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Gilbert Meilander graduated

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from Concordia St.

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Louis Our Seminary in 1972 and

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has served the church faithfully

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throughout these years.

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Continues to serve as a

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rostered Lutheran Church,

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Missouri Synod Pastor and if

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you're not familiar with the

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work of Gilbert Meilander,

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you should be.

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He is now currently serving

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at Valparazo University,

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teaching ethics there.

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He's done a great deal of work

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recently in the area of

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bioethics and some of you might

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be familiar with him

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from that world.

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And he's done really great

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service to the church and

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to the wider community.

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in the area

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of bioethics.

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But Meilander is also of

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great interest to me,

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especially from some of his

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earlier work when he was quite

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interested in the work of ethics

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and the sorts of things that

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were going on in the area

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of virtue ethics.

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He was part of the voices that

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were involved in teaching about

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virtue and helping us come to a

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better understanding of how

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virtue integrates into

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the Christian life.

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And he has helped me a great

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deal in thinking about

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these things.

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Meilander earned his PhD from

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Princeton in 76 and has written

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several very helpful books,

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written books about friendship,

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about working,

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and then about virtue and the

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meaning of all these

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sorts of things.

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And one of the things I really

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appreciate about Gilbert

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Meilander is his zeal to

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carefully articulate ethical

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truths and yet pay attention

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to Lutheran sensibilities.

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He knows what it means to be

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able to proclaim the gospel,

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and they get the gospel central

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that's always coming through

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in his work.

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And I think that is expressed

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very clearly even in his

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style of writing.

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And it's one of the things I

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picked up on is that Dr.

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Meilander, when he writes,

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writes with a great deal

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of care and concern,

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and almost I would use the word

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gentleness comes through in

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his style of writing,

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which is quite delightful.

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He's a joy to read.

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Hauerwas by contrast,

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I mentioned him before,

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always writes with a real

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edge and a sharp,

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polemic kind of edge

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to his work,

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which is also very entertaining

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and very engaging.

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But it's quite different.

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And to read an essay by 

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Hauerwas and an essay

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by Meilander,

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it's just such a contrast

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between the two styles.

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So Gilbert Meilander has done a

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lot of very faithful work

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in the world of ethics,

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and especially in thinking

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through some of these

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theological questions about

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where do things fit with ethics

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and theology and what's the

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interface between them,

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and he's helped Me to clarify

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some of this.

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And he can help you as well,

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if you actually engage some

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of his good work.