Public Theology Lecture Series
Faculty and friends of North Park Theology Seminary engage the church and the world, drawing from the fields of ministry, Bible, theology, and church history. All lectures are free and open to the public.
We thank the Lilly Endowment, Inc. for their generous support since 2021.
Upcoming
Resilience in an Age of Permacrisis: Naming Grief, Inviting Lament
Most Recent
Public Theology 2024-2025
Video: Political AND Hospitable: You Are What You Love
March 6, 2025
North Park Theological Seminary’s fall webinar explored faithful ecclesial responses to the rise of Christian nationalism. Our speakers will expand on this theme with a conversation about the global …
Cláudio Carvalhaes
Annual Themes
2022–23: Centered in the Storm
The Seminary’s 2022–23 public theology series focuses on being centered in Christ—not as an escape from the needs of the world, but as a necessary means to the transformative work of the church in the world.
Seminary faculty from each disciplinary field facilitate dialogue in reflection on Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11:28–30:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out…? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (The Message).
2021–22: Culture and Belonging
Responding to the invitation of theologian Willie James Jennings (After Whiteness), this series pursued an ethic of belonging that builds people toward each other, shared habitation, and ultimately communion. Drawing from the fields of ministry, Bible, theology, and history, we reimagined communities of belonging through the lens of culture. NPTS faculty and leading practitioners of Covenant congregations and denominational ministries collaborated to lead creative discussions integrating scholarship, ministry practices, and formation.
2022: Reconciled & Reconciling: P.P. Waldenström’s Atonement Sermon 150 Years Later
The year 2022 marks the 150th anniversary of Rev. Paul Peter Waldenström’s sermon on reconciliation (1872), which set in motion events that led to the formation of the Covenant Churches in Sweden (1878) and North America (1885) and left an indelible mark on Covenant preaching, mission, and ecclesiology.
Four scholars and church leaders shared how this crucial aspect of Covenant history remains relevant today to the church’s calling to restorative justice, racial righteousness, global mission, preaching, and congregational life. Co-sponsored by the Commission on Covenant History and North Park Theological Seminary.
2020–21: Traditioned Innovation
We entered 2021 amid continuing economic and political uncertainties, navigating the layered crises of the COVID-19 pandemic, persistent, and pernicious racialized inequities in church, nation, and world. This complex reality requires all the resources available to us, including a critical evaluation of the past—“traditioned innovation” (L. Gregory Jones) that fruitfully draws from, critiques, and reimagines the past for the needs of the present and future. NPTS faculty and leading practitioners of Covenant congregations and denominational ministries collaborated to lead creative discussions integrating scholarship, ministry practices, and formation.
Lectureship content will be added to archive below as they are cataloged and made available.