My Renewed Appreciation for the Privilege of Voting

 

My Renewed Appreciation for the Privilege of Voting

My first exposure to the reality of elections in the U.S.A. was in the early 1960s when, on election day, I accompanied my parents to the Sterling Township Hall in Blue Earth County, MN.  Sterling Township is one of 23 townships in Blue Earth County, with the county seat located in Mankato, MN.

In those years my father was one of the “supervisors” of the township—sitting on the township governing board for a number of years.    The supervisors along with the township clerk also staffed the elections that were held periodically in the old town hall.  As I recall, the seriousness of Election Day was underscored by the presence of the township constable—along with all members of the township board.   The constable, as I recall, wore a shiny metal badge and carried a pistol--though I wondered whether, like television’s Deputy Barney Fife on the old Andy Griffith Show (1960-65), he was allowed to have only one bullet which had to be kept in his shirt pocket most of the time😊

Elections in those years were rather simple and basic, involving only paper ballots, pencils and a lock-box that was used to collect completed ballots in order to transport them to the County Auditor’s office in the Blue Earth County Courthouse in Mankato, MN-- about 25 miles north of Sterling Township. 

This past Tuesday I served as an election judge for the city of Moorhead, MN, and it dawned on me that I was serving in a capacity similar to what my father did, in Sterling Township, some 60 years ago.    This experience gave me a chance to discover “up close and personal,”  the inner workings of the election process in 2022.    I volunteered for this service in order to do my part in assuring our local election was run in accordance with Minnesota law—with honesty, integrity and trustworthiness.

For quite a number of reasons, serving as an election judge only increased my appreciation for and trust in the integrity of our elections in the great state of Minnesota.    For example:

• ·       Election officials are required to take training, based on the 74-page 2022 State of Minnesota Election Judge Guide.  This detailed guide is highly informative and clearly reflective of pertinent Minnesota State law.    My training included reading of the entire Guide, attending a 2-hour education session last summer, and  being instructed on-site regarding my specific duties.  It was also helpful to have a mix of experienced election judges serving alongside “newbies” like me.   In addition to the ten election judges responsible for the voters in Ward 1, Precinct 2 of Moorhead---we had two “head judges” on our team who were readily available to help out with questions and trouble-shooting during Election Day.
• ·       All judges were required to take the following oath before the start of Election Day: “I, (name) solemnly swear that I will perform the duties of election judge according to law and the best of my ability and will diligently endeavor to prevent fraud, deceit and abuse in conducting this election.  I will perform my duties in a fair and impartial manner and not attempt to create an advantage for my party or for any candidate.”
• ·       The facility where we were located—The Church of Saint Francis de Sales in north Moorhead—was ideal for our purposes, with ample parking, accessible restrooms, and sufficient space (all on one level) to accommodate a steady stream of voters throughout the day.
• ·       The election was conducted in a strictly bi-partisan and non-partisan manner.   Bi-partisanship was assured because each ward/precinct had election judges who were affiliated with each of the major political parties.   Non-partisanship was fostered by an expectation that all judges agreed to refrain from wearing any political clothing or buttons, and that they refrain from any political/partisan conversation during Election Day.
• ·       I was struck by how quickly and competently the head judges assisted election judges with any questions (from voters) they didn’t know how to answer, as well as how glitches with voting equipment were handled in a timely manner.
• ·       Along the way I learned two other things about how elections in Minnesota are conducted.  First we don’t “spare the horses” in terms of staffing of local polling places—I heard on MPR that Minnesota hired about 30,000 local election staffers like myself.   No doubt, this contributes to avoid long lines on election day.   Second, I also learned that Minnesota has a single, uniform election procedure used in all 87 counties of the state.  This stands in contrast to other states, e.g. Arizona, where every county has its own election procedures.  No wonder that it takes Arizona and other “don’t fence me in” states take days upon days to finish up their election processes.    Such delays have, I fear, fostered a climate of impatience and uncertainty that has contributed to the rise and spread of “election denialism” over the last few years.

·       My impression, at the end of the day, was that it would be hard to imagine a better way to conduct elections than the way we do in Minnesota.   No wonder that the final results of the election were accurate and available in a timely fashion that could be shared with all Minnesotans via the various news media in our state.

At the end of election day 2022 I was nearly exhausted, but also so very grateful that I played a small role in that most basic activity of citizens in America:   voting in a fair and free election, thus expressing the sovereign will of “we, the people.”

 

 

Decoding Congresswoman Fischbach

 Decoding Congresswoman Fischbach

Over the course of my lifetime, eight different Minnesotans have represented me in the U.S. House of Representatives.  These Congresspersons have included five Republicans and three Democrats—all of whom have regularly sent me newsletters I’ve received, read and (usually) appreciated. 

But U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach is something else.   

Unlike my earlier Congresspersons, her newsletters are consistently grumpy, hyper-politicized and focused more on national politics than on what’s actually happening back home in western Minnesota.  What’s more, I find myself confused about just what she’s trying to say.  It’s as if she communicates in code language that leaves folks like me “on the outside looking in.”

Take Fischbach’s most recent newsletter, dated October 10, 2022.  Here’s the first paragraph:    

“Under current leadership, the government has become another arm of the Democrat party. They have politicized the FBI, proposed an IRS army to audit the middle-class so they can pay for their reckless spending, and targeted concerned parents as ‘domestic terrorists’.”   

Say what?   The government has become “another arm of the Democrat party”—what exactly is that supposed to mean?     My best guess is that it bugs Fischbach when Democrats make legitimate use of the levers of governmental power to make good things happen for Americans:  addressing real issues like climate change (which Fischbach denies), firearm safety and health for all.  In stark contrast to her own “party of NO,” Democrats are working to build better schools, make it easier for persons to have the “necessities of life,” rebuild our economy post-Covid, and so forth.

And how have Democrats “politicized the FBI,” pray tell?   My guess is that this has to do with the multiple ways leaders of our nation (including the FBI) are trying to hold Donald Trump and his whole MAGA army responsible for disasters like the January 6^th insurrection—not to mention the current dust-up over governmental documents that Trump has been holding illegally.

Fischbach also raises hackles about “an IRS army to audit the middle-class so they can pay for their reckless spending.”      This wild claim simply is not true.  According to a CNN report, “Democrats, and [IRS Commissioner Charles] Rettig – who was appointed by former President Donald Trump – have said repeatedly that the intent is not to target the middle class but instead focus on making sure wealthy tax cheats comply with the law. It’s ultimately up to the IRS how the money is used.”[i]

Finally, what in the world is behind Fischbach’s allegation that Democrats have “targeted concerned parents as ‘domestic terrorists’?”    This seems to be her way of lifting up various right-wing efforts to give parents—especially fundamentalists and other right-wingers--control over what public schools are teaching about matters such as America's long history with racism, sex education, gender identity and other “hot button” issues.

If Congresswoman Fischbach continues to express herself in such “coded” ways, I urge her to supply her constituents with a decoder ring or a computer program to “translate” what she’s trying to say.   After all, not all of us in Congressional District 7 watch Fox "News" 24/7.

---

[i] https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/11/politics/irs-inflation-act-funding-audit-enforcement/index.html

Fischbach's Misalignment of Words and Actions

 

Fischbach’s Misalignment of Words and Actions

Our 7^th District’s freshman member of Congress, Michele Fischbach, appears to be suffering from political schizophrenia.  Too often, her words say one thing—but her actions (her votes!) say the opposite.

In her May 16, 2022 letter to constituents in Minnesota’s 7^th Congressional District, she berated President Biden regarding the current shortage of baby formula:  “…Parents across Minnesota are scrambling to find baby formula, and we still haven't seen a sense of urgency from the liberal elites….I pray for a swift and decisive end to this catastrophe.”

It’s fine for Rep. Fischbach to pray, but why don’t her prayers inform her actions?  The “Infant Formula Supplemental Appropriations Act” passed in the House with 219 Democrats along with 12 of Fischbach’s Republican colleagues.  (Fischbach, however, voted against this Act.)  If passed by the Senate, this act will free up $28 million in emergency funding to increase the number of FDA inspection staff, provide resources for personnel working on formula issues, help the agency stop fraudulent baby formula from entering the US marketplace, and improve data collection on the formula market, according to a release from the House Appropriations Committee.

Here’s a second example of Fischbach saying one thing but turning around and voting against the same thing.   In her May 16^th letter Rep. Fischbach proclaims:   “Rural broadband is a top priority of mine.”     But has she voted in ways that support this “top priority?”   Not when it really mattered last November with the passage of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.    Fischbach could have joined the 13 Republican members of Congress who voted in favor of this landmark legislation—which included $65 billion to bolster the country's broadband infrastructure and help ensure that every American has access to high-speed internet—including rural areas like the 7^th Congressional District.   But no!   ln voting against the infrastructure bill, Fischbach voted against her “top priority,” rural broadband.

A third example points to one of the most burning issues in our country right now:  mass shootings.  While Fischbach frequently proclaims her strong “pro-life” stance, apparently that doesn’t translate into action when addressing our country’s grievous epidemic of gun violence—the most horrific of which was the recent shooting of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.    When the U.S. House passed its “Protecting Our Kids Act” this past Wednesday (June 8), by a vote of 223 to 204, Fischbach failed to join the five Republicans who voted in favor of this wide-ranging package of common sense gun measures.  So much for being “pro-life!”

     

Denominational Polity: Not Just for Church Nerds!

 

Denominational Polity:  Not Just for Church Nerds!

“Denominational polity” is a term that describes how a church body (a.k.a. denomination) is organized in order to carry out its mission and ministry.  In the United States there is a range of options for how churches are put together, how power flows through the denomination, and how local congregations relate to the wider denomination.

Some churches are organized hierarchically—with power flowing through a highly-structured system from the top down.  The Roman Catholic Church exemplifies this model.

Other churches are organized democratically, with power flowing through a widely-dispersed organization, from the bottom (a.k.a. “grass roots”) up.   The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is an exemplar of this sort of polity.

Still other churches exhibit elements of both hierarchical and democratic polities, such as the historic Protestant church bodies in North America—e.g. Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches.

In the wake of the latest news emerging from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)—reports alleging that the denomination has failed to respond effectively and compassionately to hundreds of victims who have accused their religious leaders of engaging in sexual misconduct—it’s vital to understand the importance of the SBC’s denominational polity.    

The key unit in the organization of the SBC is the local congregation.   Each congregation basically “calls the shots” for how ministry is organized and carried out.   The wider denomination is primarily “advisory” in nature.    If members of a congregation cannot agree on potentially church-dividing issues, a faction of members who are at odds with their fellow-congregants will often withdraw and form a new congregation.   (As our family experienced many years ago on a vacation trip through the “deep South,” it’s common to see clusters of Baptist congregations within close geographic proximity to one another—reflecting a pattern of tiny faith communities that have splintered off from one another.)

Discussing the recent shocking report by Guidepost Solutions (an independent firm contracted by the SBC’s Executive Committee to look into the reports of hundreds of clergy sexual misconduct cases in the SBC),  Christa Brown, a member of the SBC who is a lawyer, writer and victim of clergy abuse declared:  “What is absolutely critical is that the local church cannot function as the default or presumed starting place for a survivor to try to obtain an investigation of clergy sex abuse….If the local church is deemed to be a requisite first stop for survivors to pursue action, then many survivors’ voices will be choked in their throats before sound is ever uttered.”

I believe that what Ms. Brown identifies here is a challenge posed by the SBC’s “bottom up" democratic polity which is highly focused on each congregation being the primary unit of the denomination.   Despite the strengths of such a denominational polity, it’s also clear that local congregations usually lack the capacity to step outside their tightknit “family circles” to exercise fair and effective discipline when an often-beloved local pastor is called to account for misbehavior.   It will be especially fascinating to see how the SBC responds to Guidepost Solutions’ recommendation that the denomination create an “Offender Information System” that would inform local call processes for pastors across the whole SBC.   The creation of such informational systems has been a primary way of addressing the problem of an offending pastor leaving one congregation and then being considered for the pastorate of another congregation.   Doing so would involve changing the “culture” of the SBC—moving the denomination from being strictly a “bottom up” organization to incorporate elements of a more “top down” organization.

Lest we assume, however, that “top down” denominations are more adept at stopping clergy sexual misconduct, we need to ponder the recent history of the Roman Catholic Church’s agonizing attempts to reduce the number of offending clergy in its own ranks.    This has been a challenge for the Roman Catholic Church for a number of reasons, including

·       The revered status of priests whose ordination is understood to convey a permanent, “indelible image” that sets them apart from the laity of the church;

·       The fact that the laity of the church are highly dependent upon their priests (and bishops) who alone can preside at the sacraments that are foundational for Catholic faith and life;

·       The solidarity that celibate priests and bishops have with one another, often leading them to “close ranks” when individual ministers are accused of wrongdoing;

·       The challenge of incorporating laity into new pathways that have been designed to prevent and/or adjudicate clergy sexual misconduct.

I believe that, with the SBC situation right before us, we’re living in a time when both hierarchical and democratic church polities are in flux as the faithful members of churches seek to “change their stripes” in order to draw upon the strengths and opportunities provided by each of the dominant patterns for their respective polities.   Catholics have slowly but surely become more open to involving laity in investigating and adjudicating clerical malfeasance.   And now it would appear that Southern Baptists are being challenged to break free from their staunch “congregationalist” approach to carrying out their mission and ministry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funeral Sermon for Pastor Richard Radde

 

^{Funeral Sermon for Pastor Richard Radde}

^{Lutheran Church of Christ the King, Moorhead, MN}

^{April 13, 2022}

^{Scriptures:   Isaiah 43:14, 18-21; II Corinthians 5:16-21; John 12:27-32}

 

^{In the name of Jesus.  Amen.}

^{Two years ago, when we were just entering the pandemic, Richard Radde decided to take another crack at writing his memoirs….something he had TRIED to do a few times earlier in his life, but never got very far…}

^{Then in January of 2020—when Covid19 was starting to confront us with our mortality in ways most of us had never experienced before-- Dick put pen to paper (or more accurately: “fingers to keyboard”) and wrote up one memory a day for nearly three months.   By March 21 he had filled or partially filled 127 pages, which (thanks to Rachel!) I was able to read over the last ten days.}

^{Dipping into these first-person recollections--written in a “sort of” stream-of-consciousness manner by our brother Dick—three themes stood out for me:}

^{First of all, I gained an appreciation for the very real, down-to-earth life Dick had lived.  Born at home in the tiny town of New Germany, MN…he entered the world with his twin brother on August 6, 1933.  Baby Richard weighed 5 ½ pounds and his twin brother Baby Robert weighed 5 pounds.}  

^{When their maternal grandmother--Grandma Kubasch--learned the babies’ names, she bluntly observed:  “Robert and Richard-- Ja,  that’ll become Bob and Dick—horses’ names!”}

^{And most of Dick’s memories were expressed in a similar vein—offering open, honest, unadorned, “back-door views” of a fascinating life well lived.    Always with an eye toward the humorous side of life, Dick’s memoir wasn’t focused on making himself look good—but rather:  noticing the highs and lows in the everyday experiences he had!}

^{There were bright spots, to be sure…especially whenever Dick wrote about the sports he loved—whether football or basketball or his lifelong favorites:    baseball, golf and fishing.}  

^{Did you know, for example, that when he was 12 Dick Radde was the pitcher for his hometown team in the Minnesota State Little League Championship series?}

^{But there were sad and troubling events, as well, that came to Dick along the way…and in his memoirs he delves into a number of them, starting with his family’s hardscrabble life in a couple German-immigrant towns in Carver County, just on the western edge of the Twin Cities.}

^{The young twins, Dick and Bob, lived with their parents in modest houses (the first couple of which were without indoor plumbing), and their father struggled to make a living as a butcher during the early years of the Great Depression.}  

^{Looking back over his dad’s relatively short time on earth Dick described Howard Carl John Radde as “father, drunkard, breadwinner, super athlete” whose last 14 years on earth were not happy.   “He was a lonely man when he died,” Dick recalls.  “I think I was among the few who visited him.” (p. 72)}

^{That poignant observation brings us to a second theme that runs through Dick’s memoir.    From his earliest years and throughout his adult life, Dick Radde consistently had a heart for and stood with folks whom he encountered on the hard edges of life.}   

^{When he was growing up, Dick cared about other kids who were odd or avoided by their peers….kids like his friend Donald who was uncoordinated because he was born with webbed feet.   Dick wrote:  “Donald the kid with the webbed feet, never learned to swim even with such an inborn advantage, nor was he ever able to throw or catch a ball, run, or even walk:  he sort of side-winded and stumbled along.  Sad to say, [Donald] was picked on.  Proud to say, I was on his side and defended him.”  (p. 34)}

^{Donald proved to be the first among a host of marginalized persons whom Dick encountered, befriended and for whom he advocated….for example:}

^{·               A Jewish man who lived in Watertown despite the rampant antisemitism of the community…where in 1945 it was not unusual to hear comments like:  “It’s good we licked Hitler, but we should have let him kill off all the Jews first.”  (p. 32)}

^{·               Dick also got to know}

^{o      Native American neighbors in one of the northern MN towns where Dick pastored in the 1960s…as well as African Americans in Selma, Alabama alongside whom Dick walked  across the Edmund Pettis Bridge in 1965}

^{o      Persons dealing with addiction issues or same-sex attractions who came to Pastor Dick for counseling and friendship…as well as…}

^{o      Active-duty soldiers (when Dick spent a year in Vietnam as a military chaplain stationed about 2 miles from the site of the My Lai Massacre) and retired soldiers to whom Dick ministered as a VA Chaplain--veterans who struggled with addictions or other health issues}

^{Dick opened his arms to so many persons who were “on the outside looking in”—not just because of his moral convictions or political leanings….but first and foremost because of Dick’s understanding of God and the kind of life followers of Jesus are called to live….which leads me to the third theme in Dick’s memoirs—a theme that speaks directly to our aching hearts, minds and spirits today….}

^{3.  The third theme I noticed in Pastor Radde’s memoir, was about treating all his neighbors with grace and unconditional love as a direct consequence of his Christian faith and his calling as a Lutheran pastor…}

^{For Dick, along with most pastors, it started young as he attended a rural parochial school near Watertown, MN.  He and his twin Robert were blessed with a confirmation pastor—John Spomer—whom they actually liked despite the fact that Pr. Spomer made them “overlearn Luther’s catechism with all those extra Missouri Synsod Bible verses, psalms and hymns…and I excelled as a student.”}

^{Dick goes on to say:  “The best thing about [Pastor] Spomer was that he knew the Gospel, preached Christ, [and] he spoke from the heart when he told us what that cross on the steeple on the church meant:  God loves us and will never stop loving us.”}

^{In addition to forming the bedrock of his faith, young Dick also discovered his calling to pastoral ministry, through paying attention to Pastor Spomer:  “Eventually I became a Lutheran pastor,” Dick writes.  “Spomer got me going.”  (p. 14)}

^{Of course not all of his teachers and mentors were as clear about God’s sheer, unadulterated forgiveness and grace in Christ Jesus our Savior.  When Dick attended the funeral of LeRoy, one of us best friends from seminary, whose severe depression had led him to take his own life…Dick was greatly troubled by the “terrible sermon” their bishop preached—a sermon in which the bishop declared “there was an outside chance LeRoy went to heaven.” (p. 46)}

^{Later, when he was Chaplain at the Fargo VA Hospital, Dick attended another funeral for a veteran known as “Hunce the Barber”—a man who struggled to stay sober and came to Chaplain Radde often to confess his sins, receive absolution and be fed at the Lord’s Supper.   When the preacher at Hunce’s funeral “told about God’s grace and how the worst of us can still (barely) make it to heaven, although there were some doubts about Hunce” Chaplain Radde had had enough, so he stood up and asked if he could share a Word at the funeral:  “Hunce confessed his sins often.  He received forgiveness.  He communed.  God grant rest to our brother, my friend.”(p. 63)}

^{What Pastor Radde proclaimed to others, he also claimed for himself, and it is in that confidence that we commend him to God’s eternal care and keeping today.}  

^{In closing, I want Dick himself to have the last word from pp. 71-72 of his memoir:   “Jesus came so that the world through him might be saved…Everyone in; all together at last.  No musical chairs…..The army chaplaincy [in Vietnam] opened my eyes to…the universal grace of God.   These different-looking, different-acting people throughout the world all over the place, are brothers and sisters forever, destined to be together by the love that never ends which is the love of Jesus Christ.”}

^{I have nothing more to add except:  Thank you, Laurie, Rachel, and your whole family for graciously sharing Dick with the rest of us.}  

^{And thanks be to God for the life and witness of his faithful servant, our dear brother Pastor Richard Radde.}

^{In the name of Jesus.  Amen.}

 

 

David's Adultery and Vlad's Treachery: A Lenten Reflection

 

Every year, on Ash Wednesday, we pray with King David the powerful Psalm 51:   “Have mercy on me, O God….Against you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…”   To plumb the depths of this beloved psalm, we must revisit the tawdriest episode in King David’s life when he committed adultery with his neighbor’s wife, Bathsheba (see II Samuel 11 and 12 for the whole heart-rending tale).   So infatuated was David with Bathsheba that he went to great lengths to seduce her, including his willingness to arrange for the murder of her husband.

Reflecting on Psalm 51 and its biblical back-story, I’m struck by the resonances between David’s treachery and the tragedy playing out these days in Ukraine.  Not unlike ancient King David, Vlad the Destroyer gazed westward, lusting for his neighbors in the beautiful country of Ukraine, leading him to take by force what was not his.  

The brave, stern prophet of the LORD, Nathan, confronted King David and forced him to realize the error of his ways:  “You are the man!”  (II Samuel 12:7).    Today the freedom-loving democracies of the world are taking the part of Nathan in proclaiming to Vlad the Destroyer, “You are the man!”

This is, of course, my own interpretation of how both the biblical story and the tragedy of Ukraine might be playing out right before our eyes.    Some may write off such ruminations as “more politics   But I believe it is incumbent upon us all to seek to discern the mysterious ways of God as they are interwoven in real-time events in our own day.

In this regard I call upon Abraham Lincoln—not much of a church-goer, but the most profound lay theologian ever to occupy the White House—in the stirring conclusion of his magnificent Second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1865, during the waning days of the Civil War:

“Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.  Yet if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another draw with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, ‘The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.’   

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”    (Henry Steele Commager, editor of Documents of American History, Volume I, pages 442-443)

A Tribute to Busi Suneel Bhanu on His 70th Birthday

 

The Rev. Dr. Busi Suneel Bhanu—Bridge Builder

                                                                A tribute by Lawrence R. Wohlrabe

In June of 2007 I was blessed to meet Suneel for the first time.   He had traveled to Moorhead, MN in the U.S.A along with three other representatives of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC) to be present for the annual assembly of the Northwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Why had these four Lutherans from India flown halfway around the world?   It was not simply to attend a church gathering, but to witness the election of a synod bishop in their companion synod.[1]  The outcome of that election was that I was called to be the bishop of the NW MN Synod, succeeding Bishop Rolf Wangberg who had served since 2001.

And that’s why, the day after the 2007 synod assembly adjourned, my wife Joy and I met with the AELC delegation for brunch in the home of the Wangbergs.   This gathering offered me a chance to assure our sisters and brothers from the AELC that I would continue to nurture the companion synod relationship between the NW MN Synod and the AELC.

Thus began my friendship with Suneel who was, at the time, a professor at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College & Research Institute in Chennai (formerly Madras), Tamil Nadu, India.   In addition to being a veteran pastor and theological professor in the AELC, his keen facility in the English language was invaluable in helping us connect with our new Indian friends.

So it was that two years later, when Suneel himself was elected to a four-year term as Bishop of the AELC, we had already begun to forge a new bishop-to-bishop partnership that blossomed into a deep friendship which continues to this day.  Inspired by this partnership and friendship, I am pleased to offer the following tribute on the occasion of Suneel’s 70^th birthday.

 

ACCOMPANIMENT HALFWAY AROUND THE GLOBE

When I was elected synod bishop neither my wife Joy nor I had ever traveled abroad.   We didn’t even possess U.S. passports!  All of that changed in the autumn of 2009 when we flew to India to become acquainted first-hand with the people, the congregations and the territory of the AELC.    Accompanied by an experienced India traveler, Professor Henry “Hank” Tkachuk of Concordia College in Moorhead, we literally flew halfway around planet Earth.[2]

Although the trip was daunting—and our first experience with pan-global jet lag was exhausting—we were filled with wonder by actually seeing and walking on the terra firma of India.   We also discovered how easy it was to love and appreciate the people of the AELC, whose hospitality toward us was overwhelming.

Joy and I experienced what we in the ELCA call accompaniment.   The ELCA understands accompaniment in the following manner:

“Accompaniment” is a scriptural and practical way of understanding mission that has been articulated in the past few decades in dialogue between churches in the “global North”—the churches who historically sent missionaries—and churches in the “global South”—churches in Asia, Africa and Latin America who historically received missionaries. Today, there are more Christians in the “global South” than in the “global North.” It’s a different world than that of the earliest missionaries, and our understanding of and living out mission must respond.[3]

As we started to experience “accompaniment” first-hand, we came to realize what a superb global partner God had given to us in the person of Bishop Suneel.   My experiences with Suneel have led me to think of him as a bridgebuilder par excellence.   This is the image of Suneel that I wish to describe in greater detail in this tribute.

 

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN THE AELC AND THE ELCA

The primary context within which I have engaged with Bishop Suneel has been the Companion Synod relationship between the AELC and the NW MN Synod—a relationship that predated our service as colleague bishops and a connection that continues to blossom and grow.

Central to the experience of being in a companion synod relationship is the regular, back-and-forth exchanges of global visitors between the two synods.    Such face-to-face encounters have been supplemented since the early 2000s by the growth of social media, especially Facebook.

During my twelve years of service as bishop, there were six person-to-person exchanges between the AELC and the NW MN Synod:

·       As has already been noted, in 2007 then-Moderator Bishop V.E. Christopher and Mrs. Christopher, along with Rev. Subhashini Bondu (leader of the AELC Bible Women evangelistic ministry) and the Rev. Dr. Busi Suneel Bhanu as translator, participated in the NW MN Synod Assembly when I was elected to my first term as bishop.[4]

·       In 2009, shortly after Suneel was elected Moderator Bishop of the AELC, Joy and I traveled to India for twelve days (November 5-17) accompanied by Concordia College Professor Henry “Hank” Tkachuk—an experienced India traveler.   During this pilgrimage I met with a number of key Lutheran leaders, including:   Dr. Kunchala Rajaratnam (dubbed “The Grand Old Man of Indian Lutheranism”)[5], Dr. Monica Melanchthon of the faculty at Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Rev. Dr. A.G. Augustine Jayakumar who was the executive director of the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI),[6] and Pastor Subhashini Bondu.   In addition to traveling throughout the AELC, we also participated in the annual “Pastors Day” in Visakapatnam where I preached and took part in a Service of Ordination for over 70 new pastors of the AELC.

·       In the autumn of 2011 five representatives of the AELC paid a visit to northwestern Minnesota:  Bishop Suneel and his wife, the Rev. Dr. Grace Bhanu (who was also serving as Director of Women’s Ministries in the AELC); Mrs. Janagam Mary Grace, Secretary of the AELC; Mr. Budithi C. Rajaratnam, Treasurer of the AELC; and Dr. Patta Devaraju, longtime member of the AELC Executive Council.

·       In November of 2012, Hank Tkachuk, Joy and I led a pilgrimage that brought 19 pastors and lay leaders from the NW MN Synod to the AELC.   This was the largest group of NW MN Synod folks to visit the AELC, and our delegation included six pastors (four of whom were women) and thirteen lay persons representing all corners of northwestern Minnesota.   We experienced a fascinating and challenging two weeks together that took us from Delhi to Vijayawada to Guntur to Bhimavaram to Rajahmundry to Visakhapatnam and back to Delhi for a day of sight-seeing at the Agra Fort, Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri, before heading back to Minnesota.  Highlights of the pilgrimage included another mass ordination event in conjunction with the AELC’s annual “Pastors Day,” and a Service of Consecration for Bishop Suneel and the synod (territorial) bishops of the AELC.   We also paid particular attention to some of the “ministries of mercy” of the AELC, including a school for blind children, a leper colony, a shelter for destitute women, a stop at the AELC headquarters in Guntur, and tours of several AELC educational ministries.   The nineteen travelers from NW MN were subsequently  available for speaking engagements in the congregations and conferences of the synod—and the entire effort provided a “shot in the arm” for the companion synod program.

·       By 2015 Suneel had concluded his service to the AELC, having been succeeded in 2013 by the current Moderator Bishop Fredrick Paradesi Babu Kollabathula.  A delegation of four AELC leaders--Pastor Nelson Francis Wesley Junipe, Mrs. Asha Kiran Kollabathula (wife of Bishop Fredrick, who was unable to participate in this trip), Professor Anitha Pranuthi Pinapati, and Dr. Deva Raju Patta--came to the United States for an ELCA Churchwide /NW MN Synod consultation that began on March 18 in Chicago and concluded March 29 in Fargo, ND.[7]

·       In September of 2019 Dr. Patta Devaraju and his wife Indira attended and brought greetings from the AELC at the installation of my successor, Bishop William Tesch, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead, MN.

I have gone into some depth in providing this historical timeline of personal encounters between individuals from the NW MN Synod and the AELC, both to document the story of this companion synod relationship and to highlight the occasions that fed the growth of this relationship.  Through it all, Suneel has been integral to our joint efforts to forge a stronger relationship between the NW MN Synod and the AELC.  

Without a doubt, Suneel’s firm grasp of the English language was significant in making this partnership thrive and grow![8]    Suneel also was a superb interpreter and “explainer” who never tired of responding to the many questions we Americans asked him.   Moreover, Suneel’s ready smile, sense of humor and personal warmth were invaluable in strengthening this companion synod connection.   On a personal level—as siblings in Christ who shared meals in each other’s homes—Joy and I came to regard Suneel and Grace as personal friends whom we have grown to love.

 

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN THE ACADEMY AND THE CHURCH

Down through its history global Lutheranism has had many scholar-bishops, and without doubt Bishop Busi Suneel Bhanu must be counted among them.   His story, in so many ways, reflects the genesis of Lutheranism itself, which was born in 1517 in the city of Wittenberg, Germany—in which the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther regularly preached in local churches even as he taught theology in the then-new University of Wittenberg.  

In my many experiences with Suneel I witnessed how he has integrated his pastoral and professorial identities.  Having served as a parish pastor in Visakhapatnam in the late 1980s, Suneel helped grow a new AELC congregation—Emmanuel Lutheran Church, a mission congregation developed by the older Trinity Lutheran Church.   In this critical role Pastor Suneel acquired and honed skills in preaching, teaching, pastoral care-giving, and church-planting.

But Suneel also had the academic gifts and advanced studies to teach in institutions of higher education such as the Gurukul Theological College and Research Institute.   His area of academic research has focused on the experience of Dalits (sometimes called “untouchables”) in the caste system of India.  

For Suneel this was not an esoteric subject.   Truth be told,  the vast majority of Christians in India are Dalits.   In pursuing his doctorate at the International Christian University in Japan, Suneel focused on exploring the similarities between India’s Dalits and Japan’s Burakamin people.

Suneel’s facility in building bridges between the academy and the church is evident when one observes—as I have—his warm rapport with the young pastors of the AELC (many of whom called him “professor” before they called him “bishop”).  It is also very clear that Suneel’s academic research in Dalit studies has strongly influenced the emphases he has pursued as moderator bishop of the AELC--most notably his persistent attention to calling the church to exercise special care for the downtrodden.

 

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

Indian culture, and the culture of the AELC, is quite “traditional” in terms of how men and women relate to one another.   Men dominate positions of leadership in families, churches and society.   Historically women have been considered subordinate to men.

Suneel has been vocal and forthright in seeking to address this reality.  An interview with him published by the Lutheran World Federation on March 1, 2016 included the following comments from Suneel:

“Women’s dignity.  The freedom, choices, aspirations and dignity of women are eroded in India’s traditional and male chauvinistic ideals of a woman:  a dutiful housekeeper, submissive to her husband and bears him children.  Many still remember the 22-year old woman in Delhi who was gang raped by six men in December 2012, and later died from her injuries.  The public protests over this case and widespread violence against women led to the amendment of the criminal code in 2013 to include stiff penalties for rape.   Churches are called to speak out and act more for the dignity of women, who make up 51 percent of our population.”[9]

In my own experiences with Suneel I have witnessed his deep commitment to according women in the AELC the kind of dignity and opportunities that they deserve.  Three examples come to mind.

First, I know from my own experience with a gifted and highly-trained female theologian in the AELC that Suneel has encouraged and assisted her (and other women theologians) to secure teaching positions in institutions of higher theological education.  Suneel’s wife, Grace, is another example of a woman who has been both ordained as a pastor and called to teach at institutions of theological education such as the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute and Andhra Christian Theological College in Hyderabad where Grace currently is a Professor of the History of Christianity.

Second, I have observed in Suneel a passion for having more ordained female pastors serving in parishes of the AELC.   Women have been ordained in the AELC since 1999,[10] but it has been very challenging to secure calls for them to serve as parish pastors.  

When the 19 pilgrims from the NW MN Synod visited the AELC in 2012, Suneel invited me to participate in a Service of Consecration for himself and the six synod bishops of the AELC.   I believe that a big reason why Suneel insisted that I participate in the laying on of hands during this worship service was that in 2007 I had been installed as synod bishop in a version of the “historic episcopate” (including the presence of ELCA bishops who had been similarly installed along with an Episcopal bishop).[11]    But Suneel also insisted that all the visiting pastors from the NW MN Synod be vested and participate in the Service of Consecration—which means that four female ordained ELCA pastors were invited to lay hands on Suneel and the synod bishops—all of them males.   Only after the fact did I realize how subtle and intentional Suneel had been, to shine a spotlight on these female pastors from the United States, as a way (I have assumed) of encouraging members of the AELC to become more open to receiving their own women clergy as pastors in their parishes.

Third, during both of my visits to the AELC, Suneel made sure that I (and those traveling with me) were able to spend significant time with the “Bible Women” of the AELC.    These Bible Women are among the primary evangelists in the AELC—and they tend to focus on reaching females who are not Christian.   The theory, reflecting Indian traditions for how men and women relate to one another, is that Christian women can get into a home through the “back door” and thus engage with non-Christian women who are considering conversion to Christianity.  Fairly often these new converts then seek to introduce their non-Christian husbands to the way of Jesus Christ.   Suneel has been tireless in supporting the AELC’s Bible Women, both in seeking financial existence and in paying attention to the Bible Women’s formation in Christian faith and life.

 

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN LUTHERANS AND OTHER FAITH TRADITIONS

India is a deeply spiritual country, in which people of different faiths have managed to live together in peace.   In my travels to India I have been struck by how open Indian people are to learning about and engaging with the spiritualities of their neighbors.    For the AELC, such connections involve both (a) ecumenical relations with other Christian faith groups and (b) interfaith relationships with people of non-Christian religious groups.

The AELC has multiple avenues for ecumenical engagement with other Christians, and Suneel has been a dedicated proponent of such engagement.   First, there are relationships with other Lutherans in India, manifested in the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI) which is an umbrella organization of 12 Lutheran church bodies in India, representing 4 million Lutherans.   The UELCI also connects Indian Lutherans with other global ecumenical organizations such as the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation.   The AELC also participates in the National Council of Churches in India which is made up of 30 member church bodies representing the Protestant and Orthodox Churches in India.

Throughout his ministry Suneel has been involved with these various ecumenical agencies.   Since retiring as Moderator Bishop of the AELC, Suneel has been particularly engaged with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)—having served recently on a LWF study group on “Lutheran Engagement in the Public Space.”

Suneel has also fostered good relationships between the people of the AELC and their non-Christian neighbors.   He affirms the efforts of congregations like Transfiguration Lutheran Church in Kakinada, India, which we visited in 2009, to welcome intentionally “seekers” of other faiths and no faith to explore the worship life and ministries of AELC congregations.   To foster such inter-faith hospitality, Transfiguration’s building is open from the early morning to late evening, so that persons of any faith tradition can pray there daily.  On Sundays, roughly 30% of those attending worship are non-Christians.

 

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN CHURCH AND SOCIETY

Closely related to the previous section of this paper, Suneel has emerged during his retirement years as an important voice for cultivating interfaces in India between church and society.   With the rise of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP party, various forms of “Hindu nationalism” have challenged the religious diversity that has characterized India.  Although India is an officially secular country, the current government has shown favoritism to Hindu believers and Hindu faith practices.

In this context of religious intolerance, Suneel has drawn upon his work with the Lutheran World Federation’s “Lutheran Engagement in the Public Space” study group to challenge the AELC and other Christian groups to understand the church as “a public space for people with diverse attitudes and orientations to share their ideas and resources for the wellbeing of all.”   As they claim this role in Indian society, Suneel has drawn particular attention to Christians’ need to address issues such as “the rights of Dalits, women’s dignity and human sexuality.”[12]

 

IN CONCLUSION

As I conclude this brief tribute I’m keenly aware of the fact that, with respect to the topic at hand, I have barely scratched the surface.  Indeed there are certainly other ways in which the title of “Bridge Builder” could be ascribed to Busi Suneel Bhanu.   And I expect that Suneel himself will continue to cultivate his gifts and commitments in this regard.  

My ardent wish for my good friend and brother in Christ is that, in addition to having a happy  and blessed 70^th birthday celebration, God will continue to work through him for many years to come.

Soli deo gloria!

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lawrence Robert Wohlrabe was born in 1954 in Mankato, Minnesota, U.S.A.  He graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and Luther Seminary, St. Paul. In 2003 Luther Seminary awarded him a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) degree with distinction. Ordained in 1981, he served parishes in Willmar, MN; St. James, MN; and Moorhead, MN. He was also on the staff of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, and the SW MN Synod ELCA, Redwood Falls, MN. Larry was elected bishop of the Northwestern Minnesota Synod on June 10, 2007 and was re-elected to a second term on June 7, 2013. He retired at the end of his term on September 1, 2019. During 2020 he came out of retirement to serve 9 ½ months as Interim Bishop of the Eastern North Dakota Synod ELCA. Larry's wife, Joy, is retired after working many years as a hospital and hospice social worker. They have two young adult children, Erik and Kristen (married to Aaron) and three grandchildren: Olivia, Micah and Malachi.

 

                                                                    

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[1] Companion synod relationships of the ELCA connect Lutheran churches throughout the world with ELCA synods and congregations. These relationships are concrete expressions of the communion and fellowship with the more than 140 Lutheran member churches of The Lutheran World Federation. Each of the 65 synods has at least one international church companion and many have additional relationships, resulting in more than 120 companion synod relationships.   Companion Synod Relationships - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org)

 

[2] Hank colorfully described for us the fact that if we dug down through the center of the earth, starting in Moorhead, we would find ourselves in India, not China!

 

[3]    Accompaniment.indd (elca.org)

 

[4] Six years later, in 2013, I was re-elected to a second term.

 

[5] Dr. Rajaratnam died the next year, 2010.   See https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/dr-kunchala-rajaratnam

 

[6]  Dr. Jayakumar died in 2019 after suffering from kidney disease for years.   https://gltc.edu/reformation-day-celebrations-2020/

 

[7]  This was the last AELC/NWMN Synod interchange that involved Professor Tkachuk, who died suddenly in September of 2018, less than a month before we had planned to send a small delegation of NWMN Synod folks to the AELC.   That pilgrimage, unfortunately, was cancelled because it was still being planned by Prof. Tkachuk when he died.

 

[8] We can not over-state the significance of Suneel’s command of the English language—a quality possessed by neither his predecessor, Bishop V. E. Christopher, nor his successor, Bishop Fredrick Paradesi Babu.

[9] https://www.lutheranworld.org/news/equal-access-safety-and-meaningful-participation

 

[10] In the AELC the practice is to have a mass ordination for all candidates who have completed their seminary education and been approved for ordination—whether or not they have received calls to serve in congregations.    This stands in contrast to the practice in the ELCA, in which persons who have met all the requirements for ordination must have a “Letter of Call in hand” before being ordained.

 

[11] This practice emerged in the ELCA only after its 1999 Churchwide Assembly in Denver approved Called to Common Mission (CCM) which allowed the ELCA and the Episcopal Church to enter into full communion with each other.

[12] See footnote 9 above for the source.