Every Fall season, Burlington Lutheran offers a Speaker Series that can change worlds…

For 2026

Singing rather than Doomscrolling:
How Music Enables Restoration, Reconnection, and Reconciliation

Nov 1, 5, 10 (all at 6:30pm)

This year we have the privilege of hearing from Dr Chelle Stearns for each session.

Our social media feeds are often flooded with the world's injustices, trapping us in a cycle of “doomscrolling.” However, being inundated and overwhelmed by the trauma of others is not the same as being inspired toward meaningful social change. How can we remain actively engaged rather than detached or fatalistic about the state of our world?

This lecture series explores music—specifically choral singing—as a powerful avenue for communal restoration, reconnection, and reconciliation. By weaving together biblical, historical, scientific, and community organizing insights, these lectures offer practical ways to stay involved, nurture realistic hope, and cultivate healing resources for today and tomorrow. Discover how singing serves as an unexpected, transformative tool for social change.

Dr Stearns’ academic work has focused on the interaction between theology and music, and she loves to talk about the Christian imagination. As a violinist, she brings with her a background in teaching violin and performing in chamber and orchestral settings. She also has a long history of serving in the Church as a musician, teacher, and worship leader. Having been a full-time professor at the Seattle School for Theology and Psychology, she is now affiliate staff in order to be involved in more  ways in both the academy and church. She is an engaging speaker, with a very wide base of knowledge and experience.

ALL ARE WELCOME to this series. All sessions are FREE; donations welcome.
November 1: A Voice in the Wilderness: History of Prophetic Voices in Song

Song has rung out in protest and lament for millennia. This opening lecture traces biblical and cultural histories of those who have courageously raised their voices in prophetic song.

November 5: Why We Sing: Music, the Brain, and How Humanity Heals

Neuroscience provides powerful rationale for why music, especially choral singing, builds community and strengthens our capacity to engage the world. Learn how singing physically enables healing and builds resilience.

November 10: Sing a New Song: Finding Hope in Troubling Times
We sing to find our voices when we feel silenced. Throughout history, protest and resistance movements have started simply with the resources at hand: voices, feet, bodies, and communities united in song. This session will include community singing.