James M. Childs, Jr., senior research professor, was featured in The Huffington Post on June 11, 2012, for the story "Mark 6:14-29: The Downfall of Giving Into Fear."

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Walter F. Taylor Jr., the Ernest W. and Edith S. Ogram Professor of new Testament Studies and director of Graduate Studies, gave three keynote presentations, November 1 and 2, at “Moving Forward with Christ,” a continuing education event for professional leaders from all the synods of Region 8, in Altoona, Pennsylvania; led a Bible study on November 3 at the first call theological education event for pastors from Region 8, in Altoona; led a pericope study on Advent and Christmas on November 8 in Findlay, Ohio; led Bible studies at a retreat for the Lay Ministries Training Program of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod, December 2-3,  in Greenville, Michigan; and led a Bible study on the Gospel of Mark on February 5, 12, 19, and 26 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Upper Arlington, Ohio.

Paul D. Numrich, professor of world religions and interreligious relations and professor in the Snowden Chair for the Study of Religion and Interreligious Relations, Methodist Theological School in Ohio, was featured in the story, “New Mosques Cropping Up in Chicago, Study Shows,” on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition program in November. The topic was part of his sabbatical research. His publications include, “The Boundaries of Knowledge in Buddhism, Christianity, and Science,” in Buddhist-Christian Studies 31(2011); “The North American Buddhist Experience,” in Buddhism in the Modern World; a review of Duncan S. Ferguson, Exploring the Spirituality of the World Religions: The Quest for Personal, Spiritual and Social Transformation, in Theology Today (January 2012). He gave a presentation titled “Mosques and Muslims in America” at First Community Church, Columbus, and “Meek Christians” at North Broadway UMC, Columbus.

Joy A. Schroeder, professor of church history and Bergener Professor of Theology and Religion, was Bible study leader at the 2012 Northwest Ohio and Northeastern Ohio Synod professional leaders retreat in January. She published the following articles: “Disrupting Sacred Time: Angela of Foligno’s Encounter with St. Bartholomew’s Demonic Imposter,” in the Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures; “Elizabeth Wilson, the Bible, and the Legal Rights of Women in the Nineteenth Century,” in Postscripts: The Journal of Sacred Texts and Contemporary Worlds; “Sexual Abuse and a Theology of Embodiment: Incarnating Healing,” in The Long Journey Home, Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused: A Collaborative Address from Psychology, Theology, and Pastoral Care; and “Temple Trials,” in the March issue of Gather (formerly Lutheran Woman Today). She presented a paper at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting (San Francisco, November 2011) titled “The Prophet Deborah and the Seventeenth-Century Literary Ladies.”

Mark Allan Powell, the Robert and Phyllis Leatherman Professor of New Testament, led programs on “Lutherans and the Bible” for the Lutheran Bible Institute in California, and spoke on “The Political and Ethical Teaching of Jesus” for the Inter-Church Ministries of Erie, Pennsylvania. He led a program on “Proclaiming Jesus for the Missional Church” for the Southwest Pennsylvania Synod and gave lectures on “Jesus and Sinners” at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. He also addressed a group of retired ELCA clergy in Orlando, Florida, and chaired the Historical Jesus Seminar at the Society of Biblical Literature meeting in San Francisco.

Cheryl M. Peterson, associate professor of systematic theology, was a co-presenter at the Southwestern Minnesota Synod Fall Theological Conference (“Ecclesia: The Callings of God’s Church”) and the South-Central Wisconsin Synod Bishop’s Convocation (“God’s Promised Future”) both which met in October 2011. She also gave presentations for the Midwinter Theological Conference of the Northern Rockies Institute of Theology (Montana Synod) which met January 29-February 1, 2012. She contributed the chapter, “Lutheran Principles for Ecclesiology,” for Critical Issues in Ecclesiology (a festschrift for Carl E. Braaten). Her article, “Who is the Church?” will appear in the summer 2012 issue of Dialog: A Journal for Theology.

Emlyn A. Ott, assistant professor of ministry and pastoral leadership and executive director of Healthy Congregations, Inc., has served as supply pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Newark, Ohio, since January. She was a presenter, along with Kathryn Schifferedecker of Luther Seminary, at the Western Mission Network Meeting in Carefree, Arizona, January 20-22. Their joint presentations were titled “When Darkness Descends: Despair and Hope in the Book of Job.” She led a five-week adult Lenten study at Messiah Lutheran, Reynoldsburg, on “Getting Involved with God.” Her presentation at “Adventure in Differentiation” at Wesley Seminary in Washington, D.C., on March 9, was part of a conference that included the work of five other leaders in the area of Bowen Family Systems Theory: Ron Richardson, Roberta Gilbert, Mickie Crimone, Larry Matthews and Peter Steinke.