ELCA Articles

Peter Marty has been active at many levels within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Among various essays he has written regarding issues of the larger church, a few are reprinted below.

The World of Grace (excerpt)

“A budding clarinetist in the fifth grade eventually asks her band director, “What’s that tiny little note before the big note in measure five? I don’t get it.” That’s when the director explains what a grace note is, how it functions like beautiful decoration on top of an already lovely cake. A grace note on a musical score is ornamentation. It doesn’t have to be; yet it is. Its note value does not even count as part of the total time value of a given measure. Such a timing oddity can fluster even the best young band or orchestra student.” READ MORE>>

The Sweet Spot of Vocation (excerpt)

“Life would be strangely hollow if we did not ask ourselves, at least on occasion: What exactly should I do with the rest of my life? What is my purpose on this planet? Am I doing the right thing with my days and my energies? Does who I am matter to anyone else?” READ MORE>>

Walking Through Our Fears (excerpt)

“Taking an inventory of personal fears makes for an interesting exercise. If you sign onto the project, be sure to ask yourself where your particular fears seem to originate. Don’t forget to look for patterns to the things that scare you. See if some desire to control events is any part of the list. Notice those fears that revolve around interpreting people who are unlike you in some way.” READ MORE>>

The Wideness of Love (excerpt)

“I don’t know why the sexual orientation of some other people does not bother me the way it does some of my best friends. I really don’t know why. Maybe it is that all human sexuality strikes me as a mysterious gift of God – powerful, wonderful, and something none of us will ever completely decipher. Because I lack the words and the way to describe adequately all the facets of my own sexuality, it’s hard for me to get too excited about trying to analyze someone else’s sexuality. If my first and most dominant assessment of every person I encountered involved some preoccupation with their sexuality, I’d be a troubled individual. Just think of all the talents, energies, gifts, loves, insights, generosities and hopes anchored in their souls that I’d miss! READ MORE>>

The World of Sin (excerpt)

“When the Sudanese-born basketball giant, Manute Bol, would throw a bad pass, he would say in his broken English, “My bad,” instead of “My fault.” Bol’s use of that expression popularized this now idiomatic way of acknowledging mistakes. “My bad” is a favorite term for admitting an error, even if there is some flippancy in it. The implication is not entirely apologetic. “I won’t do it again. Get over it. Let’s move along.” READ MORE>>