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Memo on M.E.M.O: Pastorally prophetic

The best part of my job is that Martin Marty occasionally sticks his head into my office, calls me “Boss” with a twinkle in his eye, and sits down to talk—as if he has nothing better to do. Along with Dean Peerman, Marty is a contributing editor and custodian of the magazine’s history and a steward of its favorite stories. (Marty’s association with the Century began in 1956, Dean Peerman’s in 1959.)

We know that for years many people have read the magazine from back to front—for good reason. Marty is back there.

A sense of place: The many horizons of Martin E. Marty

When you grow up on the prairie you learn to live with what you have. The Marty people—formerly the Martis, Swiss Lutherans who emigrated to America in 1869—had dirt. Nebraska dirt. They mixed it with water and made houses. They set their houses against caves and rock formations and brought organs, linens and teacups into them. In the mud houses, they sang songs to God.