Colleagues, Eleven years ago today, the day before Luther’s birthday, the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. Makes me think of the semester-long stint that Marie and I did thereafter in Lithuania, one of the countries of the former Soviet bloc. We’re still in e-mail connection with folks we met there in the city of Klaipeda, one of …
Palestinian Lutherans in Today’s War Zone (Continuation of ThTh #124)
Colleagues: Half a dozen, maybe more, responses (some of them lengthy pieces) have come my way since last week’s posting about Christians Palestinians. I’d like to send them all your way, especially the two coming from Jewish authors who speak out for the Palestinians in their ironic David/Goliath dilemma with Israel, but it’s too much. So I’ve …
Magnificat Advent 4
Luke 1:39-55 A “Crossings” by Robert W. Bertram [Presented at the Order of Phillipi in Cape Coral, Fl., November, 2000.] In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the …
Macedonian Call from Palestinian Christians (that you haven’t seen on CNN)
Colleagues, Today’s posting is quite lengthy. So I’m sending it in three parts. This is part #1, the first of the three pieces I rec’d yesterday from Kit Kleinhans and Fred Strickert, one-time Seminex students and now theology profs at Wartburg College (ELCA) in Waverly, Iowa. Even in the face of this “apocalypse now,” Peace & Joy! …
Historic Episcopacy and the ELCA – Responses from Readers
Colleagues, The last two postings (ThTh 121 and ThTh 122) offered Walt Bouman’s corrective to my misreading of the CCM document, and then his perspective on the current controversy within the ELCA now that CCM has been adopted. Here are some responses that came my way from these postings. Peace & Joy! Ed Schroeder From a prof …
The debate within the ELCA about HE-succession (continued)
Colleagues, The core of last week’s ThTh 121 was Walt Bouman’s analysis of the specifics of the document “Called to Common Mission” (CCM), the recent agreement between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church USA. Walt corrected some misinformation I’d passed on in earlier ThTh postings. His words drew interesting responses from a number …
Greater Accuracy on the ELCA’s agreement with US Episcopalians
Colleagues, I have to eat crow. I was wrong, simply mistaken. About what? About the picture I had of the document “Called to Common Mission” [CCA], the agreement between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America [ELCA] and the Episcopal Church USA [ECUSA] pertaining to ordination of future pastors in the ELCA. Here’s what I now know. The specs …
Reader Response on Necessitating Christ in Preaching
Colleagues, Here’s some feedback that’s come my way on the topic above. Peace & Joy! Ed From the pastor who preached the sermon that triggered the discussion, this one-liner—Re: Thursday Theology 118. Thanks Ed. Nice job. Fun to read. (Name) From a Seminex grad, now a pastor in Indiana—It seems simple enough to me: There is no …
Luther’s Theology of Mission
Colleagues, Six months ago an ELCA bishop asked me: “Was Mission the ‘Great Omission’ in the Lutheran Reformation?” Robin Morgan and I had heard that question turned into an indicative statement earlier this year at the international missiology conference in S. Africa. Finally I’ve come across something that speaks to the question. It’s an essay published in …
Response to Sermon
[N.B. The writers for Sabbatheology and Thursday Theology do their work for free. Our listserve provider, however, does not. Contributions to palliate his pressing us for pecunia are welcome. Here’s the address: The Crossings Community, PO Box 7011, St. Louis MO 63006-7011.] Colleagues, Four weeks ago (ThTh 114) I reported on the Schroeder clan reunion and our …