Contents News 8 ELCA Churchwide Assembly: Paperless in Pittsburgh 20 Happy Birthday, ELCA Cover story
20 Looking back, leaning forward The ‘new’ ELCA celebrates 25 years
27 Leaders ‘back then’ left their marks
28 First ELCA congregation gives birth After 25 years in Palm City, Fla., mission helps mission
30 Pet Partners Features
14 Coming down the mountain Sky Ranch serves neighbors through Four Winds program
16 Seminaries provide financial coaching
18 Deeper understandings Conversations with atheists: ‘Tell me about the God you don’t believe in’
33 Serving the poor with pasta & jazz
36 Synod assemblies Holy Land, equal rights, violence top debates
34 Lutheranism in Central Asia Departments
3 Challenging conversations
4 Editor 41 Two months out 42 Best this month 43 Faces 44 Higher education
36 Synod assembly news
For breaking news, see
www.thelutheran.org or
www.elca.org/news COVER PHOTO: MICHAEL D. WATSON. CAKE PROVIDED BY MICHELE MCATEE OF MADDIEBIRD BAKERY.
45 Light side 46 Classifieds 47 Deaths 47 Crossword 48 Letters 49 My view 50 Presiding bishop
AUGUST 2013 VOLUME 26 NUMBER 8
The Lutheran is the magazine of the ELCA
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The Lutheran magazine belongs to the people of the ELCA in all our diversity. The magazine: ■ Nurtures awareness of Christ’s presence in our lives and the world.
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