September 30, 2010

CHICAGO – Two Lutherans retracing Martin Luther's 1510 journey from Erfurt, Germany, to Rome report that "unexpected company or hospitality" from people they've met are among the best moments they've experienced so far. The Rev. Dr. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson and her husband, Dr. Andrew Lars Wilson, left Erfurt on foot Aug. 22 and are now in Italy.

Luther was an Augustinian friar who 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.

Doing their best to stay true to Luther's original route, the Wilsons' journey has taken them through parts of Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Italy.

They post daily updates, photos and essays about ecumenism and Reformation history at http://www.hereiwalk.org/, on the Web. More than 700 people are following the Wilson's journey on Facebook, and more than 80 are following their Twitter updates.

A key purpose of the journey is to call attention to ecumenism, said Sarah Wilson, research professor at the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France. In a piece she wrote for The Wall Street Journal prior to leaving, Wilson commented that during the pilgrimage she hoped "the controversial figure of Martin Luther and the current relationship between the Catholic and Lutheran churches will appear in a new light."

Wilson is also a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and editor of Lutheran Forum.

She told the ELCA News Service that many people have helped them along the way. "One Sunday we didn't have anywhere to stay and all the hotels were booked because of a concert series, so we asked for help at church," she said. "A local couple took us in and we had a great time with them, including a mini Bach concert and a genuine Bavarian Brotzeit supper."

A fellow American read her commentary in the Wall Street Journal and hiked with them for a day. In Chiavenna, Italy, the Wilsons stayed with a devout Catholic family "that not only knew of Martin Luther but loved him," she said.

"Others have just seen us walking by and invited us for a cup of coffee," Wilson said. "At first it was difficult to ask for help when we needed it, and to get used to accepting hospitality when it was offered spontaneously. We … found ourselves blessed time and time again."

The Wilsons experienced cold and rainy weather during much of the first month of their journey, Wilson said.

People they've talked with along the way are very positive about ecumenism, she said. "Quite a number have expressed the conviction that Catholics and Lutherans believe essentially the same things and there should be no trouble in fellowship between them," Wilson said. "In general we have found that in Europe ecumenism is closely tied to the question of peace. In the U.S. it has more to do with market competition. That makes for very different perceptions of the ecumenical movement on either side of the Atlantic."

Wilson added that people "seem to be hungry for a deeper understanding of the ecumenical movement" and respond positively to learning more about it.

The Wilsons have made many adjustments from the route they originally planned, thanks to some people they've met who offered maps and suggestions about Luther's probable route, Wilson said. They had to adjust their plans when a snowstorm hit as they crossed the Alps in Switzerland, she said. Some people helped them avoid a wrong turn toward an unfinished mountain path and offering them a ride by car. The Wilsons took a bus the next two days, she said.

After the Wilsons complete their journey in late October, they plan to visit three ELCA colleges and universities in the United States to speak about their ecumenical pilgrimage. They will visit Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Nov. 10-11, for the college's Founders' Day lectures; Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, N.C., Nov. 14-17 as Theologians in Residence; and visit Roanoke (Va.) College's Center for Religion and Society on Nov. 18.

ELCA News Service