\u201cGoing to St. Paul was like going to Mecca,\u201d explains Beverly Self, describing her feelings about coming to a place so rich with Lutheran culture. To listen to Self speak of her background, her family and her views of Lutheranism is to listen to a poet.Considering her doctoral degree in English literature and master of arts in English composition and rhetoric, it\u2019s no wonder that Self\u2019s eloquence is equal to her passion. \u201cWe have borne out the truth,\u201d says Self. \u201cThe Lutheran church has the most pure interpretation of the gospel of any church I know.\u201dSelf is not making a hollow comparison. She was raised in a deeply religious family that includes Roman Catholics, Methodists, Nazarenes and Episcopalians. In fact, prior to entering seminary, Self was a licensed pastor with the Church of the Nazarene. \u201cBut I wasn\u2019t sure God had called me to be a pastor,\u201d she admits.While enrolled in Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio, and still searching, Self, with her husband and son, started attending a Lutheran church. It was then that her path revealed itself to her. In her words, \u201cI finally felt the call.\u201dA deeply committed scholar, Self immersed herself in the writings of Luther. \u201cI became a Lutheran because of Luther\u2019s articulation of doctrine. I became a 16th century Lutheran!\u201dToday, Self is associate pastor at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Springfield, Ohio. Much of her work involves faith formation. \u201cThe Lutheran church is awakening to the fact that there are people who know nothing about God,\u201d explains Self. She considers that extremely exciting, as well as a challenge. \u201cIt calls you to examine your theology and how you express what evangelism means. \u201cWhen you say to people \u2018God loves you, just as you are\u2019 that\u2019s such an incredible, revolutionary truth. My experience is that people are dying to hear that and dying to see someone who believes that.\u201dFive years ago, before she had even considered entering Luther Seminary, Self wrote a single page on the call she heard from God. \u201cIt describes my call to Grace exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Beverly Self, Master of divinity, 2003<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3675,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6009","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"issue-fourth-quarter-2003","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n