Letters
Embracing diversity Lutheran
OCTOBER 2015
www.thelutheran.org $2.50 ® Women and the Reformation
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12 Getting a new pastor 26 Kelly on my mind 32 Trick or treat?
O38 Top dog for seniors
Jesus loves us all Thank you to The Lutheran and Pas- tor Megan Rohrer for “Extending and receiving welcome” (September, page 34). Please continue the dialogue and education for Jesus loves us all, no matter what. Christy Lind Broomfield, Colo.
What a great, personal story about Chris Pollock (September, page 12). What a horribly impersonal headline on that story. “Man grasps college, church & future” sounds like some- thing that may appear in The New York Times or the Chicago Tribune, where it will be read by thousands who know nothing of Chris Pol- lock. But The Lutheran’s readership is all members of Chris’ family in Christ and in Lutheranism. Why not the headline: “Chris grasps college, church and future”? How about The Lutheran coming into the relational age and getting rid of headlines that use the word “man” and the use of formalized, impersonal last names only to identify people in articles? We all go by first names these days. Even pastors. And that’s good. That’s relational! Torrey Barcanic Cottonwood, Ariz.
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Words of love Thank you for including an article concerning transgender identity, as well as highlighting the ministry of Pastor Megan Rohrer. While I do not identify as transgender myself, I find it incredibly important for churches, such as the ELCA, to be highlight- ing issues of sexuality and gender in official publications. This article was not only informative to mem- bers attempting to understand trans- issues, but also served as words of love and support to at least one young person in the country who has been questioning his gender. Nicholas Jaech Seattle
The ‘Q’ in LGBTQ “Extending and receiving welcome” shocked me not for the content of the story, which I found to be beauti- fully bold, but for defining the “Q” in LGBTQ as “queer.” I understand the term to be acceptable within the gay and lesbian community, but it still
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stands as a pejorative label when used by others. When “Q” was originally added to LGBT, it was to include those who had not yet determined their sexuality and were “question- ing” … [which] better speaks to young people who are in the process of discerning their sexuality, letting them know that they are not alone. The Rev. Douglas A. Hill Littleton, Colo.
Bearing fruit As a pastor who has just begun to serve an English-Spanish congre- gation and who once served in an African-American congregation, I was particularly interested in the chart “Racial diversity by U.S. reli- gious groups” (September, page 8). I think it’s always good for us to do some “soul-searching” when our efforts to reach non-white, non- English-speaking people seem not to be bearing fruit. The Rev. Ron Nitz Yakima, Wash.
A subpar job This was a very eye-opening chart that shows the ELCA has done a very subpar job in building a presence among non-white Americans. How- ever, I did not see much on the why this has happened or what is being done to change this poor demo- graphic effort by the ELCA. If I recall correctly, some 20 or so years ago the ELCA put forth a goal of reaching a 10 percent non-white membership level for a time in the future. How about publishing … an honest, balanced explanation on why the ELCA failed to achieve a 10 percent membership
The
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