LUTHERSTADT WITTENBERG, Germany (ELCA) -- The Sept. 20-21 kickoff of the "Luther Decade" here was significant for all Lutherans because it offered opportunities for evangelism and "deep theological conversation" among Lutherans and ecumenical partners, said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), made the comments Sept. 21 during a news conference here. Hanson participated in a series of events marking the arrival here 500 years ago of Martin Luther, a German monk, whose writings were instrumental in the Lutheran Reformation. The Luther Decade is... ...