August 15, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS – In a post-Cold War, post-9/11 world the United States has been thrust into a position of global leadership with awesome responsibility. People of the church are called upon, not simply to accept but to help define the U.S. role. Based on biblical/theological/ confessional norms, the ideology our country adopts needs to be understood and critiqued by people of the church according to Paul A. Wee, author of American Destiny and the Calling of the Church. Wee makes an urgent plea that congregations, in a bipartisan spirit of openness, subject this issue to debate in the public forum. The author's approach to the issue is based on a three-fold commitment – to the centrality of the gospel, to the ministry of the church, and to the responsible role of the nation in the world.

Chapters of the book focus on: Reading History as a Community of Faith; America's Original Calling: The Puritan Legacy; America's Calling Today; A Lutheran Response to Imperial Claims; and Learning the Lessons of Historic Church Struggle and Resistance. Each chapter includes questions for reflection and discussion.

"This is a wholly engaging account that is up-to-date as tomorrow's newspaper-but with far more substance for deliberating the compelling issues before us. Gather a group, read it together, and work through the questions about our responsibilities as Christians who hold U.S. passports in a time of danger both for and from America." – Larry Rasmussen, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics Emeritus, Union Theological Seminary, New York City.

"Dr. Wee seeks to reconcile the ethical and religious imperatives of the gospel with the responsibility of our nation to play a major role in establishing a new world order. His portrayal of the gap between national ideals and the realities of American life is candid, if not brutal. This is not a reading for the faint-hearted. Wee demands critical questioning and dialog among people of the church and between the church and government leaders." – Ervin Rokke, President of Moravian College and Seminary, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

"Since 9/11 we have been hearing the tattoos of American Destiny and empire drumming our march t o war. We have been listening to the brash bugles of triumphalism and the fife of a theology of glory sounding the airs of fundamentalism and civil religion, all the while wondering what has been happening to our Christian vocabulary and theological syntax. Paul Wee has written a book to help us navigate through these troubled waters and encourage us to pursue the critical conversation and constructive dialog in our congregations essential to rekindling our pastoral passion and prophetic voice." – Conrad A. Braaten, Pastor, Church of the Reformation, Washington, D.C.

Paul A. Wee is an ELCA pastor who has held various leadership roles in worldwide organizations, including the Lutheran World Federation, the Luther Center in Wittenberg, Germany, and Lutheran World Ministries. He presently teaches at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

American Destiny and the Calling of the Church, Format: Paperback, 5.25" x 7.75," 96 pp, ISBN: 0-8066-8002-4, Publisher: Augsburg Fortress, Price: $9.99.

To order American Destiny and the Calling of the Church please call Augsburg Fortress at 1-800-328-4648 or visit the Web site at http://www.augsburgfortress.org/.

Augsburg Fortress