The Humanities
& The Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU
What a chimera then is man!  What a novelty!  What a monster, what a chaos, what a contradiction, what a prodigy!  Judge of all things, feeble earthworm, depository of truth, a sink of uncertainty and error, the glory and the shame of the universe. (Blaise Pascal, Pensees #434)
This page is dedicated to the advancement of literature, philosophy, history, and the classics.  Our conviction that humanity is created in the image of God compels us to study human thought, literature, and history.  An honest search for the Divine cannot ignore humanity, God's most puzzling of works.

If you have something you would like to contribute, please contact our webmaster.

History

Foundation Preserves and Interprets Historic Ridge at Gettysburg Battlefield

Civil War history has become a favorite past time among many historians, and the Battle of Gettysburg ranks among the leading topics of discussion.  On the first day of the battle, much of the action centered on Seminary Ridge, so named because of the Lutheran Theological Seminary which occupied this high ground to the west of the borough of Gettysburg.

The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg still stands and serves the church and world.  Committed to the preservation of the historic buildings which served during the battle as command centers, observation posts, and hospitals, The seminary's Board of Directors supported the incorporation of the Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation.  Tasked with preservation and interpretation of the historic ridge, the Foundation sponsors educational events and works cooperatively with the seminary, government, and private sector to restore and renovate the historic architecture.

You too can be a member of the Foundation.  Click here, to find out more about its mission, work, and membership program.  If you have questions, feel free to contact the Foundation or (right here on the WVU campus) contact Chaplain Matthew Riegel; he serves on its board of directors.

Project Wittenberg

A team of Reformation scholars and technicians have been working for the last several years to provide easy on-line access to Reformation era texts.  This is a completely free database--no membership required--just hit the link to Project Wittenberg, and discover the Reformation in its own words.

For other on-line sites related to Reformation history, visit the electronic bookshelf at the Library at the Lutheran Center (ELCA).  Click here.

Literature

Metaphysical Poets

John Donne and George Herbert have both been featured in the life of the Lutheran Campus Ministry.  In Lent 2002, Chaplain Riegel decided to exposit Donne's Holy Sonnets during the Thursday noon masses at the HSC (for story, click here).  It was during that Lent, that he wised Dr. Cheryl Torsney, who happened to be walking her dogs in front of his residence, a happy George Herbert Day, knowing that Herbert was one of her favorites.  The two of them got to talking, and that gave birth to the idea of a "literary wine & cheese."  The first literary wine & cheese was held to commemorate John Donne's death in March 2003 (for story, click here).  In March 2004, the second was held to commemorate George Herbert's death (for story, click here).  While such an event sponsored by a campus ministry may seem a little odd at first, it is one of Lutheranism's great joys to remember men/women of letters whose work inspires and discloses something of the Divine.  The Lutheran Book of Worship calendar actually has specific days for Herbert and Donne among others.  In this tradition, Riegel has returned to expositing poetry--this time Herbert's--at the midweek masses.  Hoping that these literary wine & cheeses will become an annual event, we can only ask, who is next?
 
Links to good websites

John Donne

George Herbert

Philosophy & Religious Studies

Luther Colloquium 2003: "Luther, Genesis and Gender"

The Institute for Luther Studies will hold its 2003 Luther Colloquium on the campus of the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, PA, on October 29, 2003.  For more information about the colloquium, click here (http://www.ltsg.edu/luthercolloquy/).  The Lutheran Campus Ministry will be making a Road Trip to attend the Colloquium, if interested let us know.

Kierkegaard

Theology on Tap commemorated Soren Aabye Kierkegaard at its November 11 ("Kierkegaard Day" in the Lutheran Tradition).  Kierkegaard was translated by death on November 11, 1855.  During his lifetime, he contended with the conceits of popular Christianity as he experienced it in Denmark.  He is remembered as one of the foremost Lutheran philosophers in history.

If you would like to know more about Kierkegaard, try these two resources:

Classics

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