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By Daniel J. Lehmann


Civility reigns at assembly


Columns add theological insight W


hat a difference two years can make. The general unease and tension leading up to and surrounding the 2009 Churchwide


Assembly gave way to an overall good feeling at the 2011 gathering in Orlando, Fla. (page 20).


There was a noticeable lack of rancor and irritation and a general civility to things this time, said Charles Austin, a retired ELCA pastor and former newspa- per reporter who has attended most of the 12 assemblies. “There seemed to be a good bit of trust and none of the ‘what-are-you-trying-to-do-to-me?’ attitude that sometimes appears,” he said. “Farmers and scientists speaking on genetics indicated their satisfaction, and the disagreements were not nasty. Some critical matters were quickly referred by overwhelming votes, another sign of trust.” The LIFT (Living Into the Future Together) report and those of the secre- tary and treasurer make the facts of declining membership and money clear, Austin added. Take a look at some of the charts in our report and those we’ve posted online. They will assist local discussions on the situation confronting the ELCA at the congregational, synodical and churchwide levels. Elsewhere, there are two notable changes in this issue of The Lutheran.


First, Peter W. Marty (page 3) switches the focus of his column, and a new feature debuts authored by teaching theologians of the ELCA (page 18). For the past 14 months Marty addressed “A Lutheran Christian life for


today.” Reader response has been overwhelmingly positive. He now turns his attention to “10 Bible stories that breathe life.” Note, this isn’t a “top 10” list, nor will it promote any one of these stories as more important than another. It will feature a balance of Old and New Testament stories, jumping back and forth. And it won’t offer a teaser about which story is next. You’ll just have to pick up The Lutheran in the months ahead to find out. Kicking off in this issue is “Deeper understandings.” The genesis of this column came nearly two years ago. An ELCA pastor wrote to suggest that what was lacking for church members was a consistent reminder of the “bass notes” of Lutheran theology. A conversation ensued with presidents of the ELCA’s eight seminaries. What emerged was a plan for at least 18 columns in which two seminary faculty members tackle the same topic (Apostles’ Creed, the Trinity, etc.) from their own perspective. This will not be a point-counterpoint exchange. The goal is to showcase the


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breath and depth of theological understanding among those charged with educating and forming our pasto- ral and teaching ranks while encouraging members to enter into an exchange with these theologians. This series would not have happened without the


organizational and editing contributions of Philip Krey, president of the Lutheran Theological Semi- nary at Philadelphia. We are in his debt. M


There was a


noticeable lack of rancor and irritation and a general civility to things this time.


MICHAEL D. WATSON


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