Ritual Systems What do theatrical productions, sports games, the procedures of the U.S. Congress, and the liturgy of the church all have in common? Answer: they are all ritual systems. Rituals allow social groups to get certain things done, whether the goal is to stage Romeo and Juliet, score a touchdown, enact legislation, or facilitate […]
Archives for June 2016
Are There Norms for Lutheran Worship?
Not long ago, after a visit to the Wartburg Castle, I worshiped at the church of St. George in Eisenach. Though I don’t speak German, worship in that place on that day was more than familiar to me. There was a rooted ness about it. Perhaps grounded in the baptism of a child at the […]
A Standing Invitation…
At the end of July last year the Editorial Council of Let’s Talk agreed that an issue on “peace with justice” would be timely and fruitful. We asked: How is the church involved in peace/justice issues at various levels? Has there been a “sea change” in the Lutheran approach to social ministry? We recognized the […]
Fundamentalism’s Common Shapes
The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2000. Reviewed by Brian Halverson In the aftermath of September 11th, as people struggle to understand the causes, impact, and implications of terrorism, Karen Armstrong’s book The Battle for God is both timely and particularly relevant. She traces the causes of religious fundamentalism […]
Doing justice in the face of evil: Reflections after the World Trade Center
This reflection was originally published by The Washington Office on Africa, 212 East Capitol Street, Washington, DC 20003 on September 18, 2001. Used by permission. Evil was done last week. The death and massive destruction mark a tragedy that has caused suffering and pain far beyond the confines of New York and Washington. My heart […]
After September 11
Reprinted from The Christian Century, September 26 – October 3, 2001 Copyright © 2001, Christian Century Foundation Used by Permission In the terrible terrorist attacks of September 11, thousands of our fellow citizens were buried under the rubble. The rest of us have been buried under the rubble of words that followed. It is hard […]
As I see It: Doing Justice or Moral Formation?
One of the enjoyable aspects of being on the Let’s Talk Editorial Council is that we talk theology. Our round table discussions lead to the formulation of topics for issues of Let’s Talk. We hope we aren’t talking only to ourselves but that we are engaging you, the leaders of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, in […]
To Lead a Godly Life
Bioethics: A Primer for Christians by Gilbert Meilaender, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1996. Reviewed by Nicholas J. Zook In 1966, Max Scheler published “Der Formalismus in der Ethik und die materiale Wertethik,” later translated into English under the title, “Formalism in Ethics and Non-Formal Ethics of Values,” in which he applied the phenomenological […]
Justice: Ancient Vision and Modern Practice
At the installation of ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, the preacher, Pastor Heidi Neumark of New York City said “The daily ravages of injustice are less eye-catching than the events of September 11, but no less devastating in their human toll. Millions of dollars have been raised to ensure that every family facing financial hardship […]
Public Policy and the Pulpit: Falling Through the Cracks to Making Justice
Let’s hear it for the social ministry committee! You know, those dedicated folk in every congregation who make it their business to minister to homebound members, to raise awareness of, as well as funds and volunteers for, benevolent causes, and to strengthen the connection between the congregation and the social ministry of the church. In […]
Making Christ Known: Promise for a New Day
Reflections on the 2002 theme for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Copyright (c) 2001, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Used by Permission Theodore W. “Ted” Schroeder “Making Christ Known” has been the ongoing theme of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for several years. It expresses in just a few words the overall […]
What Drives Your Church?
The Purpose-Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message & Mission by Rick Warren, Zondervan Publishing House, 1995. Reviewed by Wayne R. Cowell Every Sunday the traffic streams up the four-lane half-mile entrance to the seventy-four acre campus of Saddleback Community Church in Orange County, California. Ten thousand people will attend “seeker” services at this fastest growing […]
As I See It: What I Expect of Our New Presiding Bishop
In my last column I asked, “What do we expect of our bishops?” To answer, I simply laid out the job description of an evangelical episcopate in the Augsburg Confession, Article 28. Since I wrote that article, we have elected and installed a new Presiding Bishop of the ELCA and installed our own Synod Bishop. […]
Stanley Hauerwas: Celebrity, Theologian, and Reviver
On October 20, 2001, Chicago area Lutherans gathered at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Downers Grove for a Metropolitan Chicago Synod Faith Development event. The featured speaker was Stanley Hauerwas, the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke University. He spoke of Death and Marriage, and that is the sort of juxtaposition/pairing for […]
Success and the Cross: A Response to “The Perils of Success”
In an article for Let’s Talk, Volume 6, Issue 1, Pastor Paul Buettner offered a thoughtful challenge to the wholesale appropriation of our cultural “success ethic” as a valid measurement of faithfulness. As one who has had the privilege of serving congregations that are “thriving” as well as those that are “declining,” I share a […]