wfn.org | New Columnists Join 'The Lutheran,' Other Columnists to Leave

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

October 2, 2000

NEW COLUMNISTS JOIN 'THE LUTHERAN,' OTHER COLUMNISTS TO LEAVE
00-227-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Lutheran, the magazine of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), announced this month that Dr. Marva
J. Dawn, Vancouver, Wash., will be one of its columnists, replacing the
column written by the Rev. Walter J. Wangerin, Valparaiso, Ind.,
longtime columnist for the magazine.
     Dawn, a theologian, author and educator with Christians Equipped
for Ministry and adjunct professor of spiritual theology, Regent
College, Vancouver, B.C., will author the column, "Faithways."  Her
initial column in The Lutheran appears in the magazine's October issue.
     Wangerin, a faculty member at Valparaiso (Ind.) University, wrote
the column "Between Us" for the magazine.  He is a well-known author and
speaker for "Lutheran Vespers," the radio ministry of the ELCA.
Wangerin informed the magazine of his decision stop writing the column
earlier this year, saying he wanted to concentrate on writing books,
said the Rev. David L. Miller, editor of The Lutheran.
     Dawn teaches about worship and community life, Christian ethics,
homiletics, pastoral ministry, spiritual formation and the Bible.  She
has been a presenter at many church-related conferences and seminars,
and has published many articles and books.  Her most recent books, both
published in 1999, are "The Unnecessary Pastor: Rediscovering the Call"
and "A Royal Waste of Time: The Splendor of Worshiping God and Being
Church for the World."
     Dawn earned a bachelor's degree from Concordia Teachers College
(now Concordia University), River Forest, Ill.; a master's degree from
the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho; a master of divinity from
Western Evangelical Seminary, Portland, Ore.; a master of theology from
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, Calif.; and master's
and doctoral degrees in Christian Ethics and Scriptures, University of
Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.
     "Marva is a natural and powerful teacher with rich insights into
Scripture   and always guided by a Lutheran grasp of the gospel," Miller
said in his October column in The Lutheran. Dawn spoke at more than 70
conferences and synod events in 1999, he noted.
     The October issue also initiated "Spiritual Practices," a column
by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Miller said. The Brussats are
directors of the Values & Visions Circles, an international network of
small groups who use feature films, videos, books, and spoken-word audio
in their ministries.  They also serve as media editors for a Web site on
spirituality and health (http://www.spiritualrx.com) and have been
covering contemporary culture and spirituality for some 30 years. They
founded and co-direct Cultural Information Service, a nonprofit
organization. They produced a series of viewer's guides to television
programs and feature films, and review films and books as "Values and
Visions" on the LutherLink/Ecunet computer network.
     This year they published a book, "Spiritual Rx: Prescriptions for
Living a Meaningful Life."
     A column written by the Rev. Norma Cook Everist, professor of
church and ministry, Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, and the Rev.
Burton L. Everist, Grace Lutheran Church, Dubuque, Ill., and Emmaus
Center for continuing education, will continue after the December issue
with a new author, Miller said.  The Everists' column, "Since You
Asked," answered questions from readers about a variety of church- and
faith-related issues.  The column has appeared in The Lutheran since
1988.
     "They have given readers' questions an honest hearing and an
informed reply," Miller wrote. "We often receive thank-you notes about
their caring, pastoral responses."
     The magazine is seeking a new writer for the column, Miller said.
-- -- --
     The Web site for The Lutheran is http://www.thelutheran.org

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