20 years of
Living Theology in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod since 1996
When Frank Senn asked me to write an essay on what I appreciate/don’t appreciate about Luther I practically jumped at the chance. Why? Because writing out my answer gave me the chance to share one of my most perplexing observations of Lutherans. For what confuses me about Lutherans is not so much what they appreciate […]
I always chuckle a little bit whenever someone asks me the question – often with furrowed-brow and misplaced intensity: “Can the ELCA be multicultural?” It’s a tough answer. Internal estimates place the whiteness of our denomination at 94.7%. This summer’s sobering PEW research study of ethnic diversity in US religious communities has us at 96% […]
Question: How do you talk about Jesus’ crucifixion at an open mic show with spiritual- but-not-religious types, many of whom have been badly burned by Christians and the church? Answer: It’s a trick question. You don’t talk about it – you embody it. The idea first occurred to me during the winter of 2008 after […]
