[At the 1999 ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod Assembly workshop on ecumenical decisions, written comments and questions were submitted by workshop attendees to the panel of presenters resulting in a lively exchange among the four; a “Let’s Talk” moment.  The different views of the nature of communion with other church bodies, different readings of confessional documents, […]

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of the ongoing conversation about the Lutheran-Episcopal Dialogue—a dialogue in which we have been engaged for 30 years in the hope that we can overcome 450 years of division. My daughter ran on a 4 x 800 relay team.  In many ways, we are being asked […]

Thank you for this opportunity to speak.  As you can imagine, it’s pretty difficult to have to stand up here and tell you, much less try to convince you, that CCM is a fundamentally flawed document that you should reject; but for the sake of honesty, I want to let you know up front where […]

I am delighted to have been invited for a second time to join you at your annual Assembly.  I do not know how this college acquired its name, but it seemed to me entirely appropriate that I open this presentation with words from St. Cyprian of Carthage, who was beheaded by the emperor Valerian in […]

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 […]