PLTS: Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary

PLTS Professor of Theological and Social Ethics Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda has been selected by the Graduate Theological Union Council of Deans as the 2026-2027 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer. This selection speaks deeply to her wisdom and gravitas as a professor and theologian. We rejoice in this wonderful news and give thanks for Dr. Moe-Lobeda's witness among us!

You are invited to join the ELCA Seminaries for an upcoming Fireside Chat for LGBTQ+ prospective students and current seminaries — From Questions to Calling, on Thursday, April 23rd at 5:00pm (PT). This event is an opportunity to learn about seminary resources for folks in the LGBT+ community and hear from a panel of ELCA deacons, pastors, and faith leaders, including PLTS alum Deacon Katie Evans. Please share this event with anyone you think might benefit from this conversation! Register: https://admissions.callutheran.edu/register/Firesidechat

𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗘 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽: Ben Sides Joins Groundbreaking Program for Clergy Students and Early-Career Professionals

New York, NY — Ben Sides, a student at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, is one of 14 Fellows chosen for the 2026 Clergy Program of the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE).

Now in its sixteenth year, FASPE annually grants 80-90 Fellowships to graduate students and early-career professionals in the fields of Business, Clergy, Design & Technology, Journalism, Law, and Medicine. Fellows participate in a two-week program in Germany and Poland, which uses the conduct of professionals in N**i-occupied Europe as an initial framework for approaching ethical responsibility in the professions today.

The FASPE curriculum takes advantage of the power of place with daily seminars and dialogue at sites of historic importance, often specific to each profession. The experience of the Clergy Fellows is enhanced by traveling alongside the Journalism and Medical Fellows, who—in formal and informal settings—consider together how ethical constructs and norms in their respective professions align and differ.

“We are living in a fraught moment when professionals face crucial ethical choices that in some instances are reminiscent of choices professionals faced in N**i Germany. FASPE’s emphasis on examining why so many professionals made poor choices, how we might identify with their decision-making, and the horrific consequences of their choices helps to instill in professionals a rigorous and reflective approach that is valuable at any time, but particularly in a perilous moment like this one,” said Noah Bookbinder, FASPE’s CEO.

The 2026 Fellowship will take place in Germany and Poland over the course of two weeks this summer. The Clergy Program will be led by Rabbi Amy Wallk of Temple Beth El, and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, assistant director for partnerships and fellowships and lecturer at the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School.

Ben will graduate with an MDiv. from Iliff School of Theology in May 2026 and with a Certificate of Advanced Theological Studies from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in May 2027. He is a candidate for ordination in the Lutheran Church (ELCA). Ben received his BA in Music from Luther College in 2017, and has been a church musician and public school teacher.

Thinking ahead to the upcoming fellowship trip, Sides shared, “As authoritarian regimes continue to rise and consolidate power to wield in increasingly oppressive ways, it is more urgent than ever to learn from the lessons of our past and the dynamic voices of the present. As a future pastor, I want to be as equipped as possible to meet the challenges of the moment, to build and empower communities and individuals in the work of justice, and to have the kinds of difficult conversations that enable real change. I would be profoundly grateful both to learn from the collective wisdom of FASPE how to approach these topics with dignity and grace and to be part of a broad and diverse community that shares that call.”

Sides joins a diverse group of 84 FASPE Fellows across all six programs who were chosen through a competitive process that drew over 1,400 applicants from across the U.S. and the world. FASPE covers all program costs, including travel, food and lodging.

FASPE Fellows become members of a community of nearly 1,000 alumni. Through an annual reunion conference, leadership-development workshops, ethics symposia hosted in partnership with major academic and industry institutions, continued trips to ethically significant historical sites, and alumni writing, including in the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum’s Memoria Magazine, FASPE maintains long-term relationships with its Fellows in order to sustain a commitment to ethical behavior and to provide a forum for continued dialogue. Through FASPE’s Ethical Tensions Conversations, for example, alumni reflect upon and discuss the vital professional ethical issues of our own day in the spirit of open inquiry.

To learn more about FASPE and its programs, visit www.faspe-ethics.org.

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Please join us in congratulating Ben!! 🥳

Great news - we’ve surpassed our goal of $25,000 in 24 hours! Thank you SO much to our amazing supporters for making this possible!! 🥳🥳🥳💜💛

This Cares Day, your gift to PLTS helps us to continue offering exceptional educational opportunities, like this Christian Nationalism panel at Dr. Kirsi Stjerna's Freedom Theology with Martin Luther class! With only 9 hours remaining to reach our goal, we're currently 5th on the Cares Day leaderboard - help us reclaim one of the top spots!

3 PM: $17,400 of $25,000 raised👊

https://give.callutheran.edu/giving-day/115622/department/115665/leaderboards

With your support, we've raised 64% our goal this Cares Day already! 3rd on the leaderboard!

12:30 PM: $16,050 of $25,000 🙏

Good morning friends of PLTS - wow, we are off to a flying start this morning for Cares Day! The Seminary Fund is already in 5th place on the leaderboard! Your gifts make dreams take flight - help us reach our goal today:

9 AM: $10,025 of $25,000 🙌👏

https://give.callutheran.edu/giving-day/115622/department/115665

One Day. One Community. Endless Impact.

Get ready - tomorrow, Wednesday, April 8 is Cares Day! For 24 hours, we come together to strengthen the students, programs, and mission that defines us. Our goal this year is to raise $25,000 for the Seminary Fund.

Donate early to boost PLTS in the leaderboard, or save this link for tomorrow: https://give.callutheran.edu/giving-day/115622/department/115665

Do you have questions about your future with PLTS? Join our Drop-In Hours at any time to speak in-depth with our Admissions Team:

🌟2:00 - 3:00 pm (PT) on Monday, April 6th
🌟12:00 - 1:00 pm (PT) on Thursday, April 9th

Register here for the Zoom link:

PLTS Admissions Drop-in Hours