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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
As I See It: What Do We Expect of Our Bishops?
I had thought about writing this article before the Synod Assembly because of the interest generated in the process of electing a new bishop. Because I was designated in the Pre-Assembly Canvas as a “potential nominee” for that office, I deferred writing this article. I did have an opportunity to state my views on the […]
As I See It: What’s the Business of a Synod Assembly?
Reports by our synod delegates to our church council are usually pro forma. Last year, however, there was considerable discussion of the 2000 Metropolitan Chicago Synod Assembly at our council meeting. Part of the reason was that we had dutifully tried to respond to the bishop’s exhortation to send 10-15 lay leaders. We didn’t send […]
Can the Church Bless “Committed Same-Sex Relationships”?
The Metropolitan Chicago Synod Assembly passed a resolution asking the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (1) to develop a rite of blessing of gay and lesbian persons living in committed same-sex relationships, (2) to produce materials to support pastors as they provide pastoral care and counseling for same-sex couples, and (3) to provide educational materials […]
Celebration of the Signing of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification
On October 31, 1999, in Augsburg, Germany, representatives of the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation signed the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. A Joint Celebration by sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at Immanuel Lutheran Church […]
Whither Lutheran-Episcopal Relationships
The first round of Lutheran-Episcopal Dialogue (LED) in the United States began exactly thirty years ago in 1969. LED I was established to explore the possibilities of dialogue. Instead, it concluded with a report that so much agreement exists between Lutheran and Episcopal Churches “in matters theological, liturgical, creedal, in sacramental life and practice, as […]
The Theses, Confessionalism, Me, and My Congregation
How surprised I was to receive an emotional phone call from an acquaintance at the ELCA Churchwide Office asking how I could endorse such an attack on the ELCA! At first I didn’t know what my caller was talking about. But the 9.5 Theses had arrived by mail on Higgins Road; I hadn’t received my […]
Report on Lutheran-Episcopal Relations: Ecumenical Symposium at Loyola University
You invited Bill Roberts and myself, as the ecumenical officers of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Metropolitan Chicago Synod respectively, to give a report on Lutheran-Episcopal Relationships. The invitation to address this symposium was extended before the votes were taken at our respective church assemblies this past summer. […]
A Response to Philip Hefner
In Let’s Talk, Volume 1, Issue 4, Philip Hefner addressed the question, “How is the Church Necessary for Salvation?” by describing the church as God’s well of possibility.” I found his description not so much objectionable as tame, perhaps because it lacked a specific reference to the death-embracing and death-defying sacrament of regeneration. The word […]
Ecumenical Decisions and Mission
As of now the 1997 Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA is scheduled to make decisions on two momentous ecumenical proposals: full communion (altar and pulpit fellowship) with The Episcopal Church and with three Churches in the Reformed tradition (the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ). Both of […]
As I See It: What Theological Education Needs to Do
This issue of Let’s Talk is devoted to theological education. The idea for devoting an issue to this is because of the emergence of new models for doing theological education in our seminaries and curriculum changes in response to new contexts in church and society. Certainly factored into these changes are such practical considerations as: […]
As I See It: Preaching With Catechumens Present
During Lent of 2014 I was invited to serve as the Sunday morning preacher at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston. There was interest in the parish in the catechumenate and mystagogy (instruction in the sacraments). The Gospels in Year A of the Roman and Revised Common Lectionaries are the preferred readings if the parish […]
Christian Initiation at St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Evanston: An Interview with Sister Christina Fuller, osf
The St. Nicholas Catholic Church building is an imposing gothic structure on Ridge Avenue in south Evanston whose tall steeple is a visible landmark. The parish was founded by German-speaking Luxembourgers in 1887 who embraced German-speaking Catholic immigrants from Germany and Poland who lived in nearby communities. The neo-gothic structure was erected in 1904-06. St. […]