Speaker: Dr. Fred Baltz

Dr. Fred Baltz is Pastor Emeritus of St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Galena, Illinois, where he served as Pastor for 40 years. He is an author of confirmation curriculum, many articles and more than a dozen books. He has appeared in documentary videos: “Herod’s Temple, the Temple Jesus Knew”, “The Fall of Jericho”, and “The Census and the Star”, and has contributed to Patterns of Evidence documentary films, web articles, and podcasts. Dr. Baltz has given presentations to three international conferences on the Shroud of Turin. A long-time student of the nativity stories in the Gospels, Dr. Baltz has written When the Bible Meets the Sky: The Star of Bethlehem and Other Mysteries. He has also taught for the Institute of Lutheran Theology in Brookings, South Dakota, and served as its interim president in 2011. Dr. Baltz has long attempted to make the Bible come alive for his hearers. He has built and collected unique items for that purpose. Dr. Baltz and Cindy continue to reside in Galena, Illinois. They have four children and seven grandchildren.

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THEME: “These are the Names…”

The Book of Exodus for Christians

“These are the Names,” That’s how the Book of Exodus begins, with names of real people who experienced real events in real time. The Exodus from Egypt is the greatest story of deliverance in the Old Testament, and it contributes mightily to our appreciation of the New Testament’s great deliverance story, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will travel through the book and hear new facts only recently brought forward. We will consult ancient calendars; astronomy; the archaeology of Egypt/the Sinai/the area north of the Gulf of Aqaba; statements from historians from the ancient world; maps of the proposed Red Sea crossing sites. We will address how the Christian should regard Moses (which happens to be the name of a sermon by Martin Luther); the plagues on Egypt, especially the death of the firstborn; the Passover; the golden calf; the wilderness wandering; the manna and the water from the rock. We will discuss the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle for what they have to tell us about proper worship. Bring your questions, as well.

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SPECIAL PRESENTATION
From the Files of the Bible Detective:  The Case of the Shifting Shadow 

This short program will introduce the way astronomy (not astrology) can be a very useful tool for the study of the Bible. We will take up the story of the miraculous backward motion of the sun’s shadow as a sign from the Lord to King Hezekiah during the days of the prophet Isaiah. You can find that story in Isaiah 38. 

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Also enjoy a hymn sing with Glenn Henriksen