Dear Friends,

On behalf of the ministry team of The Living Pulpit, I bring you season’s greetings. We are thankful for all that the Lord has done for us and through us. Our journal has had a remarkable year. According to the American Theological Library Association’s statistics, our journal has been visited 50% more than last year.

In the spirit of continuing to be faithful to our call, our team now brings you the combined fall and winter issue of 2017, with the dual theme of RECONCILIATION/REJOICE as the fruit of our labor of love. While circumstances did not permit us to offer them as two separate issues as we had originally planned, the combined issue turns out to offer blessings that we did not anticipate.

First, a few words on RECONCILIATION are in order. As the articles on RECONCILIATION make clear, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Confession of 1967. While this youthful marker has not drawn as much attention as the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Reformation, the Confession of 1967 is an unsung hero that underscores the theme of reconciliation both in the Christian tradition and in the socio-political situations of the 20th century.

When the 21st century was inaugurated, many of us genuinely believed that the new millennium would bring us unprecedented peace. However, the turning of the calendar page did not make all the troubles go away, and we seem to be doing no better than the people of the 20th century or the centuries before that. Nonetheless, we have made known the will of the people for peace and reconciliation, and the Confession of 1967 will be remembered in history as one of the major landmarks with which humanity showed their desire for peace.

This combined issue turns out to have a serendipitous way of reminding us to have joy in the midst of the ongoing challenges that confront us in our ministry of reconciliation. No matter what troubles lie ahead on the path of our ministry, we will never leave aside the joy of life in creation and Christ’s work of reconciliation. The authors in the winter portion of our issue remind us of the joy that accompanies the proclamation of the good news that springs forth from God—reconciliation for all.

Peace be to you,

Jin H. Han
Editor-in-Chief

About the author

Jin Han wrote 31 articles for this publication.

Jin H. Han is Wilbert Webster White Professor of Biblical Hermeneutics and Technology at New York Theological Seminary in New York City.

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