Articles by Gordon Straw

Gordon Straw comes from St. Paul, MN. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota and received his M.Div. from Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary. He did graduate studies at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

He was formerly Director of American Indian/Alaska Native Ministries for the ELCA. He is co-founder of Rainbow Lily Associates and serves as Program Director of the ELCA Lay Schools for Ministry.

Gordon has served interim pastoral ministries in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod and lives with his wife Evelyn in Chicago.

Identity in Place: A Matter of Life and Death

February 13, 2017 by Gordon J. Straw

This past summer, I went slightly out of my way to visit Oak Grove Cemetery, near Detroit Lakes, MN. This cemetery is known to my mother’s family as one of the “family” cemeteries. I’m not even sure how many of my relatives are buried there, but it’s a lot. My grandparents are buried there. My […]

Evangelism and Identity: Can Indians Be Evangelized?

May 19, 2016 by Gordon J. Straw

(This article is excerpted and adapted by Let’s Talk with the permission of the author. It is taken from “Evangelism with the Native American Community,” Multicultural Mission Institute, Lawrence, KS, 1990.) Evangelism is a crucial issue, not only for the Native American community, but for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as a whole. As […]

Book Review: Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint

January 31, 2014 by Gordon J. Straw

I read a lot of theology. This is not unusual for most of you reading this review. However, I have made an observation, in these years of reading, that books on theology usually make one of two impacts. Either a book is readily accessible and impacts a wider audience, or a book makes a powerful […]