This frigid windy winter morning, I got up early and met other colleagues from Wartburg Seminary down at the Grand River Center for Dubuque’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration. I was really looking forward to the keynote speaker, The Rev. Dr. Joy Jittaun Moore, whom I had met previously through her connection with…… Continue reading A Christian Imagination
Category: Social Issues
Presence. Connections. Sharing Stories.
I had a really wonderful experience last weekend that managed to be both wonderfully uplifting and break my heart a little bit. I was privileged to be able to represent Wartburg Seminary at the consecration of the new bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy land, Bishop Imad Haddad (pictured above).…… Continue reading Presence. Connections. Sharing Stories.
Kristallnacht: Silence makes way for Violence
Yesterday, Nov. 10th, was the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht [and if you don’t know much about it, I encourage you to read more here: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/kristallnacht%5D Kristallnacht is “the night of broken glass,” and it marked a shift into a very public phase of the state-sanctioned, deadly Anti-Semitism of the Nazi party. Kristallnacht included: The vandalism…… Continue reading Kristallnacht: Silence makes way for Violence
To Open your Mind, Open your Heart First
On the recommendation of a friend and colleague, I just finished a very interesting book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt. It is dense and well researched–and quite compelling. I started taking notes for this blog post and I quickly gave up–no one wants to read…… Continue reading To Open your Mind, Open your Heart First
Think of your Neighbor
Like many of my colleagues, I have been feeling a strong sense of whiplash these past few months. If you work at a college, university or seminary, maybe you have been feeling that way, too. All of us in higher education, including those of us in theological education, have been struggling to stay abreast of…… Continue reading Think of your Neighbor
Fervor in the Face of Futility
I wanted to share some reflections from an article in the recent issue of The New Yorker. The title of the article was “Helicopter Parents” (by Nick Paumgarten), and from the title alone, I imagine the same topic jumped into your mind as it did into mine: those human parents who hover over their children,…… Continue reading Fervor in the Face of Futility
Prayer and Justice
Walter Brueggemann is one of my favorite Old Testament scholars, primarily because I am not an Old Testament scholar! I find his writing very accessible, very interesting, and always thought-provoking and generative. I just finished a recent book of essays, Truth and Hope: Essays for a Perilous Age. As the title suggests, the chapters are…… Continue reading Prayer and Justice
Remember Martin Luther King, Jr.
Given that today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, perhaps you might have imagined that this post would be titled, “Remembering” MLK–you know, looking back and celebrating who he was and all he accomplished. But, that is not what I want to do today, January 20th, 2025. Today, I want to invite us to look…… Continue reading Remember Martin Luther King, Jr.
Call to Allyship
I want to share a recommendation of a short book that I finished last night. The title is Called to Allyship: Preparing Your Congregation for Leaders of Color. It is edited by Rev. Angela !Kebab, and includes chapters written by a variety of leaders of color in the ELCA. Each of the chapter is focused…… Continue reading Call to Allyship
Learning from The Race Card Project
I want to share a bit about a book I just finished: Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think about Race and Identity, by Michele Norris, the creator of The Race Card Project. I first read about this book in The New York Times, and as soon as I read the story, I knew I…… Continue reading Learning from The Race Card Project
Happy Lutheran 