News 9
Depression besets clergy Researchers from the Clergy Health Initiative at Duke Divinity School, Durham, N.C., say pastors, by the very nature of their work, are at a greater risk of developing depres- sion and anxiety, according to a story in the Huffington Post. Phone and online surveys with Methodist pastors showed depression rates of 8.7 percent and 11.1 percent, respec- tively, compared to the national average of 5.5 percent. Depression and anxiety are often the result of clergy not being able to separate the success or failure of their church from their own identity, said Steven Scoggen, president of CareNet, a North Carolina network of pastoral counseling.
Church ‘airbrushed’ women Women were “airbrushed” out of the history of the Christian church, said University of Manchester (Brit- ain) professor Kate Cooper, author of Band of Angels: The Forgotten World of Early Christian Women (Overlook, 2013). Cooper writes that in the first two centuries of Christi-
anity, women regularly preached the gospel and some carried out bap- tisms. Lydia, Perpetua and Thecla of Iconium spread Christianity through friendships and family networks, she said. “Over time less and less atten- tion was given to [women’s] role[s]. Really, they have been airbrushed out of history,” she added. “It is quite sad that a religion which began with a mother and her wonderful baby should still have so much difficulty with remembering to honor the con- tribution of its women.”
Tornado doesn’t destroy spirit Just days after a tornado destroyed much of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran, New London, Wis., mem- bers hauled lawn chairs and blan- kets into the church parking lot to worship. Severe storms on Aug. 6 spawned five tornadoes, one of which razed the fellowship hall and wrenched off the roof, accord- ing to the Milwaukee Journal Sen- tinel. “We’re all still here, so we’re blessed and looking forward to gath- ering tonight and having that time together to reflect. There’s a lot of
memories in the building,” member Michelle Wichman told the paper. William Sutlief, pastor, added, “This is not us, this is our building, but we are the people of God and we will survive.”
Growing in China
Christianity is the fastest growing religion in China, said Jiang Jian- yong, vice minister of the Chinese State Administration of Religious Affairs. “It is a good but challeng- ing sign because the church is unable to cope with the growth in terms of raising or training enough pastors to look after the flock,” he said. Today the China Christian Council reports that there are between 20 million and 40 million Christians in China. The council is taking the lead in training pastors, publishing Bibles and hym- nals, and managing social service ministries.
Atheists smarter?
Miron Zuckerman, a psychologist at the University of Rochester (N.Y.), studied almost a century’s worth of 12
Take me out to the ballpark … to worship More than 250 people came through the gates of the Sioux Falls [S.D.] Canaries Birdcage Aug. 25 to worship with Westside and
St. Mark Lutheran churches prior to the baseball game. Westside is a mission start breaking ground for a building this fall. For the first time, the churches held worship at the ballpark of the Canaries, part of the American Association of Independent Pro- fessional Baseball. The congregations and Canaries fans brought food and money, providing 4,450 meals for Feeding South Dakota. Between worship and the game, they built sculptures with the food donations, seen in this fisheye lens photo.
10 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org 12
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