look arial,sans-serif;”>In anticipation of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, the Nordic Symposium this February will begin a two-year focus on the watershed movement.

The 17th annual symposium, “Kings, Nobles and Bishops: Reform in Denmark, Norway and Iceland,” will be held Feb. 12 and 13 at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. The public is invited to join in the spirit of a symposium, which blends music, dining and the free exchange of ideas to enhance the pleasure of learning.

Experts from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and England will delve into the changes brought on by the northward diffusion of the reform started in Germany by Martin Luther. Rasmus H.C. Dreyer, chairman of the Society of Danish Church History at the University of Copenhagen, will discuss Danish reformer Hans Tausen. The Rev. Solveig Lára Guðmundsdóttir, the bishop of Hólar, will talk about the transition in Iceland. Ole Peter Grell of the Department of History at The Open University in London will present “The Two Reformations in Denmark: From Popular Evangelical Movement to Official Lutheran Reformation.” Hallgeir Elstad, the dean of research on the theology faculty at the University of Oslo, will cover the movement’s history in Norway, where people did not embrace the changes as readily as in Denmark and Sweden.

The Rev. R. Guy Erwin, the bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will provide an overview of the Reformation as an international movement. Martin Lohrmann from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Iowa will present “Bugenhagen in Denmark: How Wittenberg’s Pastor Shaped a National Reformation.” Accompanied by Cal Lutheran organist Kyle Johnson, professor emeritus Fred Tonsing will discuss the music that helped spread the ideas of the Reformation.

A reception will kick off the weekend at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Scandinavian Center. The symposium will conclude with dinner and entertainment at 7 p.m. Feb. 13 in the Lundring Events Center. All presentations will be in Samuelson Chapel.

Cal Lutheran, the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation, and the Southwest California Synod of the ELCA are sponsoring the symposium. The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and the Norway House Foundation in San Francisco provided grants.

For schedules, prices and registration, visit scandinaviancenter.org or contact Howard Rockstad at 805-497-3717