The Passion of Robert Oelbermann

Robert Oelbermann was a German Lutheran who happened to be gay. His life and suffering exemplify state-sponsored persecution of persons deemed unfit for life under the rule of Adolf Hitler. In this presentation, Samuel Torvend will show how the tentative emancipation of sexual minorities was undone by an ideology rooted in fear of the other, and how persecuted people struggled to lean into life. 

Torvend is a professor of religion and University Chair in Lutheran Studies at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. He is the director of vocational reflection at the Center for Vocation at the university and director of the Center for Religion and Culture in the Pacific Northwest. He teaches on the history of Christianity and many related topics including social welfare reform, responses to hunger, art and architecture, and rituals. As the university professor of Lutheran studies, he also teaches courses and seminars on Martin Luther, the Lutheran heritage, women reformers, Lutheran higher education, Lutheran art and music, and the Reformation.

Admission is free. Sponsored by the Division of Mission and Identity in recognition of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Livestream and On Demand video recording available at www.CalLutheran.edu/live.