In this edition we include two book reviews that are primarily reflections on ministry and history. Thomas Johnston’s review of Lowell Almen’s book, A Dream Eclipsed: A Fractured Quest for Greater Lutheran Unity, explores the history and trajectory of the formation of the ELCA from the perspective of a central figure in contemporary Lutheranism. Almen presents the lamentable fragmentation of Lutheranism post-merger, and the continuing search for unity. William Russell’s review of Robert S. Graetz’s A White Preacher’s Memoir: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, is a poignant reflection on the latter’s pastoral ministry in the epicenter of the civil rights movement (Montgomery, Alabama). It voices the story of a young white Lutheran pastor, immersed in a racist childhood, coming to terms with his racism and ministering to a predominantly African American church at a momentous and tempestuous moment in time. Both reviews will inspire you and encourage an appraisal.
William Rodríguez is Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Florida. He serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of Lutheran Ethics.