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American Lutheran Church

Church and State
Church-State Relations in the U.S.A. (1966)
Citizenship (1958)
Human Law and the Conscience of Believers (1984)
Manifesto of Our Nation's Third Century (1976)
The Nature of the Church and its Relationship with Government (1980)
Proposed Prayer Amendment and Our Cherished Religious Liberty (1971)
Religion in the Public Schools (1984)
Tax Credits for Private School Tuition Payments (1983)
Tax Reform: A Cuse for Christian Action (1970)
Testimony on School Prayer Amendment (1980)
Toward Fairness in Public Taxing and Spending (1982)

Civic Issues
Amnesty in Perspective (1972)
Christian Concern for General Education (1974)
Gambling and the Public Good (1984)
National Service and Selective Service Reform (1970)
Pornography (1974)
SOS: A Call to Affirmation of Human Values (1972)
Sunday Closing Laws (1964)
The Victims of Pornography (1985)
Traffic Safety (1968)

Economic Life
Combating Inflation (1977)
Concern for the Family Farm (1980)
Policy for Management and Sale of Farmland by the American Lutheran Church (1982)
Tax Credits for Private School Tuition Payments (1983)
Tax Reform: A Cuse for Christian Action (1970)

Entertainment
Violence in Television Programming (1970)

Environment
Nuclear Energy — Problems and Promises (1980)
The Land: God's Giving, Our Caring (1982)
The Environment Crisis (1970)

Human Rights
Abortion (1976)
Abortion: Report of the Task Force on Abortion (1980)
Abortion: A Statement of Judgement and Conviction (1980)
Abortion: The Value of Human Life (1976)
Apartheid in Southern Africa — Is It Any of Our Business? (1981)
Appointed Once to Die: A leaflet of Observations on Death and Dying (1965)
The American Lutheran Church and the American Indian (1974)
Christian Counseling on Abortion (1974)
Death and Dying: An Analysis (1977)
Goals for Combating Apartheid (1981)
Goals for Combating Apartheid (1985)
Equality of Opportunity — A Civil Right (1966)
Effective Ministry in Intercultural Communities (1964)
Human Rights of the People of Namibia (1980)
Opposition to Apartheid (1980)
Peace, Justice and Human Rights (1972)
Racism in the Church (1974)
South Africa Divestment (1981)

Marriage and Family
Families and Violence: The Church's Role (1986)
Interracial Marraige (1968)
Pastoral Care with Couples Living Together Outside of Marriage (no date)
Teachings and Practice on Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage (1982)

Peace
American Military Involvement in Southeast Asia — A Majority Report (1972)
Can New Nuclear Weapons Prevent Nuclear War? (no date)
Decision in a Time of National Crisis (1968)
Mandate for Peacemaking (1982)
Peace, Justice and Human Rights (1972)
Vietnam (1968)
War, Peace and Freedom (1966)

Sexuality
Human Sexuality and Sexual Behavior (1980)
Women and Men in Church and Society: Toward a Wholeness in the Christian Community (1972)

Social Ministry
Christian Social Responsibility (1978)
Sent into the World (1970)
The Unfinished Reformation (1980)

Please note
The document(s) on this page were voted on by a church body which preceded the founding of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Any such statement has the status of a "historical document." These documents may guide the ELCA and inform the work of the Office of the Presiding Bishop and act as policy when sufficient agreement exists and the ELCA has not adopted another statement on the same subject. However, social statements of predecessor church bodies to not constitute ELCA policy, as they have not been voted on by a Churchwide Assembly. When quoting or referring to these documents, please take care to make the non-binding nature of this relationship clear.

For current social policy of the ELCA, click here.