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All letters to be published in Lutheran Partners magazine / Lutheran Partners Online must include your name and where you reside. Address: Editor, Lutheran Partners, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631-4101; e-mail, Lutheran.Partners@elca.org, Lutheran_Partners@ecunet.org, or LUTHERAN PARTNERS (if on Ecunet/ Lutherlink). Because we wish to publish as many letters as possible and at the same time maintain some control over the length of the letter section, letters should be no more than 600 words in length. Shorter letters are preferred.

Kudos to Jazz Pastor
I had forgotten about the years I spent in New York and New Jersey and knew John Gensel, the Jazz Pastor (Book End, July / August 2008). I remember standing in a line Sunday afternoon to get into his Vesper services at Advent [Lutheran Church]. John told me to come early if I wanted a seat. It was a fantastic experience!

I invited him to come to the Jersey side for an area youth meeting when I had a church in Weehawken and was president of the ministerial association. John brought an African American preteen boy with him who played drums. When John would read a Scripture, the boy would interpret it on the drums! It amazed all the youth we had invited to hear him! It amazed us sponsors of the group also! Drums were the last instrument we had imagined could interpret God’s word. You can’t beat this one!

John did a great job for Advent, for the Jazz greats, and also for our Lord. Bless him!

Robert S. Ove
Rio Rancho, New Mexico

The Lutheran “Way”
I fully support the Book of Faith Initiative (“Unzipping Scripture,” September / October 2008) and our congregation is signed up. I do have a word of caution about leaning too heavily on the “Lutheran” label. Lutherans are also the LCMS, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, the WELS, etc. Such Lutherans tend to have different insights, so I am not sure we can claim that our insights are the Lutheran insights. As Reginald Mortha also points out in his piece, Lutherans in other cultures also have different insights (“The Bible from a New Immigrant’s Eyes,” September / October 2008). I also suspect that our Lutheran insights are also the insights of many of our full communion partners in other churches.

I think we should encourage people to engage the Scriptures and help them understand them. I am not so sure we can claim that our way is the Lutheran way.

Fred Schott
South Brunswick, New Jersey

Invaluable Vignettes
Thank you for the “Written on the Heart” vignettes. As I read some yesterday, their approach reminded me of John Doberstein’s Minister’s Prayer Book (Fortress, 1959, 1986, now out of print). Both provide brief reflections on the practice of ministry, the kind of mentoring we rarely share in formal and informal career development. They are invaluable.

Chaplain Richard Lund, U.S. Army
Seoul, Korea

Lacks Stimulation
[Regarding Lutheran Partners’ new editorial approach that began with the January / February 2008 issue] I agree with Raymond Mitchell. The stories are OK, but do not provide intellectual stimulation or information. (See “Former Incarnation,” Letters, July / August 2008.)

Robert M. Belles
El Paso, Texas