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From Persecution To Witness
By Elizabeth Eaton,
Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
For many months now people have been asking for some kind of statement about the persecution of Christians around the world. It seems to be a straight-forward issue. Christians are suffering in Iraq and Syria, in Nigeria and Egypt. Palestinian Christians encounter intense pressure. Christians in some parts of India are threatened. Some would even claim that U.S. Christians are under siege. Atrocities committed against Christians by the Islamic State, Boko Haram, al-Shabab and others are regularly in the news. We hear that more Christians have been martyred in recent years than in the first three centuries of the Christian movement.
Each circumstance of violence against Christians is deeply painful. There are brothers and sisters around the world whose lives are part of the passion of Christ. People are targeted in some countries because they are Christians. But this is a complex issue. Are Christians suffering and dying as witnesses to the faith? Yes. But in many places interreligious conflict has been used as a calculated pretext for political gain. A narrative of religion vs. religion, or religion vs. society, is an effective way of generating support for one’s cause. And, regrettably, suspicion and fear of the “other” leads to intolerance and discrimination.
The persecution of Christians is not new. Martyrs have existed since the beginning of the
church. Stephen was martyred with the consent of Paul, who was martyred by the Roman
Empire. Paul quoted the psalms, writing: “For your sake we are being killed all the day
long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered” (Romans 8:36).
Outrage is a natural reaction to beheadings and crucifixions. The instinct to strike back is understandable. Many Lutherans accept that in a broken world deadly force might be needed. Revenge, however, is not an option for a Christian.
I pray that none of you ever suffers violence for the faith, but every generation has faced hostility. German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “To endure the cross is not a tragedy; it is the suffering which is the fruit of an exclusive allegiance to Jesus Christ.”
“Martyr” is a Greek word that means “witness,” “to give testimony.” A witness can also be a symbol that testifies a promised action has been accomplished. When we speak about the persecution of Christians, the real question is: “What will be our witness?”
Here is a story about how some Lutherans in Ethiopia answered that question. It happened in one of our companion synods. Some Muslims burned down a church, thinking they were attacking Roman Catholics. Instead, they burned down a Lutheran church by mistake. They were arrested and sent to jail. In that region it’s the responsibility of families to take care of prisoners’ hygiene and food. Instead, members of the Lutheran church asked authorities if they could dig the prisoners’ latrines and feed them. That was their witness in the face of persecution.
Christians aren’t the only ones being targeted and persecuted. More Muslims have reportedly been killed by the Islamic State than any other group. Our witness must be as peacemakers and as defenders of religious minorities in our country and around the world. We must be the ones who speak out when entire religions are falsely characterized by the actions of extremists. We would not accept Christianity being defined by the Ku Klux Klan or the Christian Identity movement. We should not define entire communities by the distortion of to their religion.
The cross is God’s visual symbol that a promised action has been accomplished. It is God’s stake in the sand. It is God’s witness to the truth that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).
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Pastoral message on the verdicts concerning the murder of Ahmaud Arbery
In response to the verdicts in the trial of Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William Bryan in Brunswick, Ga., for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, we offer a word of prayer and healing. We pray for Arbery's family because no verdict can ease the pain and suffering of the murder of their loved one. As a church concerned for all, we pray also for the defendants, that God's grace may transform their hearts. God has created all of us with inherent dignity, value and worth. Racially motivated hate crimes deny this to Black and Brown people. The sin of racism distorts so many aspects of life together. The ELCA's social policy resolution "Condemnation of White Supremacy and Racist Rhetoric" states: "As persons called to love one another as God has loved us, we therefore proclaim our commitment to speak with one voice against racism and white supremacy. We stand with those who are targets of racist ideologies and actions."
May our prayers continue to lead us toward transformation and fulfilling our call to justice and care for all. He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8).
In Christ, Elizabeth A. Eaton Kevin Strickland
Presiding Bishop Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Southeastern Synod, ELCA Learn more about ELCA Racial Justice Ministries. - - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther. For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
11/24/2021
A pastoral message on the Rittenhouse acquittal
Dear church, In the book of Leviticus we read: "You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor" (19:15). Our social message on Community Violence urges us to become more involved in countering the reality and fear of violence in our communities and our neighbors' communities, pursuing justice and seeking peace no matter how long the journey or complex the challenge. When a child is allowed to become a vigilante without recourse, we are forced to confront the idols of our society: guns, violence and white supremacy. To be sure, this is not about one person, but indeed about all of us, together. Today's acquittal is an injustice. It points to the disorder in which we all live. As we seek to restore justice; so also will we restore God to God's rightful place at the center of our life together. In Christ, The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
11/19/2021
ELCA Church Council expresses gratitude for leadership of Bill Horne
CHICAGO — Gathering here Nov. 11-13, the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) began its meeting with a shared time in remembrance of William B. "Bill" Horne II, ELCA vice president, who died Aug. 14 in Clearwater, Fla. In action, the council gave thanks for Horne's life and faithful service and "expressed appreciation for his wise, fair, and strong leadership as vice president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and his collaborative spirit, steadfast commitment, and genuine compassion for the congregations and communities throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America." In her report to the council, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton recalled Horne's dedication. "For him, serving as vice president, was a deeply felt call from God to serve the church." The council welcomed Carlos Peña, who will serve as interim vice president until the election of a new vice president at the 2022 Churchwide Assembly. Peña previously served as vice president for two terms, having first been elected by the 2003 Churchwide Assembly. Eaton also addressed the Future Church priorities and the shared ministry goal of engaging one million new, young and diverse people by the end of this decade. "This [work] takes each of us and all of us," said Eaton, emphasizing that the goal will be achieved only through the engagement and resources of the entire church body, including synods, congregations, colleges and universities, seminaries, social ministry organizations and all ELCA networks. "We have received this gift. We are called to share it out loud with the world." To further the conversation of reaching one million new, young and diverse people, the council received a working document from the youth and young adults serving on council titled "A Fresh Perspective: ELCA Church Council Young Adults." In response, the council created a working group of youth and young adult members of the Church Council plus other members to be appointed by the executive committee. The working group will prepare a report with ideas, concerns, recommendations and aspirations to be presented at the spring 2022 Church Council meeting. In other key action, the council: - Approved revisions to "A Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Jewish Community" as an expression of this church's continual opposition to rising anti-Semitism and its ongoing work to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery.
- Adopted editorial revisions to this church's social message "Suicide Prevention" to provide accuracy and relevance to the contemporary social context. The council also encouraged conversation within ELCA congregations and invited discussions with ecumenical and interreligious partners to study this social message.
- Received a report of activities called for by its implementing resolution for the social statement Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action.
- Authorized development of a social message on climate change.
- Approved revised spending authorizations for FY2022 for the churchwide organization of $65,816,150 and a 2022 ELCA World Hunger spending authorization of $22,665,000.
- Received an update on research work related to discriminatory treatment within the call process and the inequitable compensation of rostered ministers of color, and requested a final report at the fall 2022 Church Council meeting.
- Approved a revision to "Definitions and Guidelines for Discipline" to incorporate a definition of the word "promiscuity" as proposed by the Committee on Appeals.
- Suspended consideration of an aspirational document to replace "Vision and Expectations" until the need arises to develop such a document.
- Adopted amendments to continuing resolutions in the Constitutions, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions (CBCR) of the ELCA.
- Recommended amendments to the CBCR to be considered by the 2022 Churchwide Assembly and recommended ratification of amendments adopted by the 2019 Churchwide Assembly.
- Approved a COVID-19 vaccination or testing requirement for all participants at the 2022 Churchwide Assembly.
- In response to a resolution from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod, adopted continuing resolution 5.01.H21 to clarify that, for purposes of the representational principles, the percentage of laypeople not allocated to women or men may be allocated to persons who identify as gender-nonbinary, gender-fluid, women, men or other genders.
- Received a final report of the Mission Support experiment and recommended that changes to congregational vitality grants and the funding/employment model for the position of director for evangelical mission include a review of possible implications for future models of Mission Support sharing between synods and the churchwide expression; encouraged the Mission Support experiment synods to continue their models of sharing with the churchwide expression until such decisions are made; and reminded all synods that changes to their models of Mission Support sharing are to be the subject of conversation with the churchwide expression.
- Approved amendments to various Corporate Social Responsibility documents.
- Elected board members for seminaries, separately incorporated ministries and social ministry organizations and approved bylaw changes to the Mission Investment Fund.
The council also: - Heard reports from the church's presiding bishop, interim vice president, secretary, treasurer and council committees.
- Learned from council member Loni Taylor, a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, of the history of abusive treatment and cultural genocide that Native American children experienced in Indian Boarding Schools and the role of Christian churches in those schools.
- Acted as the corporation for St. Olaf College, approving amendments to the college's bylaws.
- Spent time in worship, prayer and fellowship.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
11/18/2021
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