Ethnicity is an important factor in understanding diversity within the complex identity of the ELCA. It is one of a number of variables necessary to comprehend the social and cultural complexities of any large pluralistic population in the United States. Other key factors are gender, sexuality, class, region, and local social morphology (urban, suburban, exurban, […]

On the basis of Bishop Landahl’s introduction of Dr. Ralph Klein at the 2007 Metropolitan Chicago Synod Assembly, I thought that Dr. Klein would address options for interpreting the Bible. In other words, he would give us a lesson in hermeneutics. The bishop introduced the professor by reminding the assembly that the ELCA is engaged […]

“I want you to join our mission trip to Honduras!” That was the enthusiastic invitation I received from Pastor Gary Olson of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville. I agreed to think about it – and then politely declined at a later date. When I mentioned the invitation (rather unenthus-iastically) at a council meeting the […]

No Lutheran has taken up the scholarly and ecclesial issues surrounding Our Lady of Guadalupe — in terms of its narratives, popular manifestations, liturgical history, iconography, and implications for theology as a whole — as has liturgist Maxwell Johnson of Notre Dame. “Religiosidad Popular: The Virgin Mary and Lutherans” in the last issue of Let’s […]

(An English language version follows the original text) Este artículo desea dar a conocer la trayectoria de las voces proféticas y evangelísticas latino-luteranas que se han incorporado dentro y fuera de la estructura de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América (IELA) para promover un enfoque evangelístico que es auténtico, autóctono y representativo de las comunidades […]

I am what you might call “old school.” When I grew up, we children were taught to pray to God, our Father. In confirmation class I learned Luther’s explanation of the introduction of the Lord’s Prayer: “Here God encourages us to believe that he is truly our Father and we are his children. We therefore […]

An experienced observer of public religion in America could, without reading anything on the topic, imagine the outlines of the unedifying theological debate over our country’s immigration policies. Recent attempts at rewriting immigration laws have addressed the difficult policy areas of border security, a guest worker program, establishing the status of those already here illegally […]

A synopsis of the essay… In the accompanying Spanish language essay, Pastor Antonio Cabello defends the use of sacred images and icons in worship and devotion, through scripture, patristic writings and Luther. Images are not objects of worship in and of themselves. Rather, they serve to remind God’s people of what He has accomplished on […]

(part 2) Abalos, David T., Latinos in the United States: The Sacred and the Political, Notre Dame: Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1986. Bonhoeffer, Dietrich, Vida en Comunidad, Salamanca, Ediciones Sígueme, 2003. Elizondo, Virgilio P., La Morenita: Evangelizer of the Americas, San Antonio, Mexican American Cultural Center, 1980. Francis, Mark R. & Pérez-Rodriguez, Arturo J., […]