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 ChurchwideAssembly 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.
