Conference Speakers
Who:
Dr. Samuel Torvend, Professor Emeritus of Religion, PLU and Priest for Adult Formation at Christ Church Episcopal
Bio:
Samuel Torvend teaches courses in the history of early, medieval, and reformation Christianity as well as historical courses on the reform of social welfare, Christian responses to local and global hunger, Christian art and architecture, and Christian rituals. He has taught in PLU’s International Honors Program and has led student and regent study tours in Rome and central Italy.
Since 2005, he has led faculty, staff, and student workshops on the liberal arts and higher education, published extensively on the origins, development, and gifts of Lutheran higher education, and represented PLU at international conferences in ritual studies and reformation studies. Dr. Torvend served as the first University Chair in Lutheran Studies from 2011-2017 and established the annual Lutheran Studies Conference at PLU. He continues to serve in the Wild Hope Center for Vocation as the Director of External Relations and as a contributor to the Office of Congregational Engagement. In addition to his work in the academy, Dr. Torvend also serves as a theological consultant to various regional and national church agencies and societies. He holds the Ph.D. from Saint Louis University, the M.A. from Aquinas Institute of Theology, the M.Div. from Wartburg Seminary, and the B.A. from Pacific Lutheran University, with study in Egypt, Israel, and Greece through the graduate School of Theology at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. He is the son of the Rev. E. Silas Torvend (PLU ’47) and Alice Kjesbu Torvend (PLU ’47).
Who:
Dr. Marit A. Trelstad, PLU Chair of Lutheran Studies and Professor of Constructive and Lutheran Theologies at PLU
Bio:
Marit Trelstad is Professor of Constructive and Lutheran Theology at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. Her scholarly work combines feminist, process and Lutheran theologies and has focused on Christology, theological anthropology, the doctrine of God, and science and religion (including economics, geoengineering and ecology). As a contributor and editor, she published Cross Examinations: Readings on the Meaning of the Cross Today (Fortress, 2006) and contributed to Transformative Lutheran Theologies (Fortress, 2010) and Lutherrenaissance: Past and Present (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2015) along with several other journals and books.
Who:
Dr. Heather Mathews, Chair and Associate Professor of Art & Design at PLU
Bio:
Heather Mathews joined the Department of Art and Design in 2007. She earned her B.A. in Art History and German from Hood College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin.
Her specialization is the German art of the Cold War period, and she is interested in all aspects of German cultural and history. Her research and publications are focused on the role of the artist in public discourse in East and West Germany, as well as on the exhibition of contemporary art as a cultural and political force in the Cold War era and today. Her most recent work deals with contemporary art and cultural integration.
In addition to teaching on topics such as gender issues, identity, and memory in modern and contemporary art, Heather is Coordinator of the University Gallery (including the University Gallery Annex and the Karen Hille Phillips Gallery) and manages the University’s Permanent Art Collection.
Who:
Dr. Lisa Marcus, Chair of Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program, Professor of English at PLU
Who:
Dr. Seth Dowland, Associate Professor of American Religious History at PLU
Bio:
Seth Dowland teaches courses on American Christianity, Islam in America, and the intersection of religion and politics in American history. He also teaches courses about gender in American religions and about religion and violence for PLU’s interdisciplinary programs (Women’s and Gender Studies, International Honors Program, and the First-Year Experience Program). His research focuses on the intersection of religion, gender, and American politics in the twentieth century. His book, Family Values and the Rise of the Christian Right was published in 2015 by the University of Pennsylvania Press. He is currently working on a project about the history of Christian masculinity in the United States.
Who:
Rabbi Bruce Kadden, Temple Beth El, Tacoma, Lecturer in Judaism and Holocaust Studies at PLU
Bio:
Bruce Kadden is rabbi of Temple Beth El in Tacoma and teaches Judaism. He is the co-author, along with his wife Barbara, of Teaching Mitzvot: Concepts, Values and Activities; Teaching Tefilah: Insights and Activities on Prayer; and Teaching Jewish Life Cycle: Traditions and Activities. He has written articles for the website interfaithfamily.com, including, “Whose Wedding is it Anyway?” “Interfaith and Interfaithless Marriages”; “Why January 1 is Special: Even Jesus was Circumcised on the Eighth Day”; “What Jews and Christians Should Know About Each Other: An Important Primer on the Two Religions”; and “A Christian’s Guide to Passover.”
