Post: Readers Respond

Michael Hardin's "Tracing the Roots of a Denomination" [Volume V, Number I, 1990] did a splendid job of pointing out the very real danger of attributing our salvation to our own action — to our decision. Thank you. Please sign me up. Blake Magnuson, Princeton, New Jersey/Chicago, Illinois.

You know what I'd like to see sometime in Pietisten? A reading list of books about pietism — both historical and contemporary. Do you think one of your people could put an annotated bibliography, or a bibliographic essay together?

Keep up the good work. Bryce Nelson, Seattle, Washington.

I have, just received and read your magazine and it has warmed the "cockles of my heart." I'm a lifelong Covenanter with close ties to both North Park College and North Park church. I married the pastor's son and produced Arthur Bowman "the Lutheran." However, my son Dean, his brother, attended Stanford and is an active Covenanter as is their sister, Kathy Bowman Holmgren (also a North-Parker). Incidentally, her husband is Joe Montana's coach so I question the credentials of Eric.

I do appreciate my son's position and am grateful he's in the Lord's service, but has the Lutheran church produced the likes of Eric Hawkinson? Of course, it has, but he's special to me as I knew him as a true Man of God.

Tim Sporrong's message on the "Dead Preachers Society" was also especially appreciated as Tim grew up in San Jose. In fact, unbeknown to my boys, I gave him a baseball autographed by Stan Musial! He deserved it.

Keep up the good work. I wish we had your counterpart in California. Jane Bowman Jacobson, San Jose, California.

Pietisten continues to be a good read, but the Fall 1990 issue was exceptionally good. Thanks for your great work. Enclosed is payment for two more years, Graig E . Anderson, Chicago, Illinois.

Your "soft-sell" persistence in tracking subscribers to Pietisten is contagious. Furthermore, the Fall '90 issue was excellent. An aside — Art Bowman's grandfather confirmed me when I was 13.

Put me on your list — and best wishes to you and the "team" as you continue to publish a fine journal. Hobart Edgren, St. Charles, Illinois.

I started to learn about Christianity at the North Park Covenant Church, while living with the Soderstroms as an exchange student in Chicago. Since my return home, I have been receiving copies of Pietisten with gratitude and excitement.

The North Park Covenant Church and especially Pietisten have proven to be very valuable experiences for me. I'd like to thank you for having sent me copies of your publication.

Timothy Sporrong's sermon, "Dead Preachers Society: Come and Die," affected me in many ways. I read it in one breath, and will be reading it over and over again and asking friends to read it. Thanks to Pietisten for helping this excellent sermon travel overseas to people of different nations, races, and religions. Ahu Latifoglu, Istanbul, Turkey.

[See Summer, 1989 for Ahu's article, "Two Different Worlds?" Ed.]

Thank you so much for sending me a copy of Pietisten — I love it! In my home as a child, my dad always quoted P.P. Waldenström with reverence. I do believe he felt P.P, Waldenström was a "Paul to the Swedes!" So both sides of my family our heritage from Sweden was (is) rich — on a visit to cousins in Sweden on my mother's side (1984) a good part of the time there was spent visiting our Covenant Bible Camps and churches. . . as well as meeting family.

When Tim's brother was an exchange student from North Park to SVF there was to be a game (basketball) between young Swedes in the Jonkoping/Hushvarsa area — and our NP "kids." When Dave wrote later, he said that three of the main players (Swedes) were his second cousins, two of them in the 6'5" to 6'6" height bracket. Since then I've met all of them and it means so much. You may have heard that Dave's wife — Janice — is a great, great granddaughter of C.A. Bjork.

So, with my husband's heritage and Janice's, etc.— we see the grace of our Lord Jesus — and His promises KEPT — so precious. It is this spirit of understanding that I sense in Pietisten. Heritage doesn't save us, we know, but it is a treasure we need to pass on to our children! And Praise God for.

Keep up the good work — May the Lord bless you richly in this unique ministry. Jeanette Sporrong, Angels Camp, California.

I really got a kick out of Bowman's article in the last Pietisten and have been wondering what the next letters-to-the-editor space will look like. (Maybe a response from a former Greek Orthodox priest turned Covenant?). Jean Ekblad, Hingham, Massachusetts.

Thanks for the blend, and at times the juxtaposition, of the old and the new in Pietisten. Keep up your inspired work. George Elia, Cromwell, Connecticut.

It was quite a thrilling experience to receive the latest copy of Pietisten. It is not often that these journeys to the P.O. box are rewarded. I liked the article in "Out and About" that talked about our sheltered condition and our inability to direct the world according to our plan. Our plans only work when they are not really ours — but God's.

I have been taking a course on Gandhi this semester which is thought provoking. He has sort of taken a secular view of Christianity. He believes in the morality (especially from the sermon on the mount) of Christianity, but cannot accept that Jesus is the only son of God. He also found that too often Christians with whom he came into contact shrugged off their sins and appeared to make no effort to change. This was because Jesus had borne their sins and would continue to bear their sins infinitely whether they remained sincere in attempts at morality or not. This I agree with — that a Christian cannot continue to sin knowingly or willingly after realizing the wrong, and not be accountable. Every willful sin is a rejection of the gift of forgiveness as much as it is an abuse of the privilege. To sin in ignorance leaves a much lighter scar than to willingly drive another stake in the cross. Karl Rosenquist, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota.