2022 – Fear Not

The 12th Corpus Christi Conference
Gothenburg, Sweden
25-29 July 2022

We have prepared for you to come, no matter how many. We will worship with one another, we will learn with one another, and we will have plenty of fun with one another!! We will be staying at a hostel close to the city center of Gothenburg. The board is meeting regularly and we will continue to update this website with more information.

Schedule

Please see the preliminary schedule below. You may also download the pdf here.

Meet the Speaker

Rev. Dr. David Preus (Theological Educator, Assistant Pastor, and Church Planter in Brasov, Romania)

Pastor Preus earned his Masters of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana and his PhD in Historical Theology from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He lives with his wife, Jenny, and their eight children in Brasov, Romania, where he serves on the theological faculty of the Livonia Lutheran Project, based in Riga, Latvia. You may read about it here. He also serves as assistant pastor and church planter in Brasov, as well as recruiter and mentor to new and upcoming pastors in the lower Balkan and Mediterranean subregion. Before going to Romania, he was pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Billings, Montana (2011–2015) and missionary, church planter, and professor at Seminario Concordia, “el Reformador,” in Santiago, Dominican Republic (2015–2021).

More on the Plenary Sessions

“Fear not!” Thus says the Lord, in various contexts, several hundred times throughout Scripture. What does this mean? We are accustomed to answering this question in the form of Luther’s Small Catechism: “We should fear and love God…” But this approach appears to complicate the problem. Which is it? Should we fear (and love), or should we fear not? And then we have the words of St. John: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).

The plenaries will help us resolve this apparent contradiction, first, by asking some personal questions. What are you afraid of, and why? Second, we will compare “fear” as it relates to psychological definitions and categories and as it is used in the Bible. Finally, we will explore some key biblical texts that help us deal with the real fear we experience every day. In each case, the distinction between “fear” and “fear not” has to do with our relationship with God and how we worship him. Are you a son or a slave? That is the question. For the sake of God’s Son and by virtue of your baptism, God has made you a son. “Fear not.” Jesus’ words bring us peace, forgiveness, and clarity. And that is what makes all the practical difference.

Venue

L M Engströms Gymnasium, Vallgatan 11, 411 16 Gothenburg, Sweden (Some Events will have other Locations, See Conference Handbook)

Accommodation

This year we have opted to book 4 separate hostels. See the pictures below and I think you’ll agree that they are all great options! Staying at multiple hostels will ensure everyone has the opportunity to eat breakfast and also take a shower in the morning!

Slottskogens Vandrarhem, Vegagatan 21, 413 11 Göteborg, Sweden

Göteborgs Mini-Hotel, Tredje Långgatan 31, 413 27 Göteborg, Sweden

Le Mat B&B Göteborg City, Kristinelundsgatan 13, 411 35 Göteborg, Sweden

STF Göteborg/Stigbergslidens Vandrarhem, Stigbergsliden 10, 414 63 Göteborg, Sweden

Come and Experience

• Solid, biblical teaching by excellent international speakers
• Rich, liturgical, Christ-centred worship
• Fellowship with an international group of Lutheran young adults
• The Gorgeous city of Gothenburg, with its unique architecture and cultural flare

Presentations

This year there´ll be a new format, replacing the former in-depth sessions. Three speakers will give presentations on individual topics related to our main theme “Fear not”. Three times attendants get the chance to choose between two topics. Our speakers are Rev. Niclas Olsson, Rev. Armin Wenz and Rev. Daniel Johansson. At the same time NYLT sessions, primarily targeted at theologians and students of theology, will be offered.

1. Fear not the first commandment (Niclas Olsson)

When we open the Small Catechism, the first thing we are commanded to do is to fear God. But how does that fear relate to the two verbs that follow? In this session we explore how this command to fear, love and trust in God informs our view of God and the fulfilment of the commandments.

2. Fear not God when you fear God (Niclas Olsson)

When we read the Bible, we can often feel as if we encounter two different Gods – one who is angry, vengeful and punishing, and one who is loving, patient and forgiving. This session seeks to reconcile the two ways we experience God through the biblical concept of fearing God.

3. Fear in the life and in the writings of the Apostle Peter (Armin Wenz)

We’ll explore how Peter experienced and dealt with fear as Jesus’ disciple in the gospels – and what he wrote about it mainly in his first letter.

4. Fear (of) the devil – right or wrong? (Armin Wenz)

How do the warnings in the biblical writings to beware of the devil relate to the first commandment to fear God above all things?

5. “Do not fear the Book of Revelation!” (Daniel Johansson)

This session addresses false readings of the last book of the Bible and explores its message of encouragement to Christians in circumstances that in many ways are similar to what we currently experience.”

6. “The fear that was overcome by faith by the heros in the Old Testament.” (Daniel Johansson)

This session explores the fear and faith of some of the heros mentioned in the great chapter of faith in Hebrews 11.

Niclas Olsson (Acting Senior Pastor at Immanuel Church, Gothenburg, Sweden)

Pastor Olsson has a Bachelor of Theology from the University of Gothenburg and was ordained in 2012 to serve at Immanuel Church in Gothenburg, a congregation within the Mission Province in Sweden. Having served there as Assistant Pastor since his ordination, he is now Acting Senior Pastor while one of Corpus Christi’s founding fathers, Pastor Jakob Appell, pursues a PhD at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. Pastor Olsson lives with his wife and four children in Gothenburg, right across the street from Immanuel Church.

Armin Wenz (Professor for Biblical Theology and New Testament at the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule, Oberursel, Germany)

Prof. Wenz is an ordained minister of the SELK (= Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church), was a parish pastor in different places in Germany for 27 years, and is now serving as Professor for Biblical Theology at the SELK-Seminary in Oberursel. He earned a theological doctorate from the University of Erlangen and is still doing research on the history of biblical interpretation. Together with his wife Susanne he lives near Naumburg, Sachsen-Anhalt. They have three adult children and three grand-children.

Daniel Johansson (Lecturer in New Testament Studies and Academic Dean at the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg, Sweden)

Rev. Dr. Johansson has an STM from Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft Wayne and a PhD from the University of Edinburg, Scotland. He serves as Academic Dean and a lecturer in New Testament studies at the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg. Dr. Johansson and his wife Inese have been blessed with four sons.

Here are the speakers and their topics for the NYLT experience 2022 at Corpus Christi:

Dr. Armin Wenz: The misuse of condemnations (Damnamus) in contemporary churches

In this session Dr. Wenz will guide us  through the ways in which the discourse in the churches of our time has used the concept of condemnation to austricise people and behaviour that was once clearly supported in the church, and actually has its roots in Scripture itself. This will be a very insightful dive into the Theology of the Confessions, in which the Lutheran Church has inherited very clear condemnations that are based on the promises of a very generous God.

Dr. David Preus: “Honor the king: a study of Romans 13:1-8 and 1 Peter 2:13-17”

In this session, Dr. Preus will expand on his plenary session by taking a closer look at Romans and 1 Peter with us. He will be guiding us through the significance of earthly kings in light of God’s revelation that Christ is the King of Kings.

Dr. Sorin Trifa: An introduction to NYLT 2023 – “Christification”

In this session, Dr. Trifa will explain a bit about what the NYLT is, and will introduce the topic of our planned NYLT 2023 “Christification”

Discussion Groups

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11:45 to 12:45 six discussion groups and two seminars will be offered. You can choose a different one each time. Discussion groups have a short introduction by the leader and lots of discussion, while seminars are more focused on lecturing and Q & A (questions & answers). After the title and the name you find the languages which will be spoken in the group on the respective day (DE = German, SV = Swedish, LV = Latvian).

Discussion groups

1. Cancel Culture (Mikael Bruun, Norway) EN/EN/EN

We live in a time where the pressure to have the “correct” opinions is huge. This is especially felt by conservative Christians. What happens when our doctrine clashes with that of the Zeitgeist and the outrage of a secular world seems to increase by the year? We will discuss the effects of “cancel culture.” Is there anything we as Christians can do, when the mere act of holding controversial opinions is enough to get shunned by society?

2. Bible Study: Matthew 14:22-33 (Lukas Johansson, Sweden) SV/EN/EN

Faced by the great forces of nature, Peter becomes afraid and begins to sink. Exclaiming “Lord, save me!” he feels Jesus hand immediately wrap around his, dragging him out of the water. In this Bible Study we will discuss how we as Christians can experience different fears in our lives, and how we can trust that the Lord is with us through it all.

3. Witnessing to non-Christians (Niklas Brandt, Germany) DE/EN/EN

In a world which is becoming more and more hostile to the Christian faith, being a witness to Christ can be tough. Still, the less the world knows about Jesus, the more important the witness of every Christian becomes. As someone who lived as a teenager in the former GDR, one of the most atheistic parts of the world, I invite you to discuss: How can the Bible shape our witness? Which challenges and possibilities are there? Which ways might be helpful, which ones rather not?

4. Christians and the Arts (Samuli and Māra Siikavirta, Finland/Latvia) EN/EN/LV

What is it like to be a Christian amidst a secular arts or music scene? Where are the limits of what a Christian can participate in and do artistically? This is a discussion group for Christians who work or go in for or are interested in the arts and music.

5. Anchors in uncertain times (Mikkel Søtbæk, Denmark) EN/EN/EN

In our day and age in the West especially, almost everything is up for debate. Almost everything is framed as uncertain and relative. Doubt and foreign values and narratives envelop us. Or do they? In our discussion group we’ll see how Holy Scripture, tradition and the liturgy work as anchors making our faith, believes and values fast and firm against the rolling waves of doubt and uncertainty.

6. Envisioning Lutheran education (Michael Wenz, Germany) EN/EN/DE

Corpus Christi this year is taking place at a Lutheran high school. Teaching and learning is a major part of the conference. We want to broaden our horizon and look at chances and challenges to becoming active in the area of education as Lutherans. This group is for (future) teachers, students in high school, people who think about how their (future) children ought to be educated in our increasingly secular world, and everyone else interested!

Seminars

7. Creation or evolution (Roberts Otomers, Latvia) LV/EN/EN

How did this world come into existence: Did God create the world in six days or did it start with the big bang and then develop in billions of years? What difference does it makes, if we as humans were created by God or evolutioned from apes? Can we find proof regarding this issue? Which role do the Bible and archeological findings play?

8. Modern day „tongue speaking“ (Daniel Brandt, Sweden) EN/EN/SV

Many charismatic Christians „speak in tongues.“ Evangelical Lutherans may wonder what to think—is it the gift that the New Testament speaks about, or is it something else? In this seminar we will dig into the history behind modern tongue speaking.

Others

9. Brass choir (Samuel Abliganz, Germany)

Please bring your instrument and music stand! The practice of the brass choir only takes place on Tuesday. The musicians can still participate in any discussion groups / seminars on Wednesday and Thursday.