Solidarity.
Billman, Kathleen
Although the essays in the April issue of Currents in Theology and
Mission have many different foci, one common thread seems to connect
them: each gives witness to the power of the gospel to inspire
solidarity--across national borders, despite the fragmenting pressures
of dominant culture, amid the differences that separate people in faith
communities, and between humanity and the earth.
The first essay in this issue of Currents is the 2013 Scherer
Lecture, given by Delbert Anderson, whose many years of missionary
service and study have borne fruit in his historical portrait of
Lutheran ministry in China and within ethnic Chinese settings along the
rim of East and South-East Asia. After sketching the story of pre-1950
Lutheran ministry in China, Anderson focuses primarily on the
"post-China" era and the efforts of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (at first through its predecessor church bodies) to
establish Lutheran ministries in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore,
and Cambodia. Anderson accents the dynamic partnerships that were
formed, the importance of indigenous leadership, and the creative
ministries that have emerged and are yet emerging from years of mutually
life-giving relationships. Mission, as Anderson passionately contends,
is about mutual giving and receiving; solidarity for the sake of a
mission larger than any one partner alone.
In "The Quest for Identity: Evolutionary Roots of Consumerism
and Stewardship," Ann Fritschel begins with the premise that
consumerism is a means used to meet the human need for identity,
meaning, and value. Its seductive power cannot be unmasked by sheer
denunciation alone, but by better understanding its "evolutionary
roots." Fritschel explores ways that the doctrine of justification
also addresses the search for identity, meaning, and value. She
contrasts the premises about meaningful identity given by the doctrine
of justification with the premises at work in consumerism. She contends
that while it is impossible to completely escape the tentacles of
consumer capitalism, it is possible to "find a way to bear witness
to gospel freedom in our financial and economic lives." Life-giving
identity descriptions abound in Scripture, and it is possible to live in
solidarity with those stories and identities.
Currents is pleased to bring the work of new scholars to the
attention of our readers, and the final three essays of this issue are
authored by three emerging scholars, who have completed or are pursuing
advanced studies in three different theological seminaries. These three
essays all offer contributions to interpreting New Testament texts.
Amy Lindeman Allen is a Fellow in Theology and Practice, Vanderbilt
University. In her essay, "Captivity, Turning, and Renewal: Three
Liturgical Readings of Romans 7:15-8:13," Allen argues that the
liturgy has provided a unity in the midst of diversity within the ELCA,
and that the liturgy can do the same for the interpretation of Scripture
when used as an optic through which to approach a text. To demonstrate,
she reads Paul's treatment of sin in Romans 7:15-8:13 in light of
the liturgical practices of confession and baptism, acknowledging both
the diversity of interpretation and the unity in Christ present in each
reading.
Vicki L. Pedersen, STM, Wartburg Theological Seminary, examines the
twin parables in Luke 15:1-10 as a biblical response to otherness and
difference when viewed through the lens of sectarianism within Judaism.
She asks: What can we discern to be the faithful response given to
resolve the problem of the otherness of the "sinners" for the
community of faith being addressed by Luke's narrative? Pedersen
examines the parables' literary structure and clues, as well as how
the parables function to convey God's kingdom or rule. Insights
gained challenge and expand traditional interpretations of these
parables, as well as offer fresh consideration for the inclusion of gay
and lesbian individuals in the ELCA's life and ministry. Solidarity
does not demand sameness but rather is rooted in a deep respect for
otherness and a willingness to be transformed by our relationships with
the "other."
Curtis Johnson, Ph.D. candidate at the Lutheran School of Theology
at Chicago, argues for an ecological reading of Revelation. He examines
the rhetorical strategies used by John to "recover the voice of
earth and the role it plays in the unfolding of ecological and
cosmological events in Revelation," arguing for the urgency--then
and now--to hear the voice of earth that can be discerned through texts
of ecological destruction, heeding earth's plea for solidarity and
action.
May each witness to the solidarity inspired by the gospel enrich
our own experiences of the gift of God's costly solidarity with
humanity and the earth, and our faithful responses.
Kathleen Billman
Issue Editor
