Great Plains Undergraduate Theology Conference

Sioux Falls Seminary is a partial supporter of the Great Plains Undergraduate Theology Conference (GUPTC). This is the second year of the program that invites undergradute students from accross North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska to present their original research in a supportive environment.


I had proposed a similar idea hosted by the seminary, and yet it seemed too big for us to take on. We were pleased to hear of the conference and join in the conversation to foster scholarship among undergraduate students. This wonderful event took place on April 4th at Concordia College in Moorhead Minnesota. Fourteen students from eight school presented their papers (listed below). This year we are excited to offer a journal publishing these papers as well.

The Theology of Original Sin Based on ΕΦ ‘Ω and Romans 5.12 in the Light of Historical and Grammatical Research
Jason G. Andersen
Northwestern College

H. Richard Niebuhr and the Responsible Self
Robert Gallup
Concordia College

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Christian Church
Liv Gibbons
Grinnell College

The Female Face of God in Auschwitz: A Male Response to a Female Jew
James A. Bockwinkel
College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University

Confession and Reconciliation in the Roman Catholic and Lutheran Traditions
Brandon Harvey
Briar Cliff University

Mary in the Protestant Tradition
Katherine Holtmann
Briar Cliff University

Fasting From Thoughtlessness in a Fast Food Nation: Negotiating Muslim-American Identity Through Eating in Contemporary America
Anna Rohde
Concordia College

The Apostle Mary Magdalene
Heather Fosburgh
Simpson College

Biblical References in Chaucer
Jessica Paulsen
Simpson College

Religion and Politics in the First Century CE
Laura Lienemann
Grinnell College

Empress Theodora: Protector of Icons
Emily Schaefer
Concordia College

A Treatise Concerning the Body
Jamin Hubner
Dordt College

When Is the Right Time for Confirmation?
James Wrigg
Briar Cliff University

The Christian Salvation Story and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Jacquelyn StreyAugustana College

Conscience: A Double Bind?
Natalie Scott
Briar Cliff University