News
Lutherans in ‘religiously diverse’ Congress F
ourteen ELCA members are among the 113th U.S. Congress
that is sworn in this month—four in the Senate and 10 in the House. The senators, all Democrats, are Sher- rod Brown, Ohio; Martin Heinrich, New Mexico (elected from the House to the Senate); Tim Johnson, South Dakota; and Jeff Merkley, Oregon, according to the ELCA Washington office. Members of the House who self- identify as ELCA (newly elected are in italics) are Lois Capps, D-Calif., 24th; Dennis Heck, D-Wash., 10th; Tom Latham, R-Iowa, 3rd; Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., 19th; Scott Peters, D-Calif. 52nd; Collin Peterson, D-Minn., 7th; Thomas Petri, R-Wis., 6th; Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, 1st; Bill Shuster, R-Pa., 9th and Tim Walz, D-Minn., 1st. Rep. Rick Berg, R-N.D., ran for the Senate and was defeated while Rep. Norman Dicks, D-Wash., 6th, retired. Angela Zimmann, an ELCA pastor, lost her bid to repre- sent Ohio’s 5th district in Congress. Eight other members of Con- gress identify as Lutheran Church– Missouri Synod or Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod mem- bers, including Michele Bach- mann, R-Minn.
“Three Buddhists, a Hindu and
a ‘none’ will walk into the 113th Congress, and it’s no joke,” accord- ing Religion News Service. The “firsts” reflect a growing religious diversity of the country. Hawaii Democrat Tulsi Gab- bard, an Iraq war veteran, will represent the state’s 2nd Congres- sional District and will become the first Hindu in either chamber on Capitol Hill. Gabbard takes over the seat held by Rep. Mazie K.
11
Hirono, who, in winning the Senate race, becomes the first Buddhist to sit in the upper chamber. Two other Buddhists serve in the House. An analysis of the incoming Congress by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life also notes that Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona Democrat who narrowly won a seat in the House, is the first member of Congress to publicly describe her religion as “none”—the popular name of a fast-growing category of Americans who say they have no particular religious affiliation. The new Congress also shows shifts among the mainstays of the American religious landscape. Prot- estants still comprise the majority, with about 56 percent of the mem- bers in both chambers. But that con- tinues a steady decline since 1961, when 75 percent of members were some variety of Protestant. Jews in Congress see a decline, going from 39 seats to 32—though at 6 percent that is still a larger share than their proportion in the overall U.S. population, which is just under 2 percent. And even though Mitt Romney, the Mor- mon standard-bearer, lost the presidential election, the number of Mormons in Congress remains the same, at about 3 percent, or 15 seats overall.
Roman Catholics appear to be
the big winner from November, edging up from about 156 seats, to 161 or just more than 30 percent of Congress. That compares with the 22 percent of the wider U.S. pop- ulation that identifies as Roman Catholic.
Reps. Keith Ellison, Minnesota,
and Andre Carson, Indiana, both Democrats, are Muslim.
For more news, visit
www.thelutheran.org/feature/january 12 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
cese of Orange (County) to purchase its glass sanctuary in Garden Grove.
Muslim scholar a winner For the first time, the University of Louisville’s prestigious Grawemeyer Award in Religion, a $100,000 cash prize, will go to a female Muslim scholar. Leila Ahmed, a Harvard Divinity School professor specializ- ing in women and Islam, will receive the 2013 Grawemeyer religion award for her 2011 book, A Quiet Revolu- tion: The Veil’s Resurgence, from the Middle East to America. The book explores why a growing number of Muslim women are wearing reli- gious headscarves.
Teenager sentenced to church An Oklahoma judge who sentenced a 17-year-old boy to 10 years of church attendance said it was the right thing to do—even if it may not have been constitutional. Judge Mike Norman gave Tyler Alred a 10-year deferred sentence for DUI manslaughter. The judge also ordered Alred to finish high school and complete welding school. Both Alred’s attorney and the victim’s family agreed to the terms. Norman said the sentence might not pass a legal challenge, but in late November he said he didn’t think either side would appeal.
Tell us
Has a favorite hymn or song of faith carried you through deep joy or diffi- culty? Does it remind you of God’s care at a turning point in your life or faith? In 300 words or less tell us the name of the hymn or song, where we can find it, and what it means to you. By Jan. 31, write or email Elizabeth Hunter, The Lutheran, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chi- cago, IL 60631;
elizabeth.hunter@
thelutheran.org. Please include your name, your congregation’s name, town, state and your contact informa- tion (phone or email).
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52