Picture this
all yet again of church leaders’ devotion to a politicized, self- absorbed gospel. Peter advises Christ’s fol- lowers to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Confi- dent believers answer by boldly confessing Christ crucified and raised from the dead. But our bishops’ hope centers on convincing lawmakers to spend other people’s money on the ELCA’s lofty causes. Cheap grace indeed. Cliff Hadley Huron, S.D.
What a witness The personal stories of Deb Karch and Bob Mitchell were deeply mov- ing and profoundly instructive (May, page 16). What is particularly strik- ing is that they did more than provide insight and information, they gave witness to the transformative power of grace and the impact of a church that is not merely an institution but a living community of the Spirit rooted in Jesus. They embody a needed min- istry that, as Karch puts it, calls the church to “Christ-like conversation about mental illness.” The Rev. Donald G. Luck Columbus, Ohio
Jobs at risk Industry has spent millions of dollars
JIM WEST Lowriders blessed
John Cummings, pastor of Grace In Action Lutheran Church, Detroit, performs the “Blessing of the Lowriders.” The annual event occurs after the Cinco de Mayo parade in southwest Detroit’s Mexican-American community.
to eliminate air pollution, but to end the use of fossil fuels right now would be devastating (April, page 3). There are eight power plants in western North Dakota employing hundreds of people. They earn their living from lignite coal and coal-powered gener- ating plants and a coal gasification plant that actually takes the sulfur, carbon and nine more byproducts out of the coal and markets it. Power cooperatives are working as quickly as possible to find new ways of clean- ing up the air. Charles A. Galloway Ryder, N.D.
Send us your best: The Lutheran is looking for photo- graphs that tell the tale of your faith life or that of your congrega- tion or the ELCA. Send your high- resolution photo to lutheran@
thelutheran.org with “Picture this” in the subject line, along with caption and contact information.
Send “Letters” to: The Lutheran, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631; lutheran@thelutheran. org.
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