I suspect that I will not be the only one commenting on the 2007 CWA to note that the ELCA is twenty years old, and that at twenty, persons often and appropriately endure identity crises. Twenty-year-olds are obviously not children, but at least in the eyes of some, neither are they expected to be quite […]

As many of the readers of Let’s Talk know, in mid summer of 1999, after twenty-five years as a parish pastor I moved to Geneva, Switzerland, in order to accompany my wife Karen who was called to be Director of Theology and Studies for the Lutheran World Federation. I have not regretted my move. With […]

Pastor Robert Goldstein responds to my article on “Another Way to Interpret the Bible” with two main points (See “Readers Responses” in this issue.) First, “modern science” gives us an understanding of physical (including sexual) reality that goes beyond the knowledge in the Canon of Scripture. Second, we need to be clear about our motivations […]

It has now been a while since I unpacked my bags from attending the Churchwide Assembly. I’ve sorted through (and recycled) much of the paper that I brought home, written a church newsletter article, entered information for new friends in my contacts, and gotten a good night of rest. I have also had the opportunity […]

The Church exists to call the whole world into a reconciled relationship with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ by the way of the cross. Everything that we say and do is accountable to this identity. Yet as a practical matter, we have spent centuries trying to fully understand the implications of this identity […]

One of the slogans of the ELCA over the last couple of years has been “unity in the midst of diversity.” This unity has been so important that it even made it into the proposal of the task force presentation in 2005 when we discussed the blessing of same sex unions and the rostering of […]

In retrospect, it was a mistake to be reading Karl Barth’s The Epistle to the Romans so soon before my one visit to this year’s Churchwide Assembly. I must plead inexcusable tardiness: in three years of recently-concluded formal theological education, I never went deeper into Barth than a sermon or two. Reading the massive and […]

Ah, summertime, when the livin’s easy, the cotton is high, and denominational bodies convene to regret, bestir, and proclaim. After the cosmic liturgical drama of Advent, Lent, and Easter, the over-churched among us must look to national meetings of Christians to supply the kind of sturm und drang that ordinary time seems to lack. It’s […]

Our church decided twenty years ago to seek added diversity by establishing the goal of raising the ELCA’s minority membership to 10% within the first ten years of our common life. Sadly, the ELCA has consistently fallen short of this mark, despite the best of intentions. In this article, I will share from my perspective, […]

Recently I picked up this book, curious after hearing a reference to it in a recent presentation on spirituality. I had heard about Marcus Borg before, but had been “turned off” by his participation in the Jesus Seminar. I had not thought about Borg in the context of spirituality, and was intrigued. About the Author […]

A while back I was watching “Akeelah and the Bee” with four-year-old grandson Reed. Toward the end of the movie he looked up at me and with great concern asked, “Gramma, why are you crying?” With a huge lump in my throat and wet cheeks, I replied, “It touches my heart.” Now at some very […]