August 21, 2010

CHICAGO – Two Lutherans will leave the Augustinian priory in Erfurt, Germany, Aug. 22, and walk one thousand miles to Rome, retracing the footsteps of Martin Luther. But for the Rev. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson and her husband, Dr. Andrew Lars Wilson, it's much more than a long hike – it's a chance to meet people face-to-face and interact with those who follow their journey online about the importance of ecumenism.

Luther, an Augustinian friar, created controversy with his 95 Theses. Luther's statement, which he nailed to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517, raised questions about indulgences in the Western Church. What followed was the period known as the Protestant Reformation.

The Wilsons' pilgrimage takes place exactly 500 years after Luther himself left Erfurt in 1510 for Rome. They will follow a route through Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Italy, arriving in Rome in about 70 days.

The journey also coincides with the 100th anniversary of the 1910 Edinburgh Missionary Conference in Scotland, often cited as the birth of the ecumenical movement.

The idea of retracing Luther's footsteps was an idea that the Wilsons discussed during their days in graduate school at Princeton (N.J.) Theological Seminary. "The journey had a big impact on him (Luther)," said Sarah Wilson, research professor at the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France, in an interview with the ELCA News Service. "We thought it would be really cool to re-create it somehow." Wilson is also a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and editor of Lutheran Forum.

When she began her work in Strasbourg, Wilson said she didn't know much about ecumenism. But she said she has since gained a passion for it during her time with the Institute, which is among several organizations sponsoring the journey.

Wilson said she and her husband will post daily updates at http://www.hereiwalk.org on the Web. "During the Reformation it was pamphlets; for us it's blogs," she said. They will also post updates using social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter, and post photos and video taken during their journey.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal this week, Wilson commented that during the pilgrimage "our hope is that, through the use of these new media, the controversial figure of Martin Luther and the current relationship between the Catholic and Lutheran churches will appear in a new light."

"Most Lutherans and Catholics remain unaware of the remarkable ways that their churches have drawn together over the past 50 years," she wrote. "Differences and disputes still compel greater interest than convergence and agreement. So we two pilgrims invite Catholics, Lutherans and all other Christians concerned for the unity of the church to join us on this pilgrimage."

The Wilsons will use their website to engage followers about Reformation history, Luther's journey, discuss ecumenical concepts and spirituality, Wilson said. She said they will also discuss the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, a significant milestone in Lutheran-Catholic relations, reflect on Vatican II and other significant topics for Protestants and Catholics. "We will try to draw some connections between Catholics and Lutherans," Wilson said.

"I think the most significant piece is that the ecumenical movement invites us to see each other in the light of God, overlooking neither our failures (nor our) virtues," Wilson said. She added that by taking the journey and engaging Lutherans and others, she and her husband hope people see Luther as a teacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Andrew, a post-doctoral fellow at the Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue, Geneva, has done a lot of hiking in his lifetime. He determined the route the two will take, making adjustments to it based on the advice of friends and followers.

"Personally, I'm hoping that God will provide us with surprises of hospitality and interaction," he said. "I'm looking forward to a great journey and a great trip. It will be fascinating and interesting to walk and see such historical places. You're much better able to do that when you're walking. We'll go a lot slower and see things we wouldn't see otherwise."

Andrew Wilson said his hope for the pilgrimage is that it is a "walking meditation."

"Peace between Christians and understanding is something that happens through prayer and not through polemics," he said. "We invite people to pray with us."

ELCA News Service