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Who We Are: Our Marks
Commitments that shape our mission and ministry.
In the Nicene Creed, Christians acknowledge the four “marks” of the church when confessing, “We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.” These marks point to and describe the essential characteristics of the church.
Similarly, the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago has acquired six “marks” that describe and embody its essential commitments. At its formation in 1962, the seminary’s location in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood marked it in three ways:
Urban
Our urban mark has afforded the seminary a unique opportunity to identify
with and address urban realities, using the resources and perspectives
of the city to prepare women and men for ministry in a variety of settings.
Ecumenical
Our ecumenical mark enables us to provide students with a Lutheran confessional
theological education, while making available a wealth of offerings through
our ecumenical collaboration with McCormick Theological Seminary and the
Chicagoland seminaries that comprise the Association
of Chicago Theological Schools.
University-Related
Our association with the University of Chicago gives us the opportunity
to emphasize academic excellence in the preparation for ministry, to relate
theological study to other academic disciplines, to explore the relationship
between religion and science, and to provide a rich environment for the
offering of doctoral degrees.
More recently, as a result of intentional planning and hard work, the seminary has been marked in three other important ways:
Global
Our global mark reflects our commitment to preparing international students
primarily for teaching ministries around the world, witnessing in a variety
of ways to the ecological importance of caring for all God’s creation,
and emphasizing global awareness in its common life.
Multicultural
LSTC has been committed to multicultural theological education and church leadership
since its founding. Approximately half of the seminary’s Ph.D. students, as well as a
significant number of doctor of ministry, M.A., and M.Div. students, are international students and students of color in the
United States. | For more information, contact the Rev. Dr. Jose David Rodriguez, Director of the Multicultural Center at LSTC, at mc@lstc.edu. | See also: Centers at LSTC.
Interfaith
For a number of years, LSTC has excelled in the arena of interfaith dialogue, offering in
particular a range of advanced courses in Islam and Judaism, as well as survey courses in
world religions and interfaith dialogue. The newly-endowed Center of Christian-Muslim
Engagement for Peace and Justice and professorship in Christian-Muslim Studies has opened
new doors for LSTC to enhance an already established reputation as a center for interfaith
dialogue. For more information, contact Dr. Mark Swanson, Harold S. Vogelaar Professor of
Christian-Muslim Studies and Interfaith Relations, at mswanson@lstc.edu. | See also: Centers at LSTC.
This web page was last modified on April 14, 2009
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