Dr. Rast’s article on “What Makes America American?” (October) . . . barely touched on the Lutherans’ contribution to American life so that the reader is left with the idea that Lutherans were ignored in this special, but very little attention was given to even a brief overview of the Lutherans’ contributions so that the reader is aware that something is missing. Amongst the numerous contributions to the American culture, he does not mention the Swedish Lutherans that settled along the Delaware River . . . Nor does he note the famous multilingual Henry Muhlenberg who arrived in Philadelphia in 1742 and would spread Luther’s Catechism in the middle colonies. And he did not discuss the Salzburgers, escaping persecution, who were led by their pastor, Johann Martin Boltzius, in the 1700s. I believe that Dr. Rast owes his readers more than the bibliography he supplied at the end of his article.
John Lavendar
Sioux Falls, S.D.
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