Higher education COURTESY OF LUTHER COLLEGE, DECORAH, IOWA
More than a statue, Martin Luther contin- ues to provide a faithful founda- tion for ELCA colleges and universities.
Luther’s enduring legacy ELCA colleges, universities help the church cultivate a sense of vocation
Editor’s note: Section editor Elizabeth Hunter inter- viewed Darrell Jodock, Martin E. Marty Chair in Reli- gion and the Academy at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn. Jodock often speaks with ELCA college and university presidents about the gifts Lutherans bring to higher education—and not just seminaries.
Jodock
The Lutheran: Why is it so important for Lutherans to be involved in colleges and universities? How important was education to Martin Luther? Jodock: It’s primarily important because through our colleges and universities we make a contribution to larger society: we educate people with attention to the Chris- tian faith and priorities of the kingdom of God. Colleges and universities, like con- gregations, operate at the intersection of faith and daily life. I think our colleges and universities can use their unique gifts and
resources to help people in the church negotiate those intersections.
For Martin Luther, the primary overarching purpose of education was to enhance wisdom so citizens could
48 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
lead their communities and their households. Luther wrote an open letter to city councils urging them to open schools for young men and women. Education was front and center for Luther in the sense of building up the church and the larger society. He published the Small Catechism, the Large Catechism, sermons, introductions to the Bible and treatise after treatise. When they founded the Lutheran colleges and univer- sities, [ELCA predecessors wanted] to provide teachers and educated clergy for immigrant groups and to educate people so they could make a meaningful contribution to the larger American society. The purpose of higher edu- cation is to enhance our ability to serve our neighbors and the community.
How are Lutheran colleges and universities different from other schools? One of the standout differences is their focus on cul-
tivating a sense of vocation—a sense that we are called to serve the larger world, humanity and our neighbor in whatever we are doing. Some have said that grace and vocation are the two pillars of the Lutheran Reforma- tion. Vocation is something from our Lutheran heritage
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