By Tove Trelstad-Larsen ’24

Attendees at the All-Community Read Program Launch including the author, center.

The Lutheran Center marked the launch of our 2023-2024 All-Community Read, So That All May Flourish: The Aims of Lutheran Higher Education on Thursday, September 21st. The event to kick off on-campus dialogue about this book included a breakfast where three St. Olaf faculty members spoke on their chapters within the book and those who attended spoke with one another about the book. 

As it’s my first year as an Interfaith Fellow, this was the first time I attended an event like this, but I found it to be very welcoming and extremely interesting. As a student, I felt that all of the sections related to my experiences at St. Olaf especially because they all touched on vocation, which is something I have been considering quite a bit as a student. After reading the chapters each of these speakers had written, I was extremely excited to hear what they had to say about what I had understood from the book. After hearing from each of them I was most struck by Deanna Thompson’s description of the traumatizing events of 2020, which especially related to my time as a student. There was (and is) extreme sadness about the racism on this campus and the memories of the pandemic, but the message of talking about this pain and experiencing hope in the midst of pain was something that really stuck with me. This experience of hope, in the face of the pandemic and racism as well as the rising oppression of queer people is extremely pertinent and current.

There was (and is) extreme sadness about the racism on this campus and the memories of the pandemic, but the message of talking about this pain and experiencing hope in the midst of pain was something that really stuck with me.

I wish there had been more time to talk, but also that is the purpose of a launch: to pique interest by putting the ideas in the book out in the open and encouraging discussion. The discussion that we had at my table and as a group was extremely fruitful and demonstrated the interest among all the attendees in the subject matter presented by the book and the speakers. My group mainly focused on the place of people who are not Christian in the system of Lutheran higher education, talking about the benefits and challenges of that. I am extremely excited to continue our discussion as soon as possible.

There are no two chapters that are saying precisely the same thing from the same perspective, and yet they are rooted in the same passion for education, freedom, vocation and a commitment to community and care for others.

As those who attended finish (or start) their reading of So That All May Flourish, it will be exciting to see what people have to say going forward, once they have had more time to consider what they think of it. As someone who has attended this event and read this book, I can attest to its importance. The variety of viewpoints from faculty who have situated their place in Lutheran Higher education is unique: there are no two chapters that are saying precisely the same thing from the same perspective, and yet they are rooted in the same passion for education, freedom, vocation and a commitment to community and care for others. I greatly look forward to the discussion in our community that will blossom as we continue reading So That All May Flourish, and look forward to learning more about what Lutheran higher education means to St. Olaf College.