I read the story about the Youth Gathering, “Rising up together” (September, page 16). This was my 10th gathering, and I was honored to attend. I cannot recall one making its way to a cover story or 10 full pages of coverage. It really showed the life that this gathering brought to Detroit — a week that will last for years to come. Many people here in Michigan and around the country have written off Detroit, but not the ELCA. Thank you for informing the church at large about the dedication of its youth.
Mark McPherson
Gaylord, Mich.
Facts on climate change
In response to “Nothing but the facts” (September, page 49), Earth’s climate has changed in the past, so why is there concern about the current changes? There is concern because the average world temperature is already at the highest level in recorded history, and it is rising at a rate much faster than ever known. The evidence that global warming is caused by human activity comes from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes 1,300 independent scientific groups working under the auspices of the U.N. They found that not only is the level of heat-trapping atmospheric carbon dioxide 40 percent more than the highest natural levels over the past 800,000 years, but this additional carbon dioxide contains a unique fingerprint that shows it comes from the burning of coal and oil. The IPCC concluded there is more than a 90 percent probability that human-produced greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide have warmed our planet. Unless the vast majority of climate scientists are either incompetent or liars, the church and all of us have the scientific basis and moral responsibility to work to reduce greenhouse gases.
David K. Voigts
Jesup, Iowa
‘Lutheran quietism’
I found the story of Dan Huff’s (September, page 43) lifework inspirational, but I do not agree with his comment that Jesus’ focus was individuals and not work for structural change through Roman legislation. This fosters “Lutheran quietism,” which is a disempowering “hands-off” attitude toward political or societal problems. The Roman Empire wasn’t a representative democracy, so Jesus didn’t have a constitutional right to redress grievances through peaceful assembly or petitions to the government. We do have those rights and should use them. Jesus was, however, a Jew, and he used his knowledge of and standing in that community and among his followers to take his grievances to the very center of the Jewish power structure, the temple in Jerusalem.
Judy Jensvold
Ithaca, N.Y.
Straight to the point
I came to the Lutheran church after stints in several other denominations and finally, at about the age of 33, settled on an ELCA congregation. I don’t usually read editorials in The Lutheran, but this time I did. And I’m happy that I did. Your editorial, “Something new for the Gathering” (September, page 4), said something that I have said to my Lutheran friends for years but no one wanted to listen. Maybe they will listen to you. Your message that the ELCA is reticent about evangelism is straight to the point. Please repeat your message over and over again. All ELCA members must change their attitude toward evangelism, starting at the top.
Loyd Coonrod
Alexandria, Va.
Serving our own
Our presiding bishop writes (September, page 50), and rightly so: “The church is not a vehicle for our convenience, status, success or even comfort.” That said, I find no other explanation for why the ELCA is going into the credit union business. Were we helping our nation’s working poor to get small, short-term loans at reasonable rates and save them from the perilous hydraulics of payday lenders and the like, that would be “mission.” But unless present plans are expanded, it appears we’re only seeking to serve our own “convenience, status, success and even comfort.”
Philip A. Gardner
Sandusky, Ohio
Charity and justice
I found the article “Justice” (August, page 3) by Peter Marty to be provocative and challenging. I question whether it is helpful or desirable to collapse the dichotomy between charity and justice. Both are essential to our Christian calling, but each is a separate disciple (Micah 6:8). Our churches do a good job of charity. Church newsletters are filled with examples of how we are feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless and visiting the prisoner. But we are often silent when issues of social justice are raised. ELCA social statements often go unread, and we seldom act on any recommended course of action. Take hunger, for example. In 1980 there were 200 food banks in the U.S. Today there are 40,000 food banks, pantries and soup kitchens. The truth is that hunger is not fundamentally a charity issue but a justice issue. People are hungry because they don’t have enough money to buy food. An increase in the minimum wage is one of many ways to address this issue. Justice moves us into the political arena, an uncomfortable place for many, but it’s an essential place for us to be. Charity and justice must walk side by side.
The Rev. Bernard Kern
North Richland Hills, Texas
