A synopsis of the essay… In the accompanying Spanish language essay, Pastor Antonio Cabello defends the use of sacred images and icons in worship and devotion, through scripture, patristic writings and Luther. Images are not objects of worship in and of themselves. Rather, they serve to remind God’s people of what He has accomplished on […]
Archives for February 2015
Bibliography for Hispanic-Latino Ministry
(part 2) Abalos, David T., Latinos in the United States: The Sacred and the Political, Notre Dame: Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1986. Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, Vida en Comunidad, Salamanca, Ediciones Sígueme, 2003. Elizondo, Virgilio P., La Morenita: Evangelizer of the Americas, San Antonio, Mexican American Cultural Center, 1980. Francis, Mark R. & Pérez-Rodriguez, Arturo J., […]
Sent or/and Settled
I suspect that I will not be the only one commenting on the 2007 CWA to note that the ELCA is twenty years old, and that at twenty, persons often and appropriately endure identity crises. Twenty-year-olds are obviously not children, but at least in the eyes of some, neither are they expected to be quite […]
Looking Home from Abroad
As many of the readers of Let’s Talk know, in mid summer of 1999, after twenty-five years as a parish pastor I moved to Geneva, Switzerland, in order to accompany my wife Karen who was called to be Director of Theology and Studies for the Lutheran World Federation. I have not regretted my move. With […]
A Canonical Exegesis of Leviticus
Pastor Robert Goldstein responds to my article on “Another Way to Interpret the Bible” with two main points (See “Readers Responses” in this issue.) First, “modern science” gives us an understanding of physical (including sexual) reality that goes beyond the knowledge in the Canon of Scripture. Second, we need to be clear about our motivations […]
“What will you say when people ask you about your experience?”
It has now been a while since I unpacked my bags from attending the Churchwide Assembly. I’ve sorted through (and recycled) much of the paper that I brought home, written a church newsletter article, entered information for new friends in my contacts, and gotten a good night of rest. I have also had the opportunity […]
Holding the Center
The Church exists to call the whole world into a reconciled relationship with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ by the way of the cross. Everything that we say and do is accountable to this identity. Yet as a practical matter, we have spent centuries trying to fully understand the implications of this identity […]
Reflections on the Churchwide Assembly
One of the slogans of the ELCA over the last couple of years has been “unity in the midst of diversity.” This unity has been so important that it even made it into the proposal of the task force presentation in 2005 when we discussed the blessing of same sex unions and the rostering of […]
Filling the Crater
In retrospect, it was a mistake to be reading Karl Barth’s The Epistle to the Romans so soon before my one visit to this year’s Churchwide Assembly. I must plead inexcusable tardiness: in three years of recently-concluded formal theological education, I never went deeper into Barth than a sermon or two. Reading the massive and […]
Summer Church Convention Round-Up
Ah, summertime, when the livin’s easy, the cotton is high, and denominational bodies convene to regret, bestir, and proclaim. After the cosmic liturgical drama of Advent, Lent, and Easter, the over-churched among us must look to national meetings of Christians to supply the kind of sturm und drang that ordinary time seems to lack. It’s […]
The Challenge and the Promise
Our church decided twenty years ago to seek added diversity by establishing the goal of raising the ELCA’s minority membership to 10% within the first ten years of our common life. Sadly, the ELCA has consistently fallen short of this mark, despite the best of intentions. In this article, I will share from my perspective, […]
The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith by Marcus J. Borg
Recently I picked up this book, curious after hearing a reference to it in a recent presentation on spirituality. I had heard about Marcus Borg before, but had been “turned off” by his participation in the Jesus Seminar. I had not thought about Borg in the context of spirituality, and was intrigued. About the Author […]
What happened at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly?
A while back I was watching “Akeelah and the Bee” with four-year-old grandson Reed. Toward the end of the movie he looked up at me and with great concern asked, “Gramma, why are you crying?” With a huge lump in my throat and wet cheeks, I replied, “It touches my heart.” Now at some very […]
Concordia Avondale Campus: A Community Ministry of Concordia Lutheran Church
Our History, Mission and Objectives Concordia Lutheran Church, a small, urban congregation of some 60 families, enacts its faith in Jesus Christ through vital ministries directed not only to our members, but also to the community around us. Concordia Lutheran Church created the ministry of Concordia Avondale Campus out of its belief that the vitality […]
Programmatic Triumphal Church to Relational Servant Ekklesia: A Conversion Narrative
I was involved in the initial discussions leading to the Pentecost 2008 issue of Let’s Talk. The editor kindly invited me to write some reflections. Other essays will offer inspiring and informative insights from those engaged in exemplary ministries in the Synod. This essay consists of some reflections based on a career spent trying to […]
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