St. Andrew Lutheran Church’s engagement in cross-cultural ministry began in 1999 when members and the pastor talked about what mission and ministry should look like for them as they endeavored to faithfully proclaim the gospel in the context of West Chicago. This far west suburb of Chicago in DuPage county is just over half Hispanic/Latino. […]
Bodies and Worlds: Coates and Francis
And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.—Mark 13:37 Ask a Christian to tell you God’s greatest commandment, and she’ll likely say, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your strength and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Ask her if she knows God’s […]
Reparations?…Jubilee!
“The idea that you are reborn anew, without your history, without being dogged by your past, without who you were haunting you and you having to deal with that, is uniquely American. In America, we have difficulty with acknowledging the fact that where we are in a particular moment is irrevocably tied to our past. […]
Can the ELCA be Multicultural? I’m Glad You Asked.
I always chuckle a little bit whenever someone asks me the question – often with furrowed-brow and misplaced intensity: “Can the ELCA be multicultural?” It’s a tough answer. Internal estimates place the whiteness of our denomination at 94.7%. This summer’s sobering PEW research study of ethnic diversity in US religious communities has us at 96% […]
Breaking Free
Like many in our Church, I am deeply grateful to our Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, for raising the challenge to re-engage on questions of race and privilege in our society. This is work in which I have been personally involved for many years , and frankly, one that continues to challenge and sometimes to frustrate […]