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By Daniel J. Lehmann
The work, fun of a new year
What’s on tap for readers in ’12 W
elcome to 2012. While the presidential election will dominate secular media this year, editors at The Lutheran believe we have come up with a few other stories of interest. That’s not to say we won’t pay attention to the
election. Rest assured the magazine won’t get into partisan politics. Rather, the November election gives us an opportunity to explore Martin Luther’s concept of the “Two Kingdoms,” the temporal and spiritual realms of God. In a plural- istic country that strives to separate church and state, unpacking the Lutheran tradition on this sometimes misunderstood teaching should be helpful. Passion swirled around two themes: domestic violence and mission trips. What are Lutherans doing to combat domestic violence and what does Lutheran theology teach? Mission trips generate sharply different responses. We’ll look at efforts to keep the focus on truly helping others and away from just filling a need to be needed by those involved. There’s much more: spiritual but not religious; 10 new Lutheran scholars you should know; unusual ministry partners; congregational resurrection won- ders; what’s in and out at Sunday school; favorite hymns; overconsumption; shrinking rural churches; trash-talking in the Bible; seminary interns; mission development; ethnic specific ministries; technology best practices. Some arti- cles will be provocative, others rich in resources. All should be informative, and a couple of them just plain fun.
Also, tell us what you think of the cover page design and opening illustration
(page 20) to this issue’s lead story. The magazine hasn’t employed these kinds of graphics in the past, so your reaction is important. Changing topics, statistics can be intriguing and sometimes a bit chilling. Both can be found in American Religion: Contemporary Trends (Princeton Uni- versity Press, 2011) by Mark Chaves, a Duke University professor of sociology and religion. Religion News Service reports that Chaves pulled data from 1972 to 2008, using material from the General Social Survey and the National Con- gregation Study. His findings include: nearly 20 percent of Americans now say they have no religion while in 1957 that figure was 3 percent; “great confidence” in religious leaders dropped to less than 25 percent in 2008 from 35 percent in 1972; biblical literalism stood at about 30 percent in 2008, down from about 40 percent in the early 1970s; and 25 percent of Americans attend weekly worship, yet up to 40 percent claim they do. Finally, 2012 marks The Lutheran’s 25th year
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under this title and 181st year of continuous publica- tion through predecessor church bodies. Publications such as this have faced challenges across the decades. Today is no different. We press on, with your support and prayers. M
Some articles will be provocative, others rich in resources. All should be informative, and a couple of them just plain fun.
MICHAEL D. WATSON
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