My view
recant. It was his down-to-earth style that I had missed. But an example of well-meaning but vapid social/moral exhortation that aggravates me is where Kelly Fryer (April, page 14) lauds a group for a vigil on Capitol Hill exhorting politicians on the need for good jobs that pay a living wage. The reality is that such actions stoke ideo- logical fires but rarely achieve self-
sustaining results. Frank T. Manheim Fairfax, Va.
Keep it holy Unfortunately, many people have taken to saying “Oh, my God” when the last thing on their mind is actually calling out to God in prayer.You can often hear my family comment in jest “Isn’t it nice they’re praying right now?” when one of these OMG comments is overheard. I was disappointed that The Lutheran included such a flippant use of God’s
name in “Light side” (April, page 45). Dave Poppe Fremont, Neb.
Keep reading Jerry L. Schmalenberger argued for authenticity in sermons (April, page 49). But are not the greatest sermons of all read from a book—the Bible? We can gain a lot of insight by read- ing these valuable life lessons for our- selves without having a preacher inter-
pet them for us every time. Dan Drees Beecher, Ill.
Send “Letters” to: Letters to the Editor, The Lutheran, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631-4183; fax: 773-380- 2409; email
lutheran@thelutheran.org. Please include your name, city and state. Your letter will be considered for publication unless you state otherwise. The Lutheran publishes letters representa- tive of those received on a given subject. Be brief and limit your letter to a single topic. Letters may be edited for space and clarity. Letters must be signed, but a re- quest for anonymity will be honored if the subject matter is personally sensitive.
“My view” submis- sions should be 400 words on a societal event or issue or on issues in the life of the ELCA. All submis- sions are subject to editing. Send to: “My view, ” The Lutheran, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631; email: lutheran@
thelutheran.org; fax: 773-380-2409.
I
Johnson is a fresh- man at Oberlin [Ohio] College and served at Open Door in Atlanta for her winter term project. She resides in Waynesboro, Pa., and is a member of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Thurmont, Md.
By Sarah Johnson
Transformative project Literally feed, clothe, care for poor
n January, I spent a month at a Protestant Catholic Worker House in Atlanta called the Open Door Com- munity. The experience transformed how I think about civic engagement. The partners at Open Door Community hold to an inheritance from the prophetic tradition, and they read Matthew 25 as literal injunctions. They had heard too many sermons about how Jesus didn’t literally mean for Christians to feed the hungry.
Feeding the hungry meant opening up our dining room to 150 homeless people several times a week. Clothing the naked meant providing showers, clothes and shoes to our friends from the street. Welcoming the stranger meant supporting undocumented immigrants. Caring for the sick meant visiting ill friends at the hospital. Visiting the imprisoned meant prison justice demonstrations and death row advocacy.
Showing Christ’s love is a radical, politi-
cal act, and they read the gospels like a manifesto. Through individual mentors and as a group, the commu- nity challenged me to investigate the doubts I have about my faith, the questions I try to avoid because I’m afraid of the answers. For example, throughout the course of my faith life I’ve struggled with the issue of the appar- ent misogyny (hatred, dislike or mistrust of women) of the Bible, particularly in the writings of Paul. Upon arrival, I noticed that everyone at the Open Door Community addressed God in prayer as “Our Mother and Our Father.” I believed God transcended all human defini- tion, including gender, but I still found it deeply uncomfort- able to refer to God as Mother. After reading feminist the- ology (courtesy of the facility’s library) and talking with a pastoral friend, I realized how my internalized sexism had corroded my relationship with God. I had not really seen God as transcending gender, but as thoroughly male and indifferent or even hostile toward women. It was painful to dissect my distorted, subconscious fallacies about God, but it was absolutely necessary for my journey as a Christian. I worked at the soup kitchen, handled clothes and toilet- ries, provided hospitality to our clinic patients and washed homeless people’s feet. I lived in community with recov- ering alcoholics and PhDs, convicted felons, seminarians, formerly homeless people, college kids, people diagnosed with schizophrenia and university professors. Every one of them got on my nerves, humbled my pride and warmed my heart in equal measure. I plan to return in August.
June 2012 49
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