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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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Michael Lozano elected bishop of the ELCA Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod
CHICAGO – The Rev. Michael L. Lozano, Sharon, Pa., was elected June 15 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, held June 13-15 at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. Lozano was elected on the fifth ballot, with 71 votes. The Rev. William Coleman, pastor of Luther Memorial Lutheran Church in Erie, Pa., received 61.
The bishop-elect has served as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Sharon, Pa., since 2014. He was pastor of Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Fla., from 2005 to 2007; Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mount Holly Springs, Pa., from 1996 to 2005; and St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Catawissa, Pa., from 1993 to 1996. An active U.S. Army Reserve chaplain, he served this call full time from 2008 to 2014. Lozano received a Bachelor of Science from Mansfield (Pa.) University in 1988 and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United) in 1992. United is one of seven ELCA seminaries. He received a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., in 2015. Lozano will be installed Oct. 13 at location to be determined. The Rev. Ralph E. Jones has served as bishop since 2001 and will retire Aug. 31. Information about the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod is available at nwpaelca.org. - - - About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.5 million members in more than 9,100 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
06/19/2019
Leila Ortiz elected bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod
CHICAGO – The Rev. Leila M. Ortiz, Washington, D.C., was elected June 15 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, held June 14-15 at the College Park (Md.) Marriot and Conference Center. Ortiz was elected on the fifth ballot, with 150 votes. The Rev. Jeanette D. Leisk, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Va., received 121 votes. The bishop-elect has served as assistant to the synod bishop for mobility and candidacy since 2016. She served as associate pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gaithersburg, Md., from 2014 to 2016, and pastor-in-residence at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Herndon, Va., from 2013 to 2014. Ortiz received a Bachelor of Psychology from Wagner College in Staten Island, N.Y., in 2005 and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United) in 2009. She is currently a doctoral candidate at United. Wagner is one of 26 ELCA colleges and universities, and United is one of seven ELCA seminaries. Ortiz will be installed Oct. 12 at National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. The Rev. Richard H. Graham has served as bishop since 2007 and will retire Aug. 31. Information about the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod is available at metrodcelca.org. - - - About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.5 million members in more than 9,100 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
06/18/2019
Kurt Kusserow re-elected bishop of the ELCA Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod
CHICAGO – The Rev. Kurt F. Kusserow was elected June 13 to serve a third six-year term as bishop of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, held June 13-15 at California University of Pennsylvania in California, Pa. Kusserow was elected on the second ballot, with 232 votes. A total of 219 votes were needed for election. Prior to becoming bishop in 2007, Kusserow served as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Latrobe, Pa., from 1997 to 2007, and as pastor of the Westmoreland Unit of Town and Country Lutheran Ministry, serving Faith Lutheran Church, Apollo (Oklahoma Boro), Pa., and Hebron Lutheran Church, Avonmore, Pa., from 1989 to 1996. Kusserow received a Bachelor of Arts from Thiel College in 1985 and a Master of Divinity from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, in 1989. Thiel is one of 26 ELCA colleges and universities and Trinity is one of seven ELCA seminaries. Information about the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod is available at swpasynod.org. - - - About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.5 million members in more than 9,100 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
06/17/2019
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