Title of Work

Sing to the Lord, All the Earth (and Minnesota): Immigrant Congregations Bring Diverse Worship to the Lutheran Midwest

Document Type

News Article

Publication/Presentation Date

1-29-2020

City of Publication or Presentation

San Antonio, TX

Abstract

In the United States, the two largest US Lutheran bodies are around 95 percent white, and the denomination is slowly in decline in the Global North. But Lutheran membership in the Global South is growing. As of 2016, the largest Lutheran bodies are found in Tanzanian and Ethiopia; they now rank ahead of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and the US. The revivalist spirit of Lutherans new to Minnesota from Africa, Asia, and Latin America is often expressed in a most Lutheran way - music. As Martin Luther himself once said, "Music is next to theology." What can immigrants and refugees teach Americans about Christianity in the United States and globally? More locally, what does it feel like to be Lutheran and an immigrant or refugee in Minnesota? What does the music at these congregations reveal about the history of religious journeys?

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