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Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the US
Lenny Duncan is the unlikeliest of pastors. Formerly incarcerated, he is now a black preacher in the whitest denomination in the United States: the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Shifting demographics and shrinking congregations make all the headlines, but Duncan sees something else at work--drawing a direct line between the church's lack of diversity and the church's lack of vitality. The problems the ELCA faces are theological, not sociological. But so are the answers.
Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter, Dear Church offers a bold new vision for the future of Duncan's denomination and the broader mainline Christian community of faith. Dear Church rejects the narrative of church decline and calls everyone--leaders and laity alike--to the front lines of the church's renewal through racial equality and justice.
It is time for the church to rise up, dust itself off, and take on forces of this world that act against God: whiteness, misogyny, nationalism, homophobia, and economic injustice. Duncan gives a blueprint for the way forward and urges us to follow in the revolutionary path of Jesus.
Part manifesto, part confession, and all love letter, Dear Church offers a bold new vision for the future of Duncan's denomination and the broader mainline Christian community of faith. Dear Church rejects the narrative of church decline and calls everyone--leaders and laity alike--to the front lines of the church's renewal through racial equality and justice.
It is time for the church to rise up, dust itself off, and take on forces of this world that act against God: whiteness, misogyny, nationalism, homophobia, and economic injustice. Duncan gives a blueprint for the way forward and urges us to follow in the revolutionary path of Jesus.
158 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
371 people are currently reading
2126 people want to read
About the author
lenny duncan
10 books68 followerslenny duncan (they/them) is a writer, speaker, scholar, and media producer working at the forefront of racial justice in America. lenny is the author of Dear Church, United States of Grace, and Dear Revolutionaries, and a co-creator of the podcast BlackBerryJams with PRX. A PhD student in historical and cultural studies of religion, lenny is currently researching what they call "a people's history of magic." lenny is originally from West Philadelphia, has hitchhiked thousands of miles on American byways, and makes their home up and down the I-5 with their found family, and in the East Bay area of San Francisco for research.
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June 20, 2020
In his book Dear Church, Lenny Duncan has written an epistle to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ECLA), which he calls the whitest denomination in the United States. He is quick to say that its whiteness is not defined by its sociology, but its theology and he pushes the denomination to change how it addresses social issues such as racism, white supremacy, toxic masculinity, sexuality, nationalism, etc. Duncan has written this book to the ELCA but after reading it I, as a Baptist, can firmly say that this book is NOT just for Lutherans. This book will also be helpful to other mostly white Protestant denominations.
I’ll be honest I was ignorant about a few things than Duncan addressed in this book. First and foremost, I did not know there were Black Lutherans and that they had been a part of this faith tradition since the 1600s. There are even Black Lutheran churches. But Duncan effectively tells the story of Black Lutherans and how they fit in and not, within the ELCA. A lot of his focus deals with the systemic racism that is built into Lutheran liturgical practices such as wearing white cassocks as a sign of holiness. Duncan purposely wears a black cassock because “Whiteness does not equal holiness, and blackness does not equal evil, brokenness, or self-denial. Black is holy.”
Some of his strongest passages are when he draws parallels between Jesus and the plight of Black men in this country. Specifically he describes Jesus’ crucifixion as a lynching akin to the killing of Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till. He makes another compelling comparison between the government surveillance of Jesus and what was done to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
One of his most powerful chapters is titled “Dylan Roof and I are Lutheran”. He convincingly argues that Roof and himself were alot alike but took different paths. He argues that the whiteness of the ELCA’s theology probably contributed to the white supremacist beliefs that Roof held. Duncan provides solutions to prevent the next Roof from being groomed in the denomination.
What I liked most about his book was the passion that he has for the church, he really cares for the congregants and the relationships that he has with them. This short but powerful book is a dose of tough love to a denomination that has shown so much love to this Black pastor. Some of his solutions may be controversial to some, but can have the potential to stave off a dying church and to make it more vibrant and inclusive. This book ultimately empowers the reader to be the change agent in their church.
My review was first published in Interfaith Now: https://medium.com/interfaith-now/rev...
I’ll be honest I was ignorant about a few things than Duncan addressed in this book. First and foremost, I did not know there were Black Lutherans and that they had been a part of this faith tradition since the 1600s. There are even Black Lutheran churches. But Duncan effectively tells the story of Black Lutherans and how they fit in and not, within the ELCA. A lot of his focus deals with the systemic racism that is built into Lutheran liturgical practices such as wearing white cassocks as a sign of holiness. Duncan purposely wears a black cassock because “Whiteness does not equal holiness, and blackness does not equal evil, brokenness, or self-denial. Black is holy.”
Some of his strongest passages are when he draws parallels between Jesus and the plight of Black men in this country. Specifically he describes Jesus’ crucifixion as a lynching akin to the killing of Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till. He makes another compelling comparison between the government surveillance of Jesus and what was done to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
One of his most powerful chapters is titled “Dylan Roof and I are Lutheran”. He convincingly argues that Roof and himself were alot alike but took different paths. He argues that the whiteness of the ELCA’s theology probably contributed to the white supremacist beliefs that Roof held. Duncan provides solutions to prevent the next Roof from being groomed in the denomination.
What I liked most about his book was the passion that he has for the church, he really cares for the congregants and the relationships that he has with them. This short but powerful book is a dose of tough love to a denomination that has shown so much love to this Black pastor. Some of his solutions may be controversial to some, but can have the potential to stave off a dying church and to make it more vibrant and inclusive. This book ultimately empowers the reader to be the change agent in their church.
My review was first published in Interfaith Now: https://medium.com/interfaith-now/rev...
June 16, 2019
“Dear Church, this book is a love letter to you. I know at times it hasn’t felt that way.” -Rev. Lenny Duncan. Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the U.S. is coming out into the world real soon, so I wanted to take a few and let you all know some thoughts I had while reading it. To begin with: if you are white and you identify as a Christian or part of the Jesus movement in any way, I recommend this to you. Duncan’s voice is a strong invitation to accountability. Using modern language and up-to-date information and events, this is a narrative that will speak to the people who are willing to look at themselves in the mirror and break down what they thought they knew and what they yet to know. It was a humbling experience for me personally. I openly wept reading Duncan’s thoughts about fellow Lutheran Dylann Roof. I cried again through the chapter on Queer Church. Maybe this will sound dramatic, but in a way I think I mourned a bit, too. I pride myself on being “woke” and this book pulled me out of that comfort and made me evaluate that a whole lot. The epistolary style makes the book feel personal. And it is. The actions readers are challenged to by Duncan are not simply something *someone* should do, but we, the readers, should do. It’s not vague, it’s not polite, and it’s not exactly “nice.” This book calls us to the dangerous edge that the Church was originally called to; I see it as a fulfillment of Christian’s core values of radical love and justice. As Nadia Bolz-Weber says, “I dare you to read this book.”
February 9, 2021
All Christians should read this book. As a white person who grew up in a predominantly white church, I had never thought about the issues that Lenny Duncan presents. There is so much about the Lutheran church that is whitewashed, and if the church is going to be a place for all, which it should be, so much needs to change. If we want to be a church that loves and supports all of God’s children, there’s a lot that needs to change! We shouldn’t wait for it to change - as the body of Christ, it is our responsibility to be advocates for our brothers and sisters who are not fully represented in the Lutheran church. This book is insightful, tender, and full of love for the church and God’s people.
July 8, 2019
Read it, be inspired, shift your focus in ministry, be the body of Christ.
August 7, 2019
This book is going to make a lot of Lutherans uncomfortable. Good! It's time for us to get uncomfortable. It's time for us to answer the call. Duncan holds a mirror to our trauma, our failings, our sins, our beauty, our needs, and our community through this beautifully written piece. Read it! Read it in your church study groups. Read it by yourself. Give a copy to your pastor, your youth leader, and your church president. Cry through the pages (I know I did). Pray through the discomfort and the truth telling. Duncan is a masterful writer and the ELCA is blessed to have his leadership.
January 5, 2020
This book takes an epistolary approach to conveying some of the thoughts, feelings and experiences of a recently-ordained Black man, Pastor Lenny Duncan, in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The book is a plea and challenge for the denomination to eliminate white supremacy and its related structures of capitalism, toxic masculinity, and nationalism. In terms of genre, the book is a combination of memoir, sermon, and analysis of the ELCA, a denomination that I am convinced Pastor Duncan does indeed love.
In the places where the book is anecdotal and confessional, it’s an extremely compelling read. But to the extent that the book tries to make arguments about the nature of white supremacy in general, and white supremacy within the ELCA in particular, and how this white supremacy should be addressed, the book falls flat in my opinion. Thus, I would give it 2.5 stars—rounded up to three stars due to Luther’s explication of the Eighth Commandment.
Overall, I learned a fair amount reading this book. For example, I never knew that Lutheran pastors were apparently involved in the heinous work of the American Colonization Society, nor had I ever heard the story of Pastor Jehu Jones. (When Pastor Duncan’s church was originally formed, I thought “Jehu’s Table” intended to celebrate the murderous king Jehu in 2Kings 9:34 who famously sat down to a nice lunch after killing Jezebel. Who knew?!) There is very valuable and even touching material here if the reader is willing and able to connect the dots.
As a current member of the ELCA myself but someone who has been active in a variety of denominations in my lifetime, I can say that this book will likely be a far more interesting read for those within the ELCA that those outside of it. For those who are less familiar with this church, the ELCA is the largest of the various American Lutheran denominations, with around 3 million members. Along with other mainline denominations, the number of lay people in the ELCA is shrinking at a fairly rapid pace—about 40% of members have left or died since the denomination was formed in 1988. In addition, the church is extremely clergy-heavy, having more pastors now than it did in when the denomination came into being, despite its significant contraction. (See “Evangelical Lutheran Church in America” Association of Religion Data Archives, available online.) Ordained clergy utterly dominate all areas of the church’s life, polity, and institutions. As a general rule, both laity and clergy have a difficult time articulating a robust religious identity, and even though there are exceptions, neither group is especially fluent in expounding on Lutheran traditions or the Bible or the relationship between the two—reflecting a deep anti-intellectual streak in the church. But on the more hopeful side of things, the people in the ELCA do seem to have a sincere commitment to wanting to do the right thing once they become aware of the facts.
One of the central claims of the book—beginning with the cover—is that the ELCA is “the whitest denomination.” This assertion seems incorrect on its face, already raising questions before one even really begins reading. Amish, anyone? American Quakers? No source is cited to back up this claim, even though the author is not elsewhere averse to footnotes. If this statement flows from a somewhat well-known 2015 Pew study, that particular study included only 30 religious groups in the U.S.—and there are hundreds, if not arguably thousands of Christian denominations in the U.S. Even some of the other major denominations in Pew study, namely the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the United Methodist Church, are well within the margin of error of ELCA “whiteness”—and the Episcopal Church does only marginally better than these other three.
My objection over degrees of whiteness might seem like a quibble—because no matter how one looks at it, the ELCA is without any doubt whatsoever, extremely white. However, this idea that the ELCA embodies the superlative position becomes an important premise behind the thesis of the book: that white supremacy in the ELCA is “a theological problem and not a sociological one” (5, 64). It seems that Pastor Duncan believes there is something unique in Lutheran theology generating this overwhelming and stubborn Lutheran iteration of white supremacy. While such an assertion about Lutheran theology is very intriguing, this question is begged throughout the rest of the book. What then is it in Lutheran theology that produces such an extreme manifestation of whiteness? Its special emphasis on grace? A tendency toward antinomianism? The centrality of Baptism? A weak ecclesiology? Does Pastor Duncan think hanging pictures of “Norwegian Jesus” (68) or choosing to wear an alb constitute a theology (67)? Or maybe he’s referring to the notion of “Whiteness” as laid out in The Racial Contract by Charles W. Mills—a more philosophical concept in the tradition of the social contract? I really can’t tell. Moreover, I’m also not sure what Pastor Duncan means by “sociological problem” (maybe, “demographic/ethnic/historical phenomenon”?) nor am I told who exactly is saying this, making the central claim of the book seem like a strawman argument, which is also unfortunate.
Many, many other assertions in the book are similarly unsupported, which gives the reader the same sense of superficiality that plagues so much of ELCA writing and preaching. As an example, take the simple statement that “…the message of Jesus is radical and political” (136). While I couldn’t possibly agree more here, many potential readers of this book, or people that I hope might read the book, would not so readily acquiesce to this statement. And because the author doesn’t take the time to show his work, so to speak, by developing important themes from within the tradition, he comes across as assuming that his readers will somehow automatically fall in line with his thinking simply because "Pastor said so." When congregants dismiss preaching as politically motivated, it’s exactly this type of speech to which they often refer—assertions that sound identical to the political rhetoric or rights language they hear in the media—because the preacher has failed in their responsibility to make clear, fundamental connections between their claims and the historical Jesus, the Bible, and the Lutheran tradition.
Further, given the ELCA’s polity, characterizing the problem of white supremacy and racism as “theological” is disconcerting for other reasons. Historically at least, unless the ELCA identifies a particular problem that bears directly on the power of the clergy (for example, women’s ordination, LGBTQIA pastors, or regulations on clergy conduct), such issues are routinely delegated to a committee appointed by the Presiding Bishop, which eventually issues some sort of written statement that few will read, which in turn will be celebrated at notable intervals as having completely resolved the issue—for a parade example, see the 1994 “Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Jewish Community”—the ELCA’s statement on anti-Semitism. And I do think that at some level, even Pastor Duncan realizes that this is standard operating procedure for dealing with theological issues in the ELCA, given his comments on LGBTQIA oppression in the church (81).
To my mind, racism is clearly a moral issue, not a theological problem; and people are not going to take time to sort through and “repent of” their somewhat muddled ELCA theology. If we truly stand at the edge of a theological civil war (3, again I wonder about the characterization, “theological”), then the side that says it stands with the oppressed had better clear up its talk. When the message starts to sound like it flows more from and to the money-changers and the clerical class (2, 8, especially page 123, 142) rather than from the Jesus who drove the same type of people out of the temple, the credibility of the message itself suffers. Pastors who want to stand with the oppressed would do well to examine their own breed of capitalism and start by deleting their dot-com web pages. The teachings of Jesus should never be for sale by anyone.
Overall, this work could have benefited immensely from the assistance of an editor capable of helping Pastor Duncan clarify his very important ideas and communicate them in a more understandable and convincing way. The book has some English usage issues, something that makes me wonder how closely the editor (probably a white Lutheran!) bothered to review parts of the text. This is all a real shame, because Pastor Duncan’s perspective is an extremely important one, and is a voice that is only very, very rarely heard in the ELCA—and thus is more than worthy of being presented in the very best possible light.
In the places where the book is anecdotal and confessional, it’s an extremely compelling read. But to the extent that the book tries to make arguments about the nature of white supremacy in general, and white supremacy within the ELCA in particular, and how this white supremacy should be addressed, the book falls flat in my opinion. Thus, I would give it 2.5 stars—rounded up to three stars due to Luther’s explication of the Eighth Commandment.
Overall, I learned a fair amount reading this book. For example, I never knew that Lutheran pastors were apparently involved in the heinous work of the American Colonization Society, nor had I ever heard the story of Pastor Jehu Jones. (When Pastor Duncan’s church was originally formed, I thought “Jehu’s Table” intended to celebrate the murderous king Jehu in 2Kings 9:34 who famously sat down to a nice lunch after killing Jezebel. Who knew?!) There is very valuable and even touching material here if the reader is willing and able to connect the dots.
As a current member of the ELCA myself but someone who has been active in a variety of denominations in my lifetime, I can say that this book will likely be a far more interesting read for those within the ELCA that those outside of it. For those who are less familiar with this church, the ELCA is the largest of the various American Lutheran denominations, with around 3 million members. Along with other mainline denominations, the number of lay people in the ELCA is shrinking at a fairly rapid pace—about 40% of members have left or died since the denomination was formed in 1988. In addition, the church is extremely clergy-heavy, having more pastors now than it did in when the denomination came into being, despite its significant contraction. (See “Evangelical Lutheran Church in America” Association of Religion Data Archives, available online.) Ordained clergy utterly dominate all areas of the church’s life, polity, and institutions. As a general rule, both laity and clergy have a difficult time articulating a robust religious identity, and even though there are exceptions, neither group is especially fluent in expounding on Lutheran traditions or the Bible or the relationship between the two—reflecting a deep anti-intellectual streak in the church. But on the more hopeful side of things, the people in the ELCA do seem to have a sincere commitment to wanting to do the right thing once they become aware of the facts.
One of the central claims of the book—beginning with the cover—is that the ELCA is “the whitest denomination.” This assertion seems incorrect on its face, already raising questions before one even really begins reading. Amish, anyone? American Quakers? No source is cited to back up this claim, even though the author is not elsewhere averse to footnotes. If this statement flows from a somewhat well-known 2015 Pew study, that particular study included only 30 religious groups in the U.S.—and there are hundreds, if not arguably thousands of Christian denominations in the U.S. Even some of the other major denominations in Pew study, namely the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the United Methodist Church, are well within the margin of error of ELCA “whiteness”—and the Episcopal Church does only marginally better than these other three.
My objection over degrees of whiteness might seem like a quibble—because no matter how one looks at it, the ELCA is without any doubt whatsoever, extremely white. However, this idea that the ELCA embodies the superlative position becomes an important premise behind the thesis of the book: that white supremacy in the ELCA is “a theological problem and not a sociological one” (5, 64). It seems that Pastor Duncan believes there is something unique in Lutheran theology generating this overwhelming and stubborn Lutheran iteration of white supremacy. While such an assertion about Lutheran theology is very intriguing, this question is begged throughout the rest of the book. What then is it in Lutheran theology that produces such an extreme manifestation of whiteness? Its special emphasis on grace? A tendency toward antinomianism? The centrality of Baptism? A weak ecclesiology? Does Pastor Duncan think hanging pictures of “Norwegian Jesus” (68) or choosing to wear an alb constitute a theology (67)? Or maybe he’s referring to the notion of “Whiteness” as laid out in The Racial Contract by Charles W. Mills—a more philosophical concept in the tradition of the social contract? I really can’t tell. Moreover, I’m also not sure what Pastor Duncan means by “sociological problem” (maybe, “demographic/ethnic/historical phenomenon”?) nor am I told who exactly is saying this, making the central claim of the book seem like a strawman argument, which is also unfortunate.
Many, many other assertions in the book are similarly unsupported, which gives the reader the same sense of superficiality that plagues so much of ELCA writing and preaching. As an example, take the simple statement that “…the message of Jesus is radical and political” (136). While I couldn’t possibly agree more here, many potential readers of this book, or people that I hope might read the book, would not so readily acquiesce to this statement. And because the author doesn’t take the time to show his work, so to speak, by developing important themes from within the tradition, he comes across as assuming that his readers will somehow automatically fall in line with his thinking simply because "Pastor said so." When congregants dismiss preaching as politically motivated, it’s exactly this type of speech to which they often refer—assertions that sound identical to the political rhetoric or rights language they hear in the media—because the preacher has failed in their responsibility to make clear, fundamental connections between their claims and the historical Jesus, the Bible, and the Lutheran tradition.
Further, given the ELCA’s polity, characterizing the problem of white supremacy and racism as “theological” is disconcerting for other reasons. Historically at least, unless the ELCA identifies a particular problem that bears directly on the power of the clergy (for example, women’s ordination, LGBTQIA pastors, or regulations on clergy conduct), such issues are routinely delegated to a committee appointed by the Presiding Bishop, which eventually issues some sort of written statement that few will read, which in turn will be celebrated at notable intervals as having completely resolved the issue—for a parade example, see the 1994 “Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Jewish Community”—the ELCA’s statement on anti-Semitism. And I do think that at some level, even Pastor Duncan realizes that this is standard operating procedure for dealing with theological issues in the ELCA, given his comments on LGBTQIA oppression in the church (81).
To my mind, racism is clearly a moral issue, not a theological problem; and people are not going to take time to sort through and “repent of” their somewhat muddled ELCA theology. If we truly stand at the edge of a theological civil war (3, again I wonder about the characterization, “theological”), then the side that says it stands with the oppressed had better clear up its talk. When the message starts to sound like it flows more from and to the money-changers and the clerical class (2, 8, especially page 123, 142) rather than from the Jesus who drove the same type of people out of the temple, the credibility of the message itself suffers. Pastors who want to stand with the oppressed would do well to examine their own breed of capitalism and start by deleting their dot-com web pages. The teachings of Jesus should never be for sale by anyone.
Overall, this work could have benefited immensely from the assistance of an editor capable of helping Pastor Duncan clarify his very important ideas and communicate them in a more understandable and convincing way. The book has some English usage issues, something that makes me wonder how closely the editor (probably a white Lutheran!) bothered to review parts of the text. This is all a real shame, because Pastor Duncan’s perspective is an extremely important one, and is a voice that is only very, very rarely heard in the ELCA—and thus is more than worthy of being presented in the very best possible light.
October 7, 2019
Read this book. Especially if you are part of the ELCA, please read this book.
July 1, 2019
Dear Church is a hard read, but most genuinely prophetic words are. Lenny Duncan weaves personal testimony with historical & systemic truths as his wake-up call to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. We Lutherans are rather proud of our inclusive stance towards all people, & yet we continue to see cultures of racism, homophobia/transphobia, ableism, & sexism in our congregations. Lenny tackles these realities head-on, calling for radical transformation past reconciliation. Clergy need to reframe our ideal of pastoring from the middle, & engage in the deeper work of anti-racism, & total LGBTQ2sIA+ inclusion. Both foretelling/forthtelling and encouraging, #dearchurch is all love letter.
Written specifically to the ELCA, this book is definitely applicable to any church denomination across North America. Thanks, Pastor Lenny, for your hard work!
Written specifically to the ELCA, this book is definitely applicable to any church denomination across North America. Thanks, Pastor Lenny, for your hard work!
August 11, 2019
This passionate love letter to the church -specifically in this case to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - is also a manifesto for the church. It challenges church members and leaders to be a Jesus-following church in a crucial time in our nation's history. That Jesus, as he describes, was divisive, named and confronted radical evil, was political, a teacher, a preacher, a revolutionary, was killed by the police, and never asked for a copay! This book is a rallying cry for a church that changes practices and symbols that reflect capitalism and oppression within and fights the battles for freedom in the community and society.
October 23, 2020
I'm going against the crowd here. I did not enjoy this, and yes, I did read the whole thing. Perhaps it's because it was so difficult geared towards Lutherans, but I think it's more than that.
For me, this was not a love letter. This was a soap box pulpit and there was surprisingly little referral to the words of the Bible. I honestly lost some respect for the message because of the language and attitude of the content.
The one positive is that I wanted a different perspective and I certainly did get that.
For me, this was not a love letter. This was a soap box pulpit and there was surprisingly little referral to the words of the Bible. I honestly lost some respect for the message because of the language and attitude of the content.
The one positive is that I wanted a different perspective and I certainly did get that.
July 20, 2019
Eye opening, yet obvious!
- Lack of understanding of church history & how it connects with the present/future,
-excessively harping on his race.
-He’s not the only minority to have racial issues in the church.
-Now that he’s boldly complained about the ELCA. What are his solutions without alienating everyone who doesn’t agree with him?!
-I strongly advise a trip to Germany to see WHERE the church started out of rebellion.
- Lack of understanding of church history & how it connects with the present/future,
-excessively harping on his race.
-He’s not the only minority to have racial issues in the church.
-Now that he’s boldly complained about the ELCA. What are his solutions without alienating everyone who doesn’t agree with him?!
-I strongly advise a trip to Germany to see WHERE the church started out of rebellion.
December 13, 2020
This book was incredible. Powerful, revealing, needed words. I was surprised by how easy it was to read such difficult content, I think it’s a function of the deep love that Pastor Duncan has for his people and the Church: he wants to tell it like it is, but wants to bring us along... not just for his own sake, but for ours as well.
I cannot recommend this highly enough to leaders of the White Church.
I cannot recommend this highly enough to leaders of the White Church.
February 24, 2021
This is a good book. I’m very glad I read it. I’m especially glad that I read it with my best friend, Claire, who is on her way to ordination in the ELCA. It’s helpful to know that Rev. Lenny Duncan is writing sort of for everyone but particularly for leaders and pastors in the Lutheran Church. He especially shines when he articulates his vision for the future of the Church and when he lays out his (often very concrete) plans for what can be done *this very day.*
I did wish sometimes that it read a bit less magazine-y. It had that formatting of text blurbs enlarged on parts of the page (like when you’re reading a post on Medium or Vox), which I’m not really a fan of. Rev. Duncan also sometimes made some sweeping statements that, even if I was on board with, I wished he had let us in a bit more on his thinking/reasoning/evidence behind them. But...I’m an academic lol
I did wish sometimes that it read a bit less magazine-y. It had that formatting of text blurbs enlarged on parts of the page (like when you’re reading a post on Medium or Vox), which I’m not really a fan of. Rev. Duncan also sometimes made some sweeping statements that, even if I was on board with, I wished he had let us in a bit more on his thinking/reasoning/evidence behind them. But...I’m an academic lol
Read
January 20, 2025“We must resist the dangerous temptation to tame Jesus until he looks like the very empire that hung him from a tree.”
“Our churches are emptying because we have become navel-gazing social clubs that are more concerned with the fund to keep the organ alive than funds for refugees. We worry more about the property values on the streets where we worship than we do about flooding them with holy outrage and prophetic words.”
“The Trump campaign looked around, washed its hands of any pretense of liberty for all, and asked Jesus, "What is truth?" as it prepared to hang him from a new border wall.”
“Our churches are emptying because we have become navel-gazing social clubs that are more concerned with the fund to keep the organ alive than funds for refugees. We worry more about the property values on the streets where we worship than we do about flooding them with holy outrage and prophetic words.”
“The Trump campaign looked around, washed its hands of any pretense of liberty for all, and asked Jesus, "What is truth?" as it prepared to hang him from a new border wall.”
February 11, 2025
“Let’s teach people that this passion for our lovers and partners is not only holy but God breathed, just like Scripture itself. We can create a new ethical sexual theology that will free so many who are wound up right enough to explode.”
December 14, 2020
This is a difficult but very important critique of the ELCA, though I suspect it would be helpful for many denominations. There is a lot here that challenged me and I am so glad I read it.
July 11, 2020
I can’t believe I put off reading this book for a year. I don’t know that anything else I’ve read - beyond the word of Jesus - has made me feel so loved, challenged, and empowered.
June 21, 2020
In light of the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis, our congregation offered a Zoom discussion of this book. A book written a year ago, before the Floyd uprising, yet written as if it was inevitable that this moment in time would come. Duncan is not your typical Lutheran (or any denominational) pastor. He is a black man in the whitest denomination in America. He is Queer. And he loves the Church as he loves his Lord. And he has written this book as a letter to the larger Church, challenging it to claim its racism, its sleeping with American capitalism and all that is antithetical to the message of Jesus Christ, and to reclaim its calling and ministry to live as resurrection people in our hurting communities.
This book will be very challenging and uncomfortable for a majority of Christians I suspect. He is not focused on getting butts back in the pews, or trying new ways to assimilate those outside the church into our current church culture. He is focused on Jesus' ministry to the poor, outcast and marginalized. He is centered on how this ministry is not the focus of most congregations today, and in calling us back to our true vocation. He is honest in noting that many in the church will resist, that pastors and leaders could lose support and jobs, and that governmental powers will seek to squash such Christian living just as they lynched Jesus to stop his revolution. This radical and revolutionary message and its images will be difficult for many current Christians to accept and claim.
But, if one honestly reads Duncan's words, you must conclude he is right. Both individuals and congregations can be part of the new resurrection vision and Kingdom dawning in the world, or we can die and be left behind in history. We can be the frog slowly boiled to death, whistling a happy tune, or we can leap out of the pot and not only stomp out the fire but ignite a new fire - a fire of the Spirit of God let loose in the world.
Fasten your seat belt and take the time to read this book. It is a MUST read. And engage in conversation with other readers and church members/Christians. It will be fascinating to see where we could find ourselves in the near future.
This book will be very challenging and uncomfortable for a majority of Christians I suspect. He is not focused on getting butts back in the pews, or trying new ways to assimilate those outside the church into our current church culture. He is focused on Jesus' ministry to the poor, outcast and marginalized. He is centered on how this ministry is not the focus of most congregations today, and in calling us back to our true vocation. He is honest in noting that many in the church will resist, that pastors and leaders could lose support and jobs, and that governmental powers will seek to squash such Christian living just as they lynched Jesus to stop his revolution. This radical and revolutionary message and its images will be difficult for many current Christians to accept and claim.
But, if one honestly reads Duncan's words, you must conclude he is right. Both individuals and congregations can be part of the new resurrection vision and Kingdom dawning in the world, or we can die and be left behind in history. We can be the frog slowly boiled to death, whistling a happy tune, or we can leap out of the pot and not only stomp out the fire but ignite a new fire - a fire of the Spirit of God let loose in the world.
Fasten your seat belt and take the time to read this book. It is a MUST read. And engage in conversation with other readers and church members/Christians. It will be fascinating to see where we could find ourselves in the near future.
July 11, 2020
Passionate and uncompromising in its indictment of the church's passivity and its vision for what needs to change.
“Jesus is Trayvon Martin, armed only with a bag of Skittles and an iced tea against an entire world that would rather hang him from a tree than love him. Until we see this, we are lost.”
“The church is political. Feeding the homeless is radical. Marriage is radical when it’s offered to everyone and blessed by clergy. God’s justice is radical. Centering the oppressed is radical. Our task is not so much to reject politicism as it is to reject evil. The message of Jesus is radical and political.”
“Jesus is Trayvon Martin, armed only with a bag of Skittles and an iced tea against an entire world that would rather hang him from a tree than love him. Until we see this, we are lost.”
“The church is political. Feeding the homeless is radical. Marriage is radical when it’s offered to everyone and blessed by clergy. God’s justice is radical. Centering the oppressed is radical. Our task is not so much to reject politicism as it is to reject evil. The message of Jesus is radical and political.”
August 23, 2019
A difficult book, and one the church needs RIGHT NOW! I disagree with Rev. Duncan perhaps 10% of the time, but that means that 90% of the uncomfortable things that he has put before me I have to deal with... God, grant me the serenity to accept the difficult truths I have been presented with, the courage to act in ways that pursue your justice, and the wisdom to know how and when to do it!
December 15, 2020
There were things about this book that I loved (sound Lutheran theology) and things that I struggled with ( a pessimistic view of race relations). I would still advise reading it only to have your own beliefs challenged and wrestle with the conundrum of race that still vexes America.
October 24, 2019
Wow in my soul
And
Wow we have work to do
And
Wow we have work to do
February 22, 2020
This is an important book for church leaders - lay and clergy - (especially ELCA) to read. This should be the start of your work on anti racism not the end of it.
November 22, 2019
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Dear Church was chosen as our latest book club read. It’s part love letter to the church and part clarion call for change within the church on issues surrounding diversity. When I saw that Nadia Bolz-Weber had blurbed the book and that her quote on the front cover was, “I dare you to read this book,” I was immediately intrigued. Having just recently read one of Rev. Bolz-Weber’s books, I knew that if she was endorsing Dear Church, it most likely had to be good and I wasn’t disappointed. I also know now why she said that, because Rev. Duncan’s writing style isn’t unlike hers. It’s filled with bold statements that are meant to get people thinking and hopefully change hearts and minds, but at the same time, it’s a tender love letter that conveys just how much he genuinely loves the church. As flawed as the church may be when it comes to certain aspects, it’s where Rev. Duncan finally found peace and purpose in his life and he just wants to make it better for people like himself.
The book is written specifically to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the denomination to which Rev. Duncan belongs, but honestly I think the message could apply to pretty much every church denomination, as all the ones I’ve been a part of in my lifetime have similar diversity issues. The author contends that this is largely a theological one and not a sociological one. He spends nearly the entire first half of the book discussing how white supremacy has infiltrated many aspects of church life to the point that most white people don’t even realize it. So as a rare person-of-color (POC) clergy within the ELCA, he’s calling them out and challenging them to make changes, even if it means reimagining certain parts of the liturgy or eliminating certain hymns and traditions. If it’s harmful or offensive in any way toward POCs, then it should go. He also discusses what steps the church might make in order to repent, reconcile, and make reparations going forward. Additionally he discusses the dissonance of both himself and Dylann Roof, the white supremacist, mass-shooter who targeted a black church, coming from the same denomination.
Dear Church isn’t just about racial relations and the church, though. As a self-described queer person, Rev. Duncan devotes an entire chapter to the need for the church to be more welcoming of our LGBTQIA siblings. I also especially liked the chapter on toxic masculinity. I appreciated the author’s honesty in admitting that he’s been guilty of this type of behavior in the past, but that he’s now working hard to overcome that and calling on other men to do the same. I think it’s wonderful that he’s taking a stand for women/femmes. He additionally discusses the rise of white nationalism under the current presidential administration. Then he wraps everything up by showing how the church can and should lead the way forward on all these issues.
I very much enjoyed reading Dear Church, and wholeheartedly agree with it’s messages. I sensed Rev. Duncan’s personality shining through his words. At times, I felt like I was in his church, hearing a bold, fiery sermon, and while he doesn’t mince words on the issues covered, his message is one that inspires rather than tearing down. At other times, I felt wrapped in a warm, loving embrace as he unabashedly expresses his love for the church and for God’s people. I hope readers will pick up this book, check their privilege at the door, and take all of his words to heart, while pledging to do better in the future. I know that’s what I’m going to do.
Dear Church was chosen as our latest book club read. It’s part love letter to the church and part clarion call for change within the church on issues surrounding diversity. When I saw that Nadia Bolz-Weber had blurbed the book and that her quote on the front cover was, “I dare you to read this book,” I was immediately intrigued. Having just recently read one of Rev. Bolz-Weber’s books, I knew that if she was endorsing Dear Church, it most likely had to be good and I wasn’t disappointed. I also know now why she said that, because Rev. Duncan’s writing style isn’t unlike hers. It’s filled with bold statements that are meant to get people thinking and hopefully change hearts and minds, but at the same time, it’s a tender love letter that conveys just how much he genuinely loves the church. As flawed as the church may be when it comes to certain aspects, it’s where Rev. Duncan finally found peace and purpose in his life and he just wants to make it better for people like himself.
The book is written specifically to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the denomination to which Rev. Duncan belongs, but honestly I think the message could apply to pretty much every church denomination, as all the ones I’ve been a part of in my lifetime have similar diversity issues. The author contends that this is largely a theological one and not a sociological one. He spends nearly the entire first half of the book discussing how white supremacy has infiltrated many aspects of church life to the point that most white people don’t even realize it. So as a rare person-of-color (POC) clergy within the ELCA, he’s calling them out and challenging them to make changes, even if it means reimagining certain parts of the liturgy or eliminating certain hymns and traditions. If it’s harmful or offensive in any way toward POCs, then it should go. He also discusses what steps the church might make in order to repent, reconcile, and make reparations going forward. Additionally he discusses the dissonance of both himself and Dylann Roof, the white supremacist, mass-shooter who targeted a black church, coming from the same denomination.
Dear Church isn’t just about racial relations and the church, though. As a self-described queer person, Rev. Duncan devotes an entire chapter to the need for the church to be more welcoming of our LGBTQIA siblings. I also especially liked the chapter on toxic masculinity. I appreciated the author’s honesty in admitting that he’s been guilty of this type of behavior in the past, but that he’s now working hard to overcome that and calling on other men to do the same. I think it’s wonderful that he’s taking a stand for women/femmes. He additionally discusses the rise of white nationalism under the current presidential administration. Then he wraps everything up by showing how the church can and should lead the way forward on all these issues.
I very much enjoyed reading Dear Church, and wholeheartedly agree with it’s messages. I sensed Rev. Duncan’s personality shining through his words. At times, I felt like I was in his church, hearing a bold, fiery sermon, and while he doesn’t mince words on the issues covered, his message is one that inspires rather than tearing down. At other times, I felt wrapped in a warm, loving embrace as he unabashedly expresses his love for the church and for God’s people. I hope readers will pick up this book, check their privilege at the door, and take all of his words to heart, while pledging to do better in the future. I know that’s what I’m going to do.
November 4, 2023
Many years ago, my church invited members to participate in a ‘poverty simulation’. For a weekend, we gave up most of our privilege and experienced homelessness. We exchanged our clothes for donated items, we slept out near downtown Dallas, we scrounged for food. This heightened my awareness of the street. Now I participate with a group of believers to make breakfast on Sunday mornings - in that same place!
Much of Duncan’s message in this book is hate or anger expressed towards me because I am white, male, and straight. I was born that way and by most accounts, I cannot change any of those adjectives. I suppose I can experience this read as a simulation of prejudice and bigotry - what is it like to be ‘less than’ on account of ‘who you are’.
To be sure, Duncan has moments when he preaches a challenging gospel. Much of the last chapter is convicting. But for me he accepts too much cultural ‘progress’ from what the Bible actually says, mostly about sexuality. He strongly supports affirming LGBTQIA relationships and seems to think he can support that from Scripture. I see love, I see support, I see acceptance; but I don’t see ‘affirmation’. The church needs to do a much better job of the first three. But our past error is not corrected by ignoring truth.
One line near the end of the book kind of exemplifies this attitude. Duncan says, “We aren’t being invited into death by the creator of life.” But in fact, Jesus invites us to ‘die to self and live to God’. There are lots of ways in which I am still dying. I hope Duncan, who is clearly very gifted, will continue to grow in Christlikeness and commit to a faithful reading of scripture.
[Reviewer’s Note: adding to my overly long review] But God is rich in mercy, and as Jesus said about rich people, they can no more get into Heaven WITHOUT GOD than a camel can get through the eye of a needle. So if Jesus died to see rich men like me fall in love with and join Him in heaven, I believe He died to see LGBTQIA friends fall in love with and join Him in heaven.
Much of Duncan’s message in this book is hate or anger expressed towards me because I am white, male, and straight. I was born that way and by most accounts, I cannot change any of those adjectives. I suppose I can experience this read as a simulation of prejudice and bigotry - what is it like to be ‘less than’ on account of ‘who you are’.
To be sure, Duncan has moments when he preaches a challenging gospel. Much of the last chapter is convicting. But for me he accepts too much cultural ‘progress’ from what the Bible actually says, mostly about sexuality. He strongly supports affirming LGBTQIA relationships and seems to think he can support that from Scripture. I see love, I see support, I see acceptance; but I don’t see ‘affirmation’. The church needs to do a much better job of the first three. But our past error is not corrected by ignoring truth.
One line near the end of the book kind of exemplifies this attitude. Duncan says, “We aren’t being invited into death by the creator of life.” But in fact, Jesus invites us to ‘die to self and live to God’. There are lots of ways in which I am still dying. I hope Duncan, who is clearly very gifted, will continue to grow in Christlikeness and commit to a faithful reading of scripture.
[Reviewer’s Note: adding to my overly long review] But God is rich in mercy, and as Jesus said about rich people, they can no more get into Heaven WITHOUT GOD than a camel can get through the eye of a needle. So if Jesus died to see rich men like me fall in love with and join Him in heaven, I believe He died to see LGBTQIA friends fall in love with and join Him in heaven.
July 5, 2019
Pastor Duncan challenges us in the ELCA to follow Christ. Christ who is a radical, political interrupter. As his disciples we are to champion tirelessly for love of all God's children. Who better than the whitest denomination in the US to do the "white people" work of systematically dismantling racism and seek forgiveness and grant reparations for the harm of colonization. Racism is a sin. To fail to take action makes us complicit. Lenny proposes a radical path forward following teaching of Jesus. He models asking for repentance in his prayers for forgiveness for his actions based on societal norms where gender was equated to power. He addresses the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality and how this has impacted the church. He instills hope, yet is pragmatic about the risk and challenges ahead. My prayer is that many read this book, and prayerfully seek the strength to join the struggle.
June 17, 2020
STOP and READ THIS BOOK NOW. An insightful and challenging perspective for this white Lutheran reader from a black Lutheran pastor. This book, as well as the opportunity to hear Lenny Duncan speak in person, has helped me begin to open my eyes to the truth of white privilege and how I can create change. There are so many great quotes. One of the most memorable for me “the world needs fewer church people and more Jesus people” - one of the most impactful “Jesus is Trayvon Martin, armed only with a bag of Skittles and an iced tea against an entire world that would rather hang him from a tree than love him. Until we see this, we are lost.”
November 29, 2019
This is a love letter, but it's that "hard truth" kind of love letter. This is a book that is a must read for anyone who is a part of the ELCA that holds a vision for what the future of the church should and can look like. This book was easy to read because there was so much that I liked about the content and connections that Pastor Lenny Duncan made. However, that didn't mean that this book wasn't hard to read. In the sense that, there is so much that I thought the church was doing good on, but we haven't gone that extra step to be true servants of Jesus.
10/10 would recommend, will be adding it to my list of books that are crucial to be read time and time again.
10/10 would recommend, will be adding it to my list of books that are crucial to be read time and time again.
February 19, 2021
Fantastic, fiery, defiant. Lenny Duncan grabs the Evangelical Lutheran Church by the shoulders and tries to shake some sense into everyone. Be the Revolution!, he declares to all Christians, but particularly to the ECLA, which he claims is the whitest denomination in America. He isn’t speaking to virulently racist communities, but to well-intentioned people who do nothing about the many systemic hatreds in our general US culture. The book tumbles along with a fevered intensity, just like the Come-to-Jesus sermon that it is.
June 26, 2021
Sensational? Yes. Packed with footnotes and references? No. From the heart? Yes.
Dear Church gave me an opportunity to view the church through the eyes of a queer, black pastor. This is not a perspective I bring to the table. I know...shocker! I read this as the truth that Lenny Duncan sees, and that is an important truth, even if it will be uncomfortable and disagreed with my many in my demographic cohort. Maybe even because it will be uncomfortable.
Wow did I get passionate about the future of the church upon reading this book. I cannot wait for what is to come. It's going to be revolutionary!
Dear Church gave me an opportunity to view the church through the eyes of a queer, black pastor. This is not a perspective I bring to the table. I know...shocker! I read this as the truth that Lenny Duncan sees, and that is an important truth, even if it will be uncomfortable and disagreed with my many in my demographic cohort. Maybe even because it will be uncomfortable.
Wow did I get passionate about the future of the church upon reading this book. I cannot wait for what is to come. It's going to be revolutionary!
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