The public is invited to explore with two distinguished theologians the question “Was Jesus a Christian?” on the weekend of Feb. 22 at Bethania Lutheran Church in Solvang.

The church’s 34^th annual Farstrup-Mortensen Lecture Series will feature three days of activities that include discussion, dialogue, meals, fellowship and engagement.  The series is known for presenting world-class scholars and educators with a mission of educating mind and spirit through reasoned scholarship. 

 The speakers will be Pamela Eisenbaum, Ph.D., Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, and Art J. Dewey, Th.D., Professor of Theology at Xavier University in Ohio. 

Activities on Friday, Feb. 22, include an “early-bird outdoor activity” with naturalist Fred Emerson of Solvang, a wine reception, lectures and singing. The program on Saturday, Feb. 23, includes morning and afternoon lectures followed by a dinner banquet.  The series concludes with a panel discussion on Sunday morning, Feb. 24.

Tickets are available for individual lectures, full-day programming, meals, or “The Works,” which includes all series programming, meals and entertainment. 

Lectures with Eisenbaum and Dewey will place the theme question in the context in which the word “Christian” was originally used: Who were the first Christians — Jesus, Paul, the disciples, or perhaps the popes? Are there any Christians alive today in the original sense? Would the world be better or worse off without Christianity? And what does it mean to be a Christian today? 

Eisenbaum is one of just four Jewish New Testament scholars teaching in Christian theological schools. He is the author of “The Jewish Heroes of Christian History: Hebrews 11 in Literary Context,” “Invitation to Romans,” and “Paul Was Not a Christian.” She is a contributor to the highly regarded “Jewish Annotated New Testament” and has published many essays on the Bible, ancient Judaism and the origins of Christianity.

Two of her passions are the apostle Paul and ancient manuscripts. Her current research involves the role of technology (ancient and modern) in the codification, preservation and transmission of the Bible. In addition to her appointment at Iliff, she is an affiliate faculty member of the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver.

Dewey is the author of “Inventing the Passion: How the Death of Jesus was Remembered” (2017), and co-author of “The Complete Gospel Parallels” (with Robert J. Miller, 2011) and “The Authentic Letters of Paul” (with Roy W. Hoover, Lane C. McGaughy and Daryl D. Schmidt, 2010).

A distinguished teacher, writer, translator and commentator, he is also noted for his poetic perspective that has aired on the “Saturday Morning Edition” on Cincinnati’s Public Radio Station WVXU (91.7) for more than a dozen years. 

 The annual Farstrup-Mortensen lectures, organized by a volunteer team, are dedicated to the memory of A. Ejnar Farstrup (1909-1984) and Enok Mortensen (1902-1984) whose vision and energy strongly influenced Danish-American church life. As pastors and educators, they exemplified the Grundtvigian ideal of developing one’s humanity —including the intellect — to its fullest and best extent.

Bethania Lutheran Church is at 603 Atterdag Road in Solvang. For registration information, visit www.fmlectures.org. 

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Karen Kingsbury – Photo contributed

Former Los Angeles Times reporter and New York Times Bestselling Author Karen Kingsbury, will share a message of hope and faith at 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 11, as part of the Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Church Second Sunday lecture series.

Kingsbury worked as a sports and feature writer for the LA Times in the late 1980s. Today she has more than 25 million copies of her award-winning books in print and several of her novels have been the subject of recent record-breaking Hallmark original movies. Kinsbury’s bestselling Baxter Family series is in development by Mark Burnett, Roma Downey, and MGM Studios as an upcoming television series. Kingsbury is also a sought-after nationally renowned speaker, frequently sharing how people have one chance to write the story of their lives.

The theme for the evening is, “Let me tell you about my God.”

“I want you to laugh and cry and remember why faith and family are so important,” Kingsbury said of her upcoming Santa Ynez talk. “I’ve been looking forward to this event for a long time. We will share a very special evening, and walk away closer to God and each other.”

Kingsbury and her husband, Don, raised six children – three of whom were adopted from Haiti. This fall their youngest child, Austin, left for Liberty University in Virginia – where all of their boys have attended. Their oldest child, Kelsey, 27, is married to Christian recording artist Kyle Kupecky. Kingsbury and her family live in Nashville, Tenn.

To accommodate Karen’s travel schedule, this Second Sunday program will begin at 4 p.m. in the church sanctuary. Admission is free. Doors will open at 3:30 p.m. for early seating, with live music by Alan Satchwell and The Band of Brothers. During the program, the singing of three of Kingsbury’s favorite hymns will be accompanied by Satchwell and led by baritone Bill Malloy.

At the conclusion of the program, a reception will be held in the Welcome Center, across the patio from the sanctuary.  Several of Kingsbury’s books will be available for $10 each, with profits going to her own adoption charity, the One Chance Foundation. Kingsbury loves meeting and greeting her readers and will be available for book-signings and photos. Root beer floats will be available at the reception.

The Valley Presbyterian Church is located at the corner of Alamo Pintado Rd. and Baseline Ave. in Solvang. Ample parking is available adjacent to the sanctuary.

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