On the Glorious Hill: The Impact of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg after 200 Years
Over the course of its nearly two centuries of life, the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg has exercised an outsized influence on American Lutheranism and the wider church. Founded at a crossroads of theological formation and public history, the seminary shaped generations of pastors, scholars, and church leaders whose ministries engaged Scripture, confessional theology, social ethics, and public witness. From its proximity to the Gettysburg battlefield to its role in advancing ecumenical, missional, and justice-oriented theology, the seminary has consistently formed leaders attentive to the intersection of faith, history, and the moral demands of their time.
Speakers
The Rev. Dr. Mark Oldenburg is a Lutheran theologian and educator known for his work at the intersection of preaching, theology, and public life. As a longtime seminary professor and administrator, he has shaped generations of church leaders through thoughtful engagement with Scripture, confessional Lutheran theology, and the pastoral vocation.
The Rev. Dr. Maria E. Erling teaches history and guides Ministerial Leadership placements. Her interest in church history comes from a blend of filial piety and unstoppable curiosity about the stories that have shaped the lives of persons and communities. In her words, “In my teaching, I’ve learned that students need to learn to tell their own story – their family’s many decisions and migrations – before they can really learn to hear the stories told to them by the people they meet in ministry.”
Dr. David W. Blight, Sterling Professor of History at Yale University, is one of the leading American historians of the Civil War and its enduring impact on national memory, race, and reconciliation. His scholarship examines how the war has been remembered—and misremembered—revealing the moral stakes of historical narrative in shaping public life. Best known for Race and Reunion and his Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of Frederick Douglass, Blight brings rigorous archival research together with compelling public storytelling, helping audiences understand the Civil War not only as a military conflict, but as an ongoing struggle over democracy, justice, and truth.