New book offers Lutheran commentary on Hurricane Katrina, aftermath

by John R. Brooks, ELCA News Service

A new book, "Voices of Faith in the Midst of the Storm,"
published by Future With Hope Press, Baton Rouge, La., contains a
series of reflections, journals and sermons from pastors and lay
leaders serving south Louisiana congregations of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This area, along with the
Mississippi and Alabama Gulf coasts, was hit hard by Hurricane
Katrina in August 2005.

"Voices of Faith" was edited by the Rev. John McCullough Bade,
Baton Rouge. The collection is organized by themes including
"The Exodus," "Passing Through the Waters," "Exile" and
"Restoration." In the introduction Bade writes: "In the
reporting of the devastation and destruction of Katrina, the
media were often heard saying, 'This was a storm of biblical
proportions.' I'm not sure exactly what was meant by that
phrase. Was it to mean that Katrina was on the magnitude of the
great flood in Genesis which destroyed everything in its raging
water? Was it an allusion to the biblical prophecies of
destruction, or to the primordial pre-creation chaotic waters?
Or was it perhaps a subtle acknowledgment that humanity is not
ultimately in charge?"

Professional church leaders in south Louisiana provided
copies of the book to members of the ELCA Conference of Bishops
and ELCA Church Council, as well as individual members and
congregations within the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod.
Proceeds from book sales will go to assist with long-term
recovery ministries related to the hurricane.