Hope … looks forward in anticipation of what God will do.
made this claim: “Hope is remem- bering.” Hope is not merely a naïve, optimistic view of the future—it is based on memory. It was theologian Søren Kierkegaard who said, “It is not worthwhile to remember that past that cannot become a present.” To which I would add, “that past that cannot become a future.” Memories prepare us to face the future with hope, to live life more fully, to serve more wisely. It was William Ralph Inge, former
Peter S. Carmichael, director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg (Pa.) College, leads a work- shop near the Virginia Memorial on the battlefields in Gettysburg National Military Park.
passion to make sure the world does not forget the Holocaust. If we do, he insisted, it will surely occur again. In From the Kingdom of Memory, he wrote: “If there is a single theme that dominates all my writings, all my obsessions, it is that of memory— because I fear forgetfulness as much as hatred and death.” Probably as a result of Wiesel’s
work, the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., is open to the public as a constant reminder of the depths both of human evil and heroism. A second example comes from
New Testament theologian Elizabeth Fiorenza, who wrote the important book In Memory of Her. Fiorenza’s scholarly thesis is that Christian the- ology has failed to remember the role of women in its tradition, and because of this they have suffered a second- ary role in civilization. This careful “remembering” by Fiorenza and oth- ers has enabled us to reimagine the role of women in church and society.
A community of hope Because we are a community of memory we are also a community of hope. Philosopher Paul Ricoeur has
Author note and bio:
Writers for “Deeper understandings” are drawn primarily from those currently teaching in ELCA seminaries,colleges and universities. Our institutions, and the whole church, are also blessed with a large cadre of retired (often called emeritus) professors. These seasoned scholar- teachers often continue teaching, writing and mentoring others for decades after concluding full-time service. This month we turn to James Hofrenning, professor emeritus at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. Following his formal education, interrupted by military service in World War II, and a decade as a parish pastor, Hofrenning was a religion professor at his alma mater for three decades, during which he was honored with multiple awards for teaching and scholarship. It was my privilege to sit at his feet in a seminar 45 years ago this fall. His reflections on the role and identity of our church-related institutions of higher learning is most appropriate in this month’s issue as we begin another academic year. —Michael Cooper-White
dean of London’s St. Paul’s Cathe- dral, who once said, “Persons who are married to the spirit of the age soon find themselves to be widow- ers” (quoted in Rumor of Angels by Peter Berger). We could adapt this by saying, “Persons who are filled only with the cultural fads of the moment will quickly find themselves to be empty vessels.” How important it is to remember so we might have hope. I remember vividly the words spo-
ken by the late Kent Knutson, teacher and president of the former Ameri- can Lutheran Church. Speaking on 1 Corinthians 13:13, “Now abide faith, hope, and love,” Knutson declared: “Faith looks back and remembers what God has done in history and in Jesus Christ; hope is really the same as faith, except it looks forward in antici- pation of what God will do. Love acts in the present.” We are well into the 21st century. It
will not be an easy century. Hopefully the memories you have will serve you well as you face this new age. May you continue to use the memories that give meaning and hope and power for your life, and may you never for- get that you belong to a community of memory and hope.
September 2015 15
MIRANDA HARPLE/GETTYSBURG COLLEGE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52