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Seton Hall University

Inside the Core: Dr. Bill Rusch of Yale Divinity School to Give Talk  

Photo of Dr. Bill Rusch

Dr. Bill Rusch, Yale Divinity School

Next week, Inside the Core will be sponsoring an important event. Dr. William Rusch, a Lutheran pastor who teaches at Yale Divinity School, will be speaking on "The Lutheran Reformation from a Lutheran Perspective" on Nov. 9 at 12:30 in the Beck Rooms, A and B, in Walsh Library. He will be introduced by Msgr. John Radano. The event will be in person, but will also be available via Teams.

Dr. Rusch comes to us with years of experience in ecumenism (i.e., dialogue among various Christian groups). He has served on the Standing Committee and Commission of Faith and Order of World Council of Churches, the Joint Working Group of the Vatican and World Council of Churches, and the Lutheran-Episcopal and Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogues in the U.S.

It was through Dr. Rusch's work in ecumenism that he connected with Msgr. Radano, and they have been friends for many years. My own connection with Dr. Rusch began when Msgr. Radano, Sister Mary John Bosco, and I attended a concert sponsored by the Sant' Egidio community in NYC, and Dr. Rusch met us there. His perspective on the origins of the Reformation, particularly focusing on Martin Luther himself from a Lutheran perspective, will be enlightening and deeply meaningful.

Dr. Rusch earned a doctorate from the University of Oxford (UK) in historical theology. He is the author of some 110 articles, the most recent being, "A Bishop Writes Home: A Letter from Eusebius Palestinian Caesarea to His Diocese (Studia Patristica)." He has also edited or authored 21 books, the most recent being Toward a Common Future: Ecumenical Reception and a New Consensus (Cascade Press).

He has taught at Fordham University, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Tantur Ecumenical Institute (Jerusalem), and the Angelicum (Rome), and presently is a member of the faculty of the Divinity School of Yale University.

The talk promises to be very interesting and important in terms of ecumenical dialogue and developing links between Catholics and Lutherans, with implications that extend to relations among other religious groups. There will be time for questions and answers after the talk.

Click HERE to access the Teams meeting. However, we encourage you to come in person!

Categories: Arts and Culture, Faith and Service