselves in relationship to others.  Don’t miss this interesting episode!

A Masterwork of Doubting Belief: R.S. Thomas and His Poetry

When it comes to poet/priests, R.S. Thomas is about as good as it gets. This Seminary Explores conversation includes insight into his relevance and the brilliant tensions in his work by John McEllhenney, author of A Masterwork of Doubting Belief: R.S. Thomas and His Poetry.

For more information on the R.S. Thomas Literary Festival visit: http://www.st-hywyn.org.uk/rst.html

Health Care Ethics in the Finnish Context

In this episode, Pastor Karoliina Nikula discusses the larger field of Bio-Ethics, using the specific example of cochlear implants in Finland.