Education
B.Th. Faculdade de Teologia da IECLB, Sao Leopoldo
Th.M. Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Ph.D. Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Biography
Vítor Westhelle was called to the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 1993 as associate professor and promoted to professor of systematic theology in 1999. Before joining the seminary's faculty, Dr. Westhelle was on the faculty of Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary and Escola Superior de Teologia, Brazil. He was visiting professor at the University of Natal, South Africa, and the University of Aarhus, Denmark.
Dr. Westhelle began his theological career as a journalist for the national church newspaper in São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil (1975-76) . Ordained in 1988, he served for four years as parish pastor of a 13-point parish in Paróquia Evangélica de Matelândia, PR, Brazil. At that time he also was the Coordinator of the Ecumenical Commission on Land in Paraná where he was an enabler and a companion with those struggling for land and justice. In 1989 Westhelle was invited to be a member of the faculty of Escola Superior de Teologia, São Leopoldo as professor of systematic theology and ethics, where he continued until he joined the Lutheran School of Theology in 1993.
Dr. Westhelle studied Sociology at UNISINOS, Brazil, and earned the B.Th in 1977 from Faculdade de Teologia da IECLB, Brazil. He received the Th.M and Ph.D. degrees from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, in 1984. While his Th.M exams were on “Luther’s Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms and the Theology of Juan Luis Segundo,” and his doctoral dissertation title is “Religion and Representation: A Study of Hegel's Critical Theories of Vorstellung and their Relevance for Hegelianism and Theology.” Westhelle has studied at the University of Chicago, Chicago Theological Seminary and Jesuit School of Theology, and did post-doctoral work at the University of Tübingen in 1995.
A prolific writer and editor, with more than 110 scholarly publications, Westhelle is author or co-editor of seven books. He has written widely on the theology of Luther, and on the themes of Liberation, Creation, the Apocalyptic and Eschatology. The cross-theme, in particular, theologia crucis, defines who Westhelle is as a theologian. For him the theology of the cross is not a doctrine but that which you live by, a usus passionis. It is the cross-ing that arrests his attention and through his writings he tries to find categories to name and cross differences without suppressing them but rather lifting them up: liminality, chora, stasis, hybridity, adjacency, eschata, margin, borderline, chiaroscuro, etc. He strives to convey that the gospel is the transgression of “legal” domains, semantic fields with their protocols, or régimes of truth, while being neither and both the abolition and the completion of the law. He is adept in bringing together theology and literature. Another area of interest on which Westhelle has written and lectured is location or spaces, which for him are wrappings of the divine.
Westhelle is a highly-sought speaker throughout academic circles and the Church. From 1990-97 he was an advisor to the Executive Council of the Lutheran World Federation and a member of the Program Committee for Theology and Studies of the Lutheran World Federation. Until 2001, he was a member of the Core Group of the LWF/DTS project on “Communion, Community, and Society”. Westhelle has served as a member of the Continuation Committee of the International Congress for Luther Research. He currently serves on the editorial council of Dialog, Lutheran Quarterly, International Editorial Council of Margens: Revista Brasiliera de Estudos sobre Pós-modernidade, Estudos Teológicos (EST-Brazil), Cuadernos de Teología (ISEDET-Argentina), Numen: Revista de Estudos e Pesquisa da Religião (UFJDF, Brazil), Bulletin of Contextual Theology, South Africa, Bibliografia Bíblica Latino-Americana (São Paulo, Brazil).
Profile
Vitor Westhelle, professor of systematic theology, joined the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago faculty in January of 1993.
In his teaching, public lectures, and work within the Church, Westhelle advocates the inclusion of all peoples. It is the very reason, he says, why we call the church one and catholic, a claim that includes not only those who come to church on Sunday, but also those who are visibly not there. He believes that we cannot be idle, living in this world which is always a part of us and more than us, where injustice has become the order of the day. He writes: "We are to fight injustice through our pens or the pulpit. Each one of us is a part of the bigger picture, of the whole of human family and any one loss diminishes ourselves as a whole. Every homeless person makes the places we live in a little less than a home. Every single person who is ill, physically or mentally, takes away from each of us some of our health, some of our mind.” A question that he poses to his students is, “Can we live with this awareness without despair or indifference and how do we cope with this question of inequality in the midst of the unity we seek to live by, the oneness we proclaim we are?” The courses that he offers are a reflection of this passion for justice and truth.
Westhelle teaches the required courses in systematic theology and the graduate theological seminars. He also offers courses on specific topics and individuals. “Theology of the Cross” class is a critical and constructive exploration of the historical and contemporary significance of the theology of the cross in conversation with its proponents and critics with emphasis on the relationship between atonement and human suffering. “Faith and Fiction” and “God issues in Fiction” classes bring about a blending of theology and literature, enabling students to look for images of religion/God in mundane everyday life and also deal with the problem of evil and theodicy. His courses on Schleiermacher and Hegel are indepth studies of the particular theologians and their influence on contemporary culture. He also teaches interdisciplinary courses with colleagues from New Testament Studies, and Church History.
Westhelle lives in Hyde Park with his wife, Christiane, who is also a teacher.
Areas of Expertise
Systematic Theology (Traditional loci including Creation, Sin & Evil, the Person and Work of Christ, Holy Spirit, the Church, the Last Things (Eschatology) and non-traditional loci including Liberation theology and Third World theologies)
Theology of the Cross
Luther/ Lutheranism
Postcolonialism
Theology and Literature
19th Century Theology and Philosophy
Titled Presentations
"’Be still, my heart, these great trees are prayers:’ Martin Luther and the Church of Adam,” Ellefson Lutheran Heritage Lecture, St. Olaf College.
“Out of Heaven,” Plenary Talk, Global Mission Event: New Heaven and New Earth, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
“Reconsidering what it means to be Lutheran in these contexts.” Deepening Theology and Practice In The Life of The Church in relation to neighbors of other faiths. Consultation of the Lutheran World federation, Hong Kong.
“Is There A Universal Theology Of The Oppressed?” International Consultation on Dalit Theology and a Theology of the Oppressed, Gurukul Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai.
“Wrappings of the Divine: Location and Vocation in a Theological Perspective,” Lutheran School of Theology Leadership Conference.
“Hybrid “Identities:” A Lutheran Reading of Chalcedon,” Society of Anglican and Lutheran Theologians. Philadelphia.
“A Igreja e a Cruz,” Cátedras Carnahan lecture, ISEDET, Buenos Aires.
“The Noble Tribe of Truth’: Etchings on Myth, Language, and Truth Speaking,” Aarhus University, Denmark.
“The Way the World Ends: An Essay on Cross and Eschatology,” Inaugural Lecture at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Published Works
Books
O Deus escandaloso: Usos e Abusos da Cruz, trans. Geraldo Korndörfer, (São Leopoldo: Sinodal), 2008
The Scandalous God: The Use and Abuse of the Cross (Minneapolis: Fortress Press), 2006
Editor with Mark Thomsen, Evisioning a Lutheran Communion: Perspectives for the Twenty-First Century (Minneapolis: Kirk) 2002
Editor, with Ralph Klein, of Philip Hefner: Created Co-Creator: Currents in Theology and Mission 28/3-4 (June/August) 2001
Voces de Protesta en América Latina (Mexico: CETPJDR/LSTC) 2000
Justiça social e preservação do ambiente :desafios da luta pelavida (Goiânia, Goiás, Brasil: Comissão Pastoral da Terra ; São Paulo, SP : Edições Loyola) 1992
With Marcelo de Barros Souza and Ivo Poleto, Luta Pela Terra: Caminho de Fé (São Paulo: Loyola) 1990
Editor with Nelson Kipp, Proclamar Libertação, Vol. XVI, (São Leopoldo: Sinodal), 1990
Editor with Nelson Kipp, Proclamar Libertação, Vol. XV, (São Leopoldo: Sinodal), 1989
Dissertation
Religion and Representation: A Study of Hegel's Critical Theories of Vorstellung and their Relevance for Hegelianism and Theology. (Ann Arbor: UMI) 1984
Articles and chapters in Books
“Baptism of Tears: See through the Eyes of John the Baptist,” The Lutheran (January 2008, Web Exclusive).
"Margins Exposed: Representation, Hybridity and Transfiguration," in Still at the Margins: Biblical Scholarship Fifteen Years after the Voices from the Margin, R.S. Sugirtharajah, ed. (London: T &T Clark) 69-87, 2008.
"Liberation Theology: A Latitudinal Perspective", The Oxford Handbook on Eschatology, Jerry Walls, ed., (New York: Oxford University Press), 311-327, 2007
"Uses and Abuses of the Cross: The Reformation, Then and Now" Trinity Seminary Review on line version) Extended article from Vol 28, Number 2 (Summer/Fall 2007) -- on line link: http://www.trinitylutheranseminary.edu/Publications/TSRVol28no2Article-Winter%20Institute%20lecture-Westhelle-WEB%20VERSION1.pdf
"Uses and Abuses of the Cross: The Reformation, Then and Now" Trinity Seminary Review Vol 28, Number 2 (Summer/Fall 2007), 83-91.
"The Gift of Shabbat,” The Lutheran, Vol. 20, No. 4, (April 2007), 20-22.
"....Because the Dawn has Come," Mission with the Marginalized, Samuel. W. Meshack, ed., (Christava Sahitya Samithi: Tiruvalla), March 2007, p. 26-28
"Internationalism and Globalization: The Question of Responsibility," Mission with the Marginalized, Samuel. W. Meshack, ed., (Christava Sahitya Samithi: Tiruvalla), March 2007, p. 450-455
Are Science and Humanism Suited to Enter the Ancient Quest of Christian Theology? A Response to Lluís Oviedo, Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 41/4 (December): 843-852. 2006
“Exposing Zacchaeus” The Christian Century, Vol.123, No.22, (October 31, 2006), 27-31. 2006
"Usus Crucis: Use and Abuse of the Cross and the Practice of Resurrection" Seminary Ridge Review 8/2 (Spring 2006), 31-43, 2006
“This Gracefully Witty World,” The Grace of the World that Transforms God: Latin American Dialogues with the 9th Assembly of the WCC, Nancy Cardoso, Edla Eggert & André S. Musskopf. Eds., (Porto Alegre: Editora Universitária Metodista), 80-91, 2006
“Mundo em Graça(do),” A Graça do Mundo Transforma Deus: Dialogos Latino-Americanos com a IX Assembléia do CMI, Nancy Cardoso, Edla Eggert e André S. Musskopf. Orgs., (Porto Alegre: Editora Universitária Metodista), 80-91, 2006
"Symptoms of the End of Western Hegemony" in Theologies in and Cultures, Vol. II, No. 2, (November/December), 31-47, 2005
“Luther on the Authority of Scriptures” Lutheran Quarterly 19/4 (Winter 2005): 373-391, 2005
“Igreja e Tradição: Opções e Obstruções Ecumênicas,” Estudos Teológicos 45/2: 81-89, 2005
“Is There A Universal Theology of the Oppressed?" Gurukul Journal of Theological Studies XVI/1&2, (January & July 2005): 92-108
“Traumas e Opçoes: Teologia e a Crise da Modernidade,” Margens 1/1 (March) 2005
“Revelation 13: Between the Colonial and the Postcolonial, a Reading from Brazil,” in From Every People and Nation: The Book of Revelation in Intercultural Perspective, David Rhoads ed. (Minneapolis: Fortress), 183-199 2005
“A Festa, o Lúdico e o Erótico na Religião: Perspectiva Teológica,” Estudos de Religião 19/28 (July), 12-28 2005
“The Word and the Mask: Revisiting the Two-Kingdoms Doctrine,” in The Gift of Grace: The Future of Lutheran Theology, Niels Henrik Gregersen, Bo Holm, Ted Peters, and Peter Widman, eds. ( Minneapolis: Fortress), 167-178 2005
“Ecumenics and Economics: Economic Justice and the Unity of the Church,” in El silbo ecuménico del Espíritu: Homenaje a José Míguez Bonino en sus 80 años, Guillermo Hansen, ed. (Buenos Aires: ISEDET), 157-176 2004
“Wrappings of the Divine: Location and Vocation in Theological Perspective,” Currents in Theology and Mission 31/5 (October): 368-380 2004
“Towards an Ethics of Knowledge,” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 39/2 (June): 383-388 2004
“The Dark Room, the Labyrinth, and the Mirror: On Interpreting Luther’s Thought on Justification and Justice,” in By Faith Alone: Essays on Justification in Honor of Gerhard O. Forde, Joseph A. Burguess and Marc Kolden, eds. ( Grand Rapids: Eerdmans), 316-331 2004
“The Church’s Crucible: Koinonia and Cultural Transcendence,” Currents in Theology and Mission 31/3 (June): 211-218 2004
“Theorie und Praxis, III. Fundamentaltheologisch,“ art. Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 4th ed. Vol. VIII 2005
“Religiöse Sozialisten: II. Latinamerika,“ art. Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 4 th ed. Vol. VII 2004
“The Poet, the Practitioner, and the Beholder: Thoughts on the Created Co-Creator,” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 39/4:747-754 2004
“Gottes Zeit und das Ende der Welt: Kirche und Eschaologie in der Lutheran Gemeindschaft,“ in Zwischen Vision und Realität: Lutherische Kirchen im Übergang, Wolfang Grieve, ed. ( Geneva: LWF), 73-89 2003
“Multiculturalism, Postcolonialism and the Apocalyptic,” in Theology and the Religions: A Dialogue, Viggo Mortensen, ed. ( Grand Rapids: Eerdmans), 3-13 2003
“Communication and the Transgression of Language in Luther,” Lutheran Quarterly 17/1 (Spring 2003): 1-27 2003
“A kommunió felöl értelmezett ekkléziológia es akereszt,” Lelkipásztorl 78/7: 247-251 2003
"Crisis of Society--Crisis of the Church?" McGilvary Journal of Theology, November, 2002
“Schleiermacher frente al pecado,” in Schleiermacher: Reseñas desde América Latina, Guillermo Hansen, ed. (Buenos Aires: ISEDET), 140-151 2002
“Is Europe Christian? A Challenge to a Viking,” in For All People: Global Theologies in Context (Essays in Honor of Viggo Mortensen), Else Marie Wiberg Pedersen, Holger Lam, and Peter Lodberg, eds. ( Grand Rapids: Eerdmans), 75-85 2002
“A Vision,” in Envisioning a Lutheran Communion: Perspectives for the Twenty-First Century, Mark Thomsen and Vítor Westhelle, eds. ( Minneapolis: Kirk), 136-146 2002
"Ideology," art. Dictionary of the Ecumenical Movement. (Geneva/Grand Rapids: WCC/Eerdmans), 2nd revised ed. 2002
“Religião e pós-modernidade: O mérito de um equívoco: apocalíptica e pós-colonialismo,” in Martin N. Dreher, ed. 500 Anos de Brasil e Igreja na América Meridional (Porto Alegre: EST/CEHILA), 166-177 2002
“Schleiermacher Defronta-se com o Pecado,” Revista Teológica Londrinense 3: 11-20 2002
“Idols and Demons: On Discerning the Spirits,” Dialog 41/1: 9-15 2002
“On Displacing Words: The Lord’s Prayer and the New Definition of Justice,” Word and World 22/1 (Winter): 27-35 2002
“A Cookbook for Midas,” Currents in Theology and Mission 28/3-4 (June/August): 175-176, 2001
“Original Sin Revisited: Schleiermacher’s Contribution to the Hefnerian Project,” Currents in Theology and Mission 28/3-4 (June/August): 385-393 2001
“Saint, Servant, Prophet: A Theological Reflection on the Church in Asia,” in Between Vision and Reality: Lutheran Churches in Transition, Wolfgang Greive, ed. (Geneva: LWF/DTS), 65-76 2001
With Else Marie Wiberg Pedersen, “A Tanzanian Experience: The Vicissitudes of an Elusive Tapestry,” in Between Vision and Reality: Lutheran Churches in Transition, Wolfgang Greive, ed. (Geneva: LWF/DTS), 89-92 2001
“Priest, Preacher, Servant: A Theological Reflection on the Church in Europe,” in Between Vision and Reality: Lutheran Churches in Transition, Wolfgang Greive, ed. (Geneva: LWF/DTS), 367-74 2001
“The Times of God and the Ends of the World: Church and Eschatology in the Lutheran Communion,” in Between Vision and Reality: Lutheran Churches in Transition, Wolfgang Greive, ed. ( Geneva: LWF/DTS), 411-24 2001
“Modernidade, Mito e Religião: Crítica e Reconstrução das Representações Religiosas,” Numen: Revista de Estudos e Pesquisa da Religião 3/1: 11-38 2000
“’The Noble Tribe of Truth’: Etchings on Myth, Language, and Truth Speaking,” in A.M. Alchin, S.A.J. Bradley, N.A. Hjelm, and J.H. Schørring, eds. Grundtvig in International Perspective: Studies in the Creativity of Interaction (Aarhus: Aarhus University Press): 87-102 2000
“The Way the World Ends: An Essay on Cross and Eschatology,” Currents in Theology and Mission 27/2: 85-97 2000
“Theological Shamelessness: A Response to Arthur Peacocke and David A. Palin,” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 35/1: 165-172 2000
“Augsburg Confession VII and the Historic Episcopate,” Dialog 39/3: 222-228 2000
"Creation Motifs in the Search for a Vital Space: A Latin American Perspective," in Lift Every Voice: Constructing Christian Theology from the Underside, Susan Thistlethwaite and Mary Engel, eds. ( Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis), 2 nd revised ed. 146-158 1998
“Crises of Society, Crises of the Church: Toward an Eschatological Reading of the Saeculum,” in Communion, Community and Society: The Relevance of the Church, Wolfgang Greive, ed. ( Geneva: LWF/DTS), 97-109 1998
“Befreiung: I Dogmatisch,” art. Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 4 th ed. Vol. I 1998
“Befreiungstheologie II: Systematisch, 1. Fundamentaltheologisch,” art. Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 4 th ed. Vol. I 1998
“Befreiungstheologie II: Systematisch, 2. Dogmatisch,” art. Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 4 th ed. Vol. I 1998
“Befreiungstheologie II: Systematisch, 3. Ethisch,” art. Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 4 th ed. Vol. I 1998
“O Tamanho do Paraíso: Pressupostos do Conceito de Pecado na Teologia Latino-Americana,” Estudos Teológicos 38/3: 239-251 1998
With Martin Dreher “Gottfried Brakemeier,” in From Federation to Communion, ed. by J.H. Schørring, P. Kumari and N.A.Hjelm (Minneapolis: Fortress): 477-80 German: Vom Weltbund zur Gemeinschaft (Hannover: LVH): 422-25 1997
“Conquest and Evangelization in Latin America,” in Word Remembered, Word Proclaimed, Stephen Bevans and Roger Schroeder, eds. (Nettetal: Steyler): 89-107 1997
“Theological Education: Quo Vadis?” Currents in Theology and Mission 24/3 (June 1997): 273-285 1997
“And the Walls Come Tumbling Down: Globalization and Fragmentation in the LWF,” Dialog 36/1: 32-39 1997
“Elements for a Typology of Latin American Theologies,” in Prejudice Issues in Third World Theologies, Andreas Nehring, ed., ( Madras: Gurukul): 84-101 1996
"Proclamation and Obligation: On the Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power," Word & World 16/3: 328-339 1996
"Two Omens and an Oracle: Reflections on the Convocation of Teaching Theologians," Currents in Theology and Mission 23/3: 185-191 1996
“Invisibility and Dissimulation: The Problem of the Other in Latin American Theologies,” in Prejudice Issues in Third World Theologies, Andreas Nehring, ed. ( Madras: Gurukul): 141-160 1996
"Outros Saberes: Teologia e Ciência na Modernidade," Estudos Teológicos 35/3: 258-278 1995
"Cross, Creation, and Ecology: The Meeting Point Between the Theology of the Cross and Creation Theology in Luther," in Concern for Creation: Voices on the Theology of Creation, Viggo Mortensen,ed. ( Uppsala: Tro & Tanke ): 159-167 1995
"The End of Christendom and Other Captivities: A Response to Douglas John Hall," Currents in Theology and Mission 22/6: 442-445 1995
With Hanna Betina Götz, "Usynlighet og virkelighet,” Norsk Teologisk Tidsskrift 96/1: 20-34 1995
"Scientific Sight and Embodied Knowledges," Modern Theology 11/3 (July 1995): 341-361 1995
"The Current Crisis in Latin American Theology," Dialog 34/1 (Winter 1995): 39-43 1995
With Hanna Betina Götz, "In Quest of a Myth: Latin American Literature and Theology," Journal of Hispanic/Latino Theology 3/1 (August 1995): 5-22 1995
"Cruz, Criação e Ecologia," Estudos Teológicos 34/3: 291-300 1994
"Re(li)gion: The Lord of History and the Illusory Space," in Region and Religion, Viggo Mortensen, ed. ( Geneva: LWF) 79-95 1994
"Fragmentation, Dissonance, and Truth," in History of the LWF, Viggo Mortensen, ed. ( Geneva: LWF) 1993
"Die neue Haut der unsichtabaren Schlange." Weltmission heute 12: 9-28 1992
"A Voz que Vem da Natureza," Caderno de Estudo da CPT 5: 30-43 1992
"'The Third Bank of the River:' Thoughts on Justification and Justice," in Justification and Justice, Viggo Mortensen, ed. ( Geneva: LWF) 29-36 1992
"Erobroing og evangelisiring in Latinamerika: tre missionsmodeller og deres faelles forudsaetning," Mission 4: 3-7 1992
"Entre Abel e Caim: Comunicação Teológica na América Latina," Estudos Teológicos 32/3: 264-277 1992
"Teologia e Pós-Modernidade," in Teologia Sob Limite, Jaci Maraschin, ed. (São Paulo: ASTE): 143-165 1992
"500 Anos de Evangelização: A História Suprimida," in 500 Anos de Invasão - 500 anos de Resitência, Roberto Zwetsch, ed. (São Paulo: Paulinas): 45-54 1992
"Missão e Poder: O Deus Abscôndito e os Poderes Insurgentes," Estudos Teológicos 31/2: 29-46 1991
"Una Sancta: A Unidade da Igreja na Divisão Social," Estudos Teológicos 31/1: 29-46 1991
"Ideology," art. Dictionary of the Ecumenical Movement. (Geneva/Grand Rapids: WCC/Eerdmans) 1991
"A Teologia da Criação e o Desafio Ecológico,"in Francisco e Ecologia: Para que a Vida Prevaleça. (Petrópolis: Sinfrajupe) 17-34 1991
"The Weeping Mask: Ecological Crisis and the View of Nature," Word & World 11/2: 137-146 1991
"A Cruz, a Teologia e as Rosas: O Significado Soteriológico da Cruz na Teologia," Estudos Teológicos 30/3: 224-243 1990
"Thinking about Luther in a Submersed Reality," Lutherjahrbuch 57: 163-173 1990
"Os Sinais dos Lugares: As Dimensões Esquecidas." in Peregrinação: Estudos em Homenagem a Joachim Fischer pela Passagem de seu 60º Aniversário, Martin N. Dreher, ed. (São Leopoldo: Sinodal), 255-268 1990
"A Voz que Vem da Natureza," Estudos Teológicos 30/1: 16-26 1990
"Ways of Justice in a Journey to Peace," in Peace and Justice: Toward an Ecumenical Peace Ethic, Götz Planer-Friedrich, ed. ( Geneva: LWF): 45-62 1990
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