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Professor Kurt Marquart Gives Lectures in Ekaterinburg.Having taught a regular course, Dogmatics III, at LTS on June 5-16, Rev. Kurt Marquart, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, left for the city of Ekaterinburg. From June 18 to June 22, he gave a series of lectures at different institutions of the city. On June 19, Professor Marquart gave a lecture entitled "On Ecumenism and New Religious Movements" in the club of the city's German Society. Following the lecture, Professor Marquart answered the questions of participants concerning Christianity in America and Europe, different tendencies in Protestantism, and the Lutheran Church. There was active discussion of the modern religious situation in Russia and especially in the Ural region, of which Ekaterinburg is the capital. During his visit to Ekaterinburg, Professor Marquart met with different Protestants in the city. Among others, he delivered a lecture in the Methodist congregation on the topic "New Religious Movements and New Age." Again questions followed, many of them dealing with the Lutheran faith and its relation to other religions and other Christian confessions. During this lecture Boris Mamlin, a TV producer from Novosibirsk and a parishioner of Bible Lutheran Church there, filmed what was happening, and after the lecture he interviewed professor Marquart at the request of Lutheran Theological Seminary. Thursday, June 22, was marked by a meeting in the regional administration. Professor Marquart gave a lecture to those officials who are involved in relations between the general public and religious organizations. The topic was "Church and State," and barely anybody remained indifferent. Professor Marquart spoke about relations of governmental structures and religious bodies, about the mutual influence of church and state, and about experience of this kind in Russia and America. Besides that, such topics as religious novelties and social and political activity of certain religious groups were touched on. Officials of the regional administration were pleased with the outcome of this meeting. Professor Marquart showed several books that are available in English on the topic, and it was decided to begin translating some of them into Russian. Rev. Kurt Marquart serves also as a chairman of the board of trustees of Lutheran Heritage Foundation. This organization publishes Lutheran books in various languages, and Russian occupies a place of major importance, as over 30 books have been translated into this language. Accordingly, participants discussed perspectives of further production of books in the Russian language. The most vital questions addressed were (1) how to get the Russian readers - the final recipients of the foundation's work - more involved in the process of book selection, and (2) how to better organize the process of editorial work. The Lutherans in Ekaterinburg were impressed with the high level of the lectures and with the straightforward character of the message. They certainly await Professor Marquart's return, as do the students at the seminary in Novosibirsk. One definite asset of Rev. Marquart is his ability to speak and teach in Russian. Having been born into a family of Russian and Estonian origin, Marquart has known Russian since childhood, because it was spoken at home. This proved especially helpful in Ekaterinburg, where the West Siberian Christian Mission is trying to establish a solid Lutheran congregation, served by missionaries Segei Glushkov and Alexei Trapeznikov. In addition, Lutheran Theological Seminary will begin a pre-seminary program there in 2001. Since Lutheranism has long history in Russia and in Ekaterinburg in particular, it is important to demonstrate that it is not a new, foreign invention, but rather something innate to Russian history and culture of the past centuries, even though it has not exerted as strong an influence as has Eastern Orthodoxy. Rev. Kurt Marquart was not the first Lutheran professor to have come to Ekaterinburg. Previously Dr. Ronald Feuerhahn, Professor at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, visited the city a couple of times, each time giving a series of lectures. Dr. Feuerhahn was also a visiting professor at LTS, and he taught at the summer seminars in Ekaterinburg in 1998. The following year he came to the city to teach a regular intensive course in the university and colleges of the city. Professor Marquart thus continued this fine tradition of Lutheran testimony and teaching that has started in Ekaterinburg.
News: Professor Kurt Marquart Gives Lectures in Ekaterinburg. [June 2000] News: Completion of 1999-2000 Academic Year. [June 2000] News: Summer Practicum. [June 2000] News: Seminary Movie. [June 2000] News: LTS Theological Journal. [May 2000] News: Trip to Ulaanbaatar. [May 2000] News: A Missionary and Catechetical Trip to Khakassia, Buryatia, and Irkutsk. [May 2000] News: Student’s Daughter Baptized at the Chapel’s Baptismal Font. [May 2000] News: Students Conduct Fieldwork during Holy Week. [April 2000] News: LTS holds April seminar in new seminary building. [April 2000] News: Dr. Scaer teaches full course in Novosibirsk in one week. [March 2000] News: LTS student participates in international Christian Pedagogical conference. [March 2000] News: Three New Students Accepted at the Seminary in Novosibirsk [February 2000] |
