The theme for the fifteenth International Congress for Luther Research is “Veni Creator Spiritus. Vertrauen und Zukunft / Trust and Future”.

Thus, the 2026 International Luther Research Congress returns to its roots: In 1956 it gathered for the first time in Aarhus (Denmark). Its driving force was Regin Prenter, who a few years earlier had published his book Spiritus Creator on Luther’s pneumatology. In connection with this, the present Congress is dedicating itself to the theme of the Holy Spirit in the horizon of the contemporary world—a world that is, in so many ways, shaped by anxiety and uncertainty. In light of the upheavals caused by war, pandemic, and the climate crisis, the Congress found the title of the old Latin hymn „Come Creator Spirit“ fitting, as it examines the understanding of trust and the future in Luther’s theology.

14 invited keynote speakers will address the main theme from different angles and perspectives.

The first day will examine the relationship between scientific prognosis of the future and biblical prophecy.

The second day will then consider how spirit and corporeality are joined in Luther’s theology, a question that was especially urgent in the disputes of the 1520s.

Follwing a day of short paper presentations, the fourth day will examine Luther's thinking about the embodied work of the Holy Spirit and its relationship to how one anticipates the future in events both good and bad, working under the title, “Anxiety and Hope.”

The Congress ends with a consideration of the societal relevance of these thoughts in the present day.