Seeking Truth, Finding Freedom

A Special Edition of The Augustine Institute

και γνωσεσθε την αληθειαν και η αληθεια ελευθερωσει υμας

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.

--The Gospel According to John 8:32, probably written in Ephesus, ca. 85 A.D.

…ad sapientiam pertineat aeternarum rerum cognitio intellectualis, ad scientiam uero temporalium rerum cognitio rationali…

To wisdom belongs the intellectual apprehension of things eternal; to knowledge, the rational apprehension of things temporal.

--De Trinitate, XII.25, by Augustine of Hippo, completed in Hippo, North Africa 416 A.D.

Ein Christenmensch ist ein freier Herr über alle Dinge und niemand untertan. Ein Christenmensch ist ein dienstbarer Knecht aller Dinge und jedermann untertan.

A Christian is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to every one.

--Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen, by Martin Luther, written in Wittenberg, 1521 A.D.

But I ask you, what if the real question was simply – how does the truth you have now transform your life? How does it set you free? Does it recognize the work of the Holy Spirit all around you? Does it open your heart to love your neighbor as you love yourself? Does it encourage you to keep learning, to keep discovering, to keep teaching, and to keep living with a spirit of wonder?

--Seeking Truth, Finding Freedom, by Harvard Stephens, delivered at Carthage College, Reformation Day 2010

A Note from the Editor

In late antiquity, Aurelius Augustinus was a student and teacher of rhetoric before he discerned his calling as a Christian. He became known as St. Augustine, Doctor of the Roman Catholic Church and Bishop of Hippo in North Africa. As a person of both deep faith and deep learning, he contributed unique insights into all of the major philosophical and spiritual questions of his day, insights whose enduring significance the Augustine Institute celebrates. He read and wrote; he thought and taught; he preached and prayed.

In the late Middle Ages, Martin Luther’s father wanted him to become a rhetorician, too—a lawyer. But Martin discerned his calling to study theology and to join the Augustinian order as a monk. And then he discerned that his particular vocation entailed being both a priest and a professor. As a person of both deep faith and deep learning, he published a few controversial theses about how to read the Bible--and then made the Bible available to all who could read German. He became known as the Great Reformer. He read and wrote; he thought and taught; he preached and prayed.

In the 21st century, ELCA colleges and universities are among the increasingly rare places where this precious tradition is robustly practiced by thousands of people of deep faith and deep learning—who seek truth together. Carthage has been blessed by many such dedicated readers, writers, thinkers, teachers, and pastors in its 165 years. In this edition, the Augustine Institute celebrates, with gratitude, the thoughts and teachings, the sermons and prayers, of one of them.

During his eight years (2003-2011) as Dean of the A.F. Siebert Chapel, Pastor Harvard Stephens, Jr. delivered hundreds of insightful messages to the Carthage community during Wednesday morning worship services and on countless other occasions.

Like Saint Augustine and Martin Luther before him, Pastor Stevens read and wrote; he thought and taught; he preached and prayed. His messages are lasting witnesses to the richness of the Augustinian-Lutheran tradition in which Carthage stands. They have provided countless opportunities for students, members of the faculty and staff, and guests to seize the freedom to seek Truth as their vocation.

Much of contemporary society teaches us to keep faith and learning in separate compartments of our lives. Pastor Stephens’ words are powerful testimony to the distinctively Lutheran understanding of the relationship between academic freedom and Christian freedom—an understanding that lies at the heart of Carthage’s mission, and that is one of the most precious contributions Lutheran colleges have to offer the church and the world.

Before coming to Carthage as Dean of Siebert Chapel, Pastor Stephens was Lutheran campus pastor at Howard University, Washington, DC, and had served ELCA parishes in Maryland, Ohio, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As he accepts the call to continue his ministry as senior pastor at Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church in St. Thomas—the third oldest Lutheran church in the Western hemisphere—we offer a selection of these messages, in the confident hope that they will provide substantial food for both mind and spirit. We welcome your responses and questions, which may be directed to lschulze@carthage.edu.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Leonard G. Schulze
Director, Augustine Institute
Carthage College, Kenosha Wisconsin
October 2011