with the Rev. Steven P. Loy
On
Tuesday, August 7, 2007, Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson introduced the Rev.
Steven P. Loy, a member of the Church Council from Las Cruces, New Mexico,
to provide the 2007 ELCA Biennial Churchwide
Assembly
the first segment of Dwelling in the Word.
When Pr. Loy’s microphone, which was identified to the chair with a red
card, failed to project properly, Presiding Bishop Hanson asked him to move
to a neighboring microphone, saying, “I think that God would prefer you to
stand at green microphone when speaking about dwelling in the Word.”
Pr. Loy recounted that he had experienced a typical up bringing in the
Lutheran church, but, because he grew up in Florida, most of his friends
were Southern Baptists, who had a different understanding of the Bible from
his Lutheran brothers and sisters. He revealed that his Baptist friends knew
more about the Bible than he did, and told him when he was wrong about a
verse or story.
...he finds there the unsettling questions that keep his faith
lively and hope-filled.
He confessed that he found their knowledge irritating, and that he wished
that he had paid more attention in confirmation. In an introductory course
on the Old Testament at the University of South Florida, Professor James
Strange
opened
an exciting new world for Pr. Loy. As a result, he changed his major and
decided to enter seminary. Studying the Bible is not a comfortable exercise
for him, he explained. While some people find peace and serenity in Bible
study, he reported that he finds there the unsettling questions that keep
his faith lively and hope-filled.
The assembly responded to Pr. Loy’s
presentation with applause.
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