Dr. Richard Perry, Prof. Emeritus of Church and Society, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and Dr. James Thomas, retired Prof. of Church and Ministry, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary Lenoir-Rhyne University discuss the life and ministry of Dr. William Herzfeld.

Dr Herzfeld was the first African American to be presiding bishop of a Lutheran denomination in the United States. They discussed his years as parish pastor, Civil Rights leader(worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Southern Christian Leadership Conference), bishop of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and executive position in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They also describe him as a synthesizer, nurturer, liberator, and community builder who showed his faith. In his life and with his organizational skills, he created space for Black Lutherans. He had a commitment to the global church. They both conclude that his life and ministry continues to inspire them and their work.

Bishop Herzfeld photo: https://coslutheran.org/bishop-will-herzfeld-1937-2002/

In this Episode Dr. Christopher Bellitto, Professor of History at Kean University, author of “Walking Toward Virtue: A Journey with Dante,” and a frequent interpreter of Catholic history and current affairs, recaps the election of the first American pope, Pope Leo XIV, and his recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, “The Magnificence of Humanity,” which is about the promise and peril of AI, but also about war, slavery, and the poor. A recurring theme is safeguarding humanity.

Bellitto believes that Pope Leo’s papacy will emphasize human values and the condition of have-nots in society.

This episode is hosted by retired Seminary Explores host Jerry Christianson, Professor Emeritus of Church History at United Lutheran Seminary.

Pope Leo XIV photo credit: Edgar Beltrán, The Pillar

Victoria Jesswein, Associate Archivist at United Lutheran Seminary, introduces us to the work of an archivist, explains the importance of the archives to an institution and answers the question, what is an archivist? She describes the archive collection at United Lutheran Seminary (ULS) noting the ample collection of 19th century materials as well as materials from earlier centuries. As the seminary celebrates its bicentennial in 2026 it is important to reflect on what voices have been excluded from that story and how to fill in those gaps. Jesswein also shares the professional preparation of an archivist as well as the challenges all archives face amid the digital age.