A funny thing happened on my way to the 2018 March for Life–I almost talked myself out of going. I was already in DC, having attended the 8:30 prayer service at DAR Hall, although technically it was the 24th National Memorial for the Preborn and their Mothers and Fathers. At any rate, my car was in two-hour parking and I had broken away from the group (of mainly pastors), in search of a parking garage to prevent my car from being ticketed. It would have been easy to just keep driving as I needed to get to Richmond that night. But then I received an email from Dennis Nelson, President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE, which said, “Thank you for your bold witness as you participate in the March for Life today. Your presence and involvement help communicate the fact that we as Lutheran Christians believe that life, including the life of the unborn, is a precious gift from God.” Okay then—the timing of that was incredible and I believe in God, not coincidence–better find the others.

Four minutes later, my bus arrived and within an hour, by bus and by foot, I arrived at 12th Street and Constitution Ave where I was told to look for a large Lutherans For Life banner on the sunny side of the street. For the next two hours, Lutherans of all stripes gathered there to assemble their banners, grab lunch from the food trucks, and prepare for the march. There was unity of purpose, music, and joy in the air as introductions were made and photos were taken.

For us, the March began about 2 pm and we very slowly walked 1.3 miles to the United States Supreme Court building in about an hour and a half. Along the way, we saw a multitude of Catholic priests, nuns and lay people—an amazing witness to other Christians. There were also a number of evangelicals from independent and traditional churches. We saw Lutherans holding signs and singing along to the hymns printed on the back of the signs. I will admit, I don’t trust myself to walk and read at the same time, so it was good that the hymns were familiar.

At the prayer service I noticed a lot of young people in the seats, in sharp contrast to the seniority of some of the clergy on the stage, but during the march we saw huge crowds of high school students, often dressed in brightly colored hats, scarves or shirts, as well as babies and young children. There was even an ELCA law student who attended with his NALC mother. His mom later told me, “It was great for him to see so many young adults his age marching for the cause of life.” Another young man approached us because he saw the banner we took turns carrying. He had come in from Iowa, one of only two Protestants on the bus, and he was happy to see other Protestants present. Now, 45 years after that fateful court case was decided, there seems to be hope for the future based on the youth present. This is not a battle that is going away anytime soon. I was heartened to hear that the President addressed the March for Life at the Rose Garden, but I did not witness that.

At the prayer service, I sat two seats away from an older teenager who seemed uncomfortable in her own skin and remarked that she wasn’t even religious. Near the end of the service, the Benham twins, David and Jason, spoke and much of what they had to say was directed at the youth. It turns out that their father, a pastor, used to talk to Miss Norma nearly every day because his office was located right next to the abortion clinic where she worked. Yes, the Norma McCorvey, from the Roe v. Wade court case, that led to legalized abortion in the United States. The Benhams continuously sent her cookies and invited her to dinner at their house until, over time, she became a Christian and pro-life. It is a much more complicated story than that, but I’m glad I got up early enough to hear it. If nothing else, a seed has been planted in that teenager, and I will always wonder if that day was life changing for her.

I don’t usually think of Washington, DC as a friendly place, but I met nice people at every turn all day long. Not just the marchers, but the bus drivers, the parking attendant, random people I stopped to ask for directions, and the Metro subway workers. I made it safely back to my car, parked somewhere near the intersection of Vermont and L streets, because the Metro workers knew I needed to get off the subway at McPherson Square. That was very important to know because my phone had died by that point and I didn’t have a map. Next time I will bring a bottle of water, my cell phone wall charger plus a map and SmarTrip subway card. When I finally got to my room in Richmond, VA that night, I had walked 13,725 steps and I fell asleep instantly.

To give you a feel for just how big this event was, watch this timelapse of the 2018 March for Life. 

In its most recent newsletter, Lutheran CORE’s Steven Gjerde noted that ELCA Presiding Bp. Elizabeth Eaton had stated that, “Life is precious and beautiful and, even in its painfulness, something fiercely to be protected.” Next year, please join Lutheran CORE members, supporting members and partners, from a multitude of Lutheran church bodies, who will participate in the 2019 March for Life. Invite a friend, bring your kids and their friends, in order to show them that they are not alone and that “… we as Lutheran Christians believe that life, including the life of the unborn, is a precious gift from God.”

Kim Smith

Member of the Board of Lutheran CORE

Epiphany 2018 Newsletter

MARY, DID YOU KNOW?

One of the most beautiful of the contemporary Christian songs asks,

“Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God?”

But how could Mary have known what was going to be happening to her when the angel Gabriel came and said to her, “Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you.”  What does it mean to be highly favored – or even favored – by God?  Evidently it does not mean that life is going to be easy. The angel continued, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

When told that she would bear a son, Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  Good question.  Mary is not married, she is a virgin, and she is going to have a baby.  Is this something she should be happy about?  Mary and Joseph lived in a strict community that was regulated by strict religious laws and customs.  Mary could have been killed.  She could have been stoned for becoming pregnant while not married.  And imagine Joseph’s hurt.  Is she supposed to be happy about Joseph’s hurt?  Mary must have thought, God sure has an interesting way of showing His favor.

Years ago a psychologist by the name of Thomas Holmes developed a scale for measuring stress.  He assigned numerical values to events that cause stress, such as loss of a job, moving to a new community, and a new relationship.  Dr. Holmes even included Christmas on his stress list.  According to him, even a so-called “normal Christmas” is worth a hefty 14 stress points.

A writer by the name of Bridget Kuhns took Dr. Holmes’ stress scale and applied it to Mary.  Holmes calculated that any pregnancy earns 40 points.  For an unwanted pregnancy, add 20 more points.  A change in living conditions – Mary stayed three months with Elizabeth – 25 points.  Upcoming marriage to Joseph – 50 points.  A change in financial status – 38 points.

Surely there must have been some words between them when Mary learned that Joseph had not made reservations at the inn.  35 points for an argument with a spouse.  And then the birth – 39 points.  16 points for a change in sleeping habits.  15 points for a change in eating patterns.  Not to mention all the uninvited guests – the shepherds and angels and wise men from the east.

Psychologist Thomas Holmes says that people get sick when they reach 200 points on the stress scale.  Bridget Kuhns calculated that Mary’s ordeal earned her a whopping 424 stress points.  And that does not include the flight to Egypt, or more importantly, the experience of watching her beloved son die as a common criminal on a cross.  Is that what it means to be favored by God?  Evidently being favored by God does not protect you from high levels of stress.  

It is easy to say when things are going our way, “The Lord sure is blessing me.”  But have you ever wondered if it is actually when we are going through the most difficult of times – when we feel that we can barely hold on – that God is actually the closest to us?  The angel Gabriel, in saying that Mary was blessed by God, was not saying that God would make her life easy.  But he was saying that she would be used by God.  And in the long run, isn’t that what being blessed is all about?

How about you?  Can you say right now that you are blessed because you are being used by God for His special purposes?

In response to Gabriel’s telling her that she was favored by God and that she would bear a son, Mary asked a sensible question, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  Good question.  The angel responded, “Nothing will be impossible with God.”

Is it any more difficult to believe that a virgin could give birth than it is to believe that Zechariah and Elizabeth could bear children in their old age?  Mary in her shame could have made up a lie about the visit of an angel.  But there was no way that Elizabeth, who was far beyond childbearing years, could make up a story about being pregnant.  It was a miracle.  And Jesus’ birth was a miracle.  Nothing is impossible with God.  Remember that the next time you are in a hard place.  Nothing is impossible with God.  

Be careful whom you called blessed.  Be careful what you call impossible.  And then, third, be thankful that this young woman said Yes to God.  

Mary was free to say No to God, just like we are free to say No to God.  God never forces Himself on anyone.  But when Gabriel gave Mary the news that she would bear God’s Son, she replied, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord.  Let it be with me according to your word.”  Mary became the mother of our Savior because she was willing to be obedient to God.  Obedience is out of fashion in our “I did it my way” world.  But obedience is still an important part of the Christian life.  Some blessings we will never receive until and unless we are obedient to God.  

Mary, did you know?  How could have Mary known where her encounter with the angel would lead her?  Just as how can we know where our encounter with the living Christ during this Christmas season will lead us?  

Be careful whom you call blessed.  Be careful what you call impossible.  And be thankful that a young, teenage girl said Yes to God.  For saying Yes to God is the key to living a life that is truly blessed.

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE
909-274-8591
dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

Thanksgiving 2017 Lutheran CORE Newsletter

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

OCTOBER 2017

Something that for me has been absolutely astounding – as we have been celebrating the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation – are some of the things that that milestone has been used to justify and support. I have seen the anniversary of the Reformation being used to advocate for environmental issues, even though the only time that I am aware of when Martin Luther promoted ecological concerns was when he said that if he knew the world would end tomorrow, he would still plant a tree. Luther’s antisemitism later in life as well as his not supporting the peasants in the peasant revolt have been made into a jumping off point to rail against racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and all the other awful things that people are guilty of these days.

An observance that was held on Reformation Sunday in a church in the ELCA synod in which I was rostered before I retired used in its publicity an interesting version of the Luther rose. The outer perimeter was made up not of the typical colors, but instead of the hues of a rainbow, and in the center of the rose was not a cross but an angry looking fist holding a hammer. Concerned and alarmed, because I saw Christ and the cross as being replaced by human anger and political activism, I telephoned the church that was hosting the event and left a message for the pastor, asking what was intended to be communicated by that form of the Luther rose. As I expected, I have not received a reply. Because the bishop of that synod was participating in the event and the synod was helping promote the event, I also wrote to the synod, expressing my concern that that symbol was replacing Christ and the power of the cross with the power of human efforts and anger. Again, as anticipated, I have not received a reply.

And so it was so refreshing for me to attend the LCMC gathering in Minneapolis October 8-11, where the real message of the Reformation was kept at the heart of the celebration of the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation.

LCMC GATHERING: KEEPING THE REAL MESSAGE AT THE HEART OF THE CELEBRATION

Under the theme “We Confess Our Faith,” the gathering was structured around conversation about three of the fundamental teachings of the Reformation: Justification, the doctrine of the Two Kingdoms, and the Priesthood of All Believers. Presenters first described the basic principles of each of those three teachings, then a panel made up of people serving in diverse ministry settings – both in the United States as well as in other parts of the world – discussed how that major teaching impacted their ministry in their own particular place of service. The panel discussion was then followed by discussions at tables where those attending the gathering were able to apply that teaching to their own lives and ministry settings.

My soul was stirred and my thinking was stimulated by the presentation of Steve Turnbull, pastor of Community of Grace Lutheran Church in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. He spoke on the doctrine of justification. Maintaining the real message of the Bible and the Reformation while also applying that message to real life issues today, Pastor Turnbull talked about how Paul often discussed the concept of justification within the context of Jew-Gentile relationships. For example, in his letter to the Ephesians Paul describes God as pointing to the Church and saying, “See what I have done. Sin wrecks human community. I have put it back together again.” Pastor Turnbull then shared how Paul’s evangelism had created multi-ethnic communities. He needed a way to explain theologically what was happening. And so he wrote, The cross is enough to tear down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile. Pastor Turnbull then applied that principle to life today when he asked, “Is it enough to unite people today?”

I heard a similar emphasis during the discussion of the doctrine of the Two Kingdoms. One of the panel participants said, “We have got to be about reconciling things. If we are not reconciling things, we might not be the church.”

And then we were given the opportunity to experience a powerful, real-life, modern day example of cross cultural ministry by attending a Global Worship Service at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, south of downtown Minneapolis. At a workshop prior to the worship service Pastor Roland Wells shared how the greatest migration in the history of the world is happening right now; wherever there are jobs, there will be immigrants; and God is giving the church today the opportunity to learn how to reach out cross culturally by the people He is sending into our areas. And then, after being reminded that we also once were immigrants, we were led in worship by fellow Christians who are of Messianic Jewish, Latino, Ethiopian Oromo, and Filipino heritage. At the end of the service we were told that we had received a taste of what heaven will be like. And then Pastor Wells closed the service by saying, “Go in peace with a new sense of what God is doing in our world.”

I was struck by the number of people who attended the workshop entitled “Next Generation Leaders,” taught by Dr. Kyle Fever, director of the Nexus Institute of Grand View University in Des Moines. We of Lutheran CORE have known that many Lutheran pastors and congregational leaders and members are deeply concerned over where their congregation’s next Bible believing and outreach oriented pastor will come from. That concern is the reason why we of Lutheran CORE are involved in our pastoral formation project. The extent of the concern, as well as the importance and immediacy of the concern, were brought home to me by the number of people attending that workshop, which Kyle Fever entitled, “Resurrecting Timothy.”

The idea behind the title is this. Timothy was different from Paul, and Paul was willing to allow Timothy to be Timothy. In other words, Paul let Timothy be different from Paul. Dr. Fever shared how youth today are interested in spiritual things, but many of them in ways that we do not know how to deal with. We have virtually no training for non-traditional ministries. We have very few Timothies, who are different from Paul. Dr. Fever challenged us, What kind of church leaders do we want? Ones like what we already know? Or are we willing to be like Paul and let Timothy be Timothy?

Kyle Fever said that we need to find ways to raise up not future leaders for the church as we know it now, but future leaders for a church that we do not yet know what it will be like. We need to give young adults opportunities to participate in the vitality of the congregation, and not necessarily within the four walls of the church. We need to cultivate in them a yearning to be a part of the work of the Gospel in the world, rather than try to cultivate in them a yearning to be part of preparing the communion table for Sunday morning. He got down to basics when he asked us, “How many here are intentionally mentoring a high school sophomore or junior?” He challenged pastors, “The next time you write a sermon, target it to sixteen to twenty-two year olds.” He concluded by saying, “There are no easy answers, but there are resources.”

LATINO MINISTRIES ENCUENTRO (ENCOUNTER)

After being home from Minneapolis for a few days, I left for Chicago to attend the annual Latino ministries Encuentro (Encounter) October 17-19. This event is sponsored by Lutheran CORE and was planned and put on by Pastor Keith Forni, member of the board of Lutheran CORE and pastor of First/Santa Cruz Lutheran Church in Joliet, Illinois. Pastor Forni has an unusual gift for Latino ministries. He has an unbelievable number of contacts within the Lutheran Latino ministries community, and he is natural and comfortable leading bi-lingual worship.

One of the two main presenters was Dr. Alberto Garcia, professor emeritus of theology at Concordia University Wisconsin and co-author of the book, Wittenberg Meets the World: Reimagining the Reformation at the Margins. I was struck with how much he emphasized one of the same themes that I had heard so much about at the LCMC gathering – the theme of reconciliation. It made sense to me. Because we live in such a divided nation and divided world, one of the particular gifts that the Church has to offer our nation and our world is the power of reconciliation. And one of the chief ways in which the Church can demonstrate the power of the Gospel and give credibility to its message is if we as God’s people are able to become reconciled with those from whom we have become estranged.

The other main presenter was Ken Elkin, a retired ELCA pastor from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. During his presentation, entitled “A Pilgrim People,” Pastor Elkin described his recent pilgrimage walking the entire, approximately five hundred mile long route of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. After describing the characteristics of a pilgrimage as well as the place of pilgrimage in the history of the church, he then told of his own experiences in walking that route. He described what he called “the spirit of the camino” – how people are very open to each other as well as very caring for each other while on the pilgrimage. Some people who are on the camino are dealing with major issues in their lives. He presented the challenge of then bringing that spirit of the camino back into the rest of your life. He shared two of the great life lessons that can be learned from the camino. One of them he had found written as graffiti along the way – “You are capable of more and you need less than you think.” The other one was the title of a book – “To walk far, carry less.” He concluded his presentation by saying, “The popularity of this pilgrimage shows that there is a genuine spiritual hunger in people, and we are not reaching them.”

One of the best discussions we had at the Encuentro was on the ways in which the Roman Catholic traditions of baptism, presentation, and first communion, and the Latin American tradition of quinceaneras give the Lutheran church real opportunity to make connections with the Latino community. One of the most serendipitous moments was when four of us participants were sitting, wearing our clergy collars, in the breakfast room at the hotel where we were staying. A woman came in shaking and sobbing. She saw us, walked up to us, and then began sharing how her fiancé had just been killed in a motorcycle accident. She had felt abandoned by God until she saw us. Dr. Alberto Garcia responded to the moment beautifully. He shared the love and comfort of God with her and prayed with her. She was certain God had brought her to us and us to her. How wonderful it was to be part of an answer to someone’s prayer.

St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church ELCA, the host congregation, is in the Hermosa neighborhood of northwest Chicago, which has changed dramatically in the last few decades from being totally Caucasian to totally Latino. In the basement there are pictures of confirmation classes from the 1960’s, made up of thirty to forty very Caucasian looking young people. We were able to experience how the congregation still has a vital opportunity for ministry, though a very different opportunity for ministry, as some of the neighbors joined us for dinner and a prayer service one evening. That evening we also held an outdoor candlelight prayer service for peace in a city that has experienced the tragedy of five hundred homicides so far this year. The neighborhood is a fairly high density neighborhood, so we know that nearby residents witnessed our service. The need for prayers for healing and peace were brought home to us by some graffiti we saw on the way to the church – “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.”

Pastor Keith Forni, who serves St. Timothy’s congregation in Chicago, as well as First/Santa Cruz in Joliet, told of how dozens of children and their parents walk right by the church each day on their way to and from their school, which is only two blocks away. Pastor Forni uses the strategic location of the church as an opportunity to reach out to the children and their parents, and invite them to an afternoon children’s program at the church.

We were very honored and pleased that the Rev. Hector Garfias-Toledo, Assistant to the Bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod ELCA, stopped by and visited the Encuentro and brought greetings from Bishop Wayne Miller. It is our goal that future Encuentros will continue to provide inspiration, resources, fellowship, and encouragement for those involved in or considering becoming involved in Latino, Spanish language, and/or bi-lingual ministries. We hope to find ways to make the Encuentro more accessible to more people so that this annual gathering will be a resource for Lutherans of all church body affiliations.

May your celebration of the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation be a time for you of giving thanks to God for His abounding love and His amazing grace.

Blessings in Christ,

Dennis D. Nelson

President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

909-274-8591

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

Fall 2017 LCORE Newsletter

Seeing the movie, “Dunkirk,” which is currently playing in theaters nationwide, made me think about and appreciate even more the very excellent article which Steve Shipman wrote for the July 2017 issue of CORE Voice, “Does Faith in Jesus Matter?” In this article Pastor Shipman alerts us to the very disturbing and alarming resolution which was recently passed by the New England Synod assembly, which would seek to amend the phrase “bring all people to faith in Christ” in the ELCA constitution to be more in line with the ELCA’s understanding of Christian witness and the mission and purpose of the church. A link to Pastor Shipman’s article can be found here. A link to the New England Synod’s resolution can be found here.

This movie powerfully portrays the evacuation of several hundred thousand Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, in northern France, between the dates of May 26 and June 4, 1940, a few months after the beginning of World War II. After the invasion of France by Nazi Germany, thousands of British, French, and Belgian troops were cut off and surrounded by the German army. As they retreated to the seaside city of Dunkirk, and as the Allied perimeter continued to shrink, their situation became increasingly hopeless.

The tagline for the movie is, “When 400, 000 men couldn’t get home, home came for them.” What a powerful picture of the human situation and therefore what God did. When sin, death, and the power of the devil had us surrounded and we were helpless to do anything about it, God sent His Son, to die on the cross for our sins and to rise from the dead to defeat Satan and death. As 1 Peter 3: 18 says, “For Christ also suffered for sins, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring us to God.” When we could not get to our heavenly home, Jesus came to and for us.

In the Dunkirk evacuation several hundred thousand soldiers were rescued by a hastily assembled fleet of over eight hundred boats, which included thirty-nine British destroyers and civilian merchant ships, but also a flotilla of hundreds of merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, yachts, and lifeboats that were called into service from Britain for the emergency. These other boats came to be known as the little ships of Dunkirk.

There is a scene in the movie where the British Royal Navy is commandeering private boats to participate in the evacuation. A man by the name of Mr. Dawson cooperates without question, but rather than let a navy crew take his boat, he and his son Peter take her out themselves. Mr. Dawson and Peter are outstanding examples of people who are willing to go way beyond inconvenience to put themselves and their property at great danger and risk in order to save and rescue others.

On their way across the English channel they encounter a shell-shocked soldier on the wreck of his ship, the sole survivor of a U-boat attack. They take him aboard. When the rescued soldier discovers that Dawson is sailing for Dunkirk rather than returning to England, he tries to wrest control of the boat. His behavior reminds me of those who say, “As long as my church is here for me, I do not care about anybody else; as long as I am saved, everybody else can go to hell.”

A little bit later they encounter a minesweeper, which is under attack by a German bomber and several other fighter planes. They maneuver to take on troops from the damaged ship, which is spilling oil, narrowly getting clear before the oil is ignited. Dawson and his crew pull as many survivors aboard as can fit. As he welcomes them aboard Dawson says, “There is plenty of room; keep coming.” His words remind me of the parable of Jesus in Luke 14 of the man who gave a great dinner who said to his servants, “Go out into the roads and the lanes and compel people to come, so that my house may be filled.” God wants heaven to be full. Do we want what God wants, and are we acting like we want what God wants?

Another one of the characters in the movie, Farrier, a British Royal Air Force fighter pilot, is making his way across the English channel to provide air support to the troops waiting at Dunkirk. He and the other pilots in his squadron have been instructed on how much fuel they can spend before they need to return. Farrier’s fuel gauge malfunctions, but he continues with his mission. After burning all of his regular fuel in maneuvers along the way and switching to reserve fuel, he finally reaches Dunkirk, where evacuation efforts are being attempted under heavy enemy bombardment. He takes out a bomber, saving ships and troops. As he flies over the beach, Allied soldiers clap and cheer for him. Finally out of fuel, he glides towards a landing on the beach and barely cranks his landing gear down in time. But he lands outside the Allied perimeter, so he sets fire to his plane before he is taken prisoner by the Germans. Here is another person who is an inspiration and a huge source of encouragement to others because of his commitment, dedication, and sacrifice, and willingness to pay the price in order that others might be saved.

I saw that movie and I was saddened even more that there is a movement in the ELCA to eliminate bringing people to faith in Christ as a prime part of the mission of the church, and to do so in the name of cultural sensitivity and interfaith dialogue.

For Dawson, Farrier, and the other characters in the movie, and for all the real-live people who participated in the Dunkirk evacuation, it did matter whether Allied troops were rescued from the Nazi German army. It did matter whether several hundred thousand soldiers were rescued or whether they were slaughtered on the beaches of northern France. But there is a movement within the ELCA – and we assume that it will be a growing movement – of people who say that faith in Jesus does not matter, at least in the way that the Bible says that it matters because “there is salvation in no one else.” (Acts 4: 12) We understand that this resolution passed overwhelmingly, and that there was little or no expressed objection.

That a resolution like that would pass should be a cause for great concern, sorrow, and soul-searching for all Biblically faithful Lutherans of all Lutheran church bodies. The fact that there is a movement within one Lutheran church body that is saying, “Faith in Jesus does not matter,” should lead all of us to ask ourselves, Do I believe that faith in Jesus matters? Do I care whether people know Jesus? And if I say that I do, what am I doing about it?

UPCOMING TRAVEL

As I am writing this, I am preparing for the NALC convocation in Nashville August 9-11. By the time you receive this, the convention will have happened. Many thanks to everyone who stopped by the Lutheran CORE table. I am looking forward to telling you about the event in the September 2017 issue of CORE Voice. We of Lutheran CORE value our ministry partnership with the NALC. It is a joy to be so warmly welcomed at the convocation, to reconnect with friends, and to make new friends.

I am also looking forward to attending two events in October – the LCMC gathering October 8-11 in Minneapolis, and the Lutheran CORE-sponsored Latino ministries Ecuentro in Chicago October 17-19. We also highly value our ministry partnership with LCMC, and we count it a great privilege to help sponsor the Hispanic ministries gathering which gives encouragement and resources to those currently involved in Spanish speaking ministries, as well as to those considering transitioning their emphasis or beginning a new, additional emphasis in outreach to Latino people. Many thanks to Keith Forni, ELCA pastor and member of our board, for all his hard work putting together such a great event. For more information about the Encuentro, or to register, contact Pastor Keith at 815-600-3030 or KeithLForni@gmail.com.

Blessings in Christ,

Dennis D. Nelson

President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

909-274-8591

Summer 2017 CORE Voice Newsletter

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR – JUNE 2017

Dear Friends of Lutheran CORE –

The June 2017 letter from the director will be in two parts. This first part is coming to you as we anticipate the summit on pastoral formation, which is only a week away. You will receive the second part after the summit, as we share with you ways in which God blessed our time together.

A week from today, June 21, the board of Lutheran CORE will be gathering at Grand View University in Des Moines with ten invited participants from four different Lutheran church bodies to wrestle with the question –

How can we best raise up, nurture, and support a whole new generation of Lutheran pastors who will be Biblical and confessional in their theology and evangelistic/outreach-oriented in their perspective and practice?

We are very grateful to all the friends of Lutheran CORE who are praying for the gathering. We also wish to thank all those who have given a gift in support of this event.

On the day of the summit we will be distributing information about the summit through posts on the blog on the home page of our website, www.lutherancore.org. Each blog post will then go out on Facebook and Twitter, so that you will be able to follow the progress of the discussions. Also, a member of our board will be recording the audio and posting it as a podcast on his blog. A blog post on our website will then be created, which will have a link to the audio post on his website. Please join us through electronic media and follow along with the discussions as they take place on the day of the summit.

Recent events have convinced me even more of the importance of this gathering. Every orthodox Lutheran should be alarmed over the movement that has risen out of the student body at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Taking the name “We Are Naked and Unashamed,” this group rejects marriage by any definition as normative for sexual relationships. There are some who would dismiss our concerns by saying, “It is only a group of seminarians who are promoting this.” We would respond, “But the list of signers also includes many pastors and other ELCA leaders.” And even if it were only a group of seminarians, just the fact that so many seminarians are advocating for ELCA approval of sexual intimacy and cohabitation outside of marriage should cause great concern for the future of the church. And the fact that we are not aware of any statement from the administration of the seminary, the Council of Bishops, and/or Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton rejecting this movement should also cause great concern. A link to the website of the movement can be found here (LINK), while a link to Lutheran CORE’s response can be found here (LINK).

If that were not enough, a recent letter from the president-elect of United Lutheran Seminary, formed by the merger of the ELCA seminaries in Philadelphia and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, should also raise concerns.

A link to that letter can be found here (LINK to pastoral-letter-from-president-elect-latini). Dr. Latini’s May 5 letter does contain some Biblical and theological language, such as “On the cross, Jesus cried out, ‘It is finished;’ ” “Through Christ, we have been reconciled to God and one another by the power of the Spirit;” “In baptism, we participate in Christ’s death and resurrection;” and “In Christ, all things hold together.” But beyond that it sounds like a compilation of all the typical ELCA phrases, priorities, and agenda items. There is no sense that under her leadership it will be a priority of the seminary to raise up pastors who will know and love the Bible, know the Lutheran confessions, and are prepared to lead and care for local congregations. Instead the priorities are to train people who will value diversity, work towards genuine equity, and include marginalized groups. Prior to being elected as president of United Theological Seminary, Dr. Latini has been associate dean of diversity and cultural competency at another seminary. It sounds like she will be pursuing the same priorities as she writes, “Cultural competency is the intentional commitment and active engagement in unlearning racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and other forms of bias institutionally and individually.” She does make it sound religious – and even Lutheran – when she says, “Peacemaking, nonviolence, and cultural competency can be understood and practiced in light of the theology of the cross.” But she also reveals her priorities when she writes, “When we hear God’s YES, we stand in solidarity with those who suffer most under oppressive systems and structures.”

Now I for one am all in favor of peacemaking, nonviolence, and standing in solidarity with those who suffer under oppressive systems and structures. I totally agree that what we believe must impact what we do and how we live for our witness to have any credibility. But I know that when I personally entered seminary, I did not know the Bible and the Lutheran confessions well enough so that I did not need a seminary that would teach me the Scriptures and how the great Lutheran theological writings help me to understand the Scriptures. Also, during the forty years that I served as pastor of a congregation, I needed a whole range of skills beyond peacemaking, nonviolence, and cultural competency.

I think of the apostle Paul and his letters to churches. Even more so as Paul was reaching out to the Greco-Roman world, he was encountering people who did not have any idea at all of the story of God’s accomplishing His great work of salvation through the history of the nation of Israel and the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. So in his preaching and letter writing he first had to teach the people the basic essentials of the Christian faith. Typically in his letters he spends the first half or so talking about what is true, what we should believe, and what God has done, and then the second half talking about what is right, how we should live, and what we should do.

If we lived in a day when everybody – all members of churches, all people whom our congregations are seeking to reach, all seminary students, and even everyone anticipating attending seminary – already knew the Bible and the Lutheran confessions, it would make sense to focus seminary education on peacemaking, nonviolence, and cultural competency. But in a day when most people do not know the basics of our faith, and members of our churches and even many people preparing for seminary, have only a limited knowledge of the Bible and the Lutheran confessions, then seminary education needs a different focus.

We certainly pray for Dr. Latini as she begins her work as president of United Lutheran Seminary. And we also pray for the leadership, faculty, and student body of every one of the Lutheran seminaries. But we also pray that God will use the upcoming summit on pastoral formation to begin a new movement of raising up pastors who know, love, value, believe, and obey the Bible and who are committed to helping people come into a faith relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

Blessings in Christ,

Dennis D. Nelson

President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

909-274-8591

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

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