CHICAGO (ELCA) -- More and more Americans are expecting the church to provide the moral answers to their social problems, while the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) must do more to help its members make their own ethical decisions. About 30 Lutherans tackled those among several tough issues they identified Jan. 7-8 in Norcross, Ga., before joining other members of the Society of Christian Ethics for their annual meeting Jan. 9-11 in Atlanta.
It was the fifth year in a row for such a pre-gathering event sponsored by the ELCA Division for Church in Society, said the Rev. Karen L. Bloomquist, director for studies. "Those attending these annual events have developed a real collegiality and are increasingly engaging in in-depth discussions of matters that are distinctive to Lutheran ethics and important to the whole Church."
Sessions at the Norcross gathering included a discussion of "Luther, Law, and Social Covenants," an article by Dr. Stewart Herman, who taught religion at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. His article sought to move from criminal toward contractual understandings of law for the sake of a more constructive Lutheran social ethic.
Seminaries have been doing a good job of teaching pastors to be pastoral, Dr. Robert Franklin, president of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, told the group. There is a growing need to train pastors to help whole communities improve. He said pastors need to be equipped with examples of moral formation.
It's counter-cultural in the southern United States to suggest that there are "gray" ethical areas, said several ELCA pastors and associates in ministry from the Atlanta area. They were on hand to discuss the challenges they face while seeing their communities through ethical decision-making in a place where the church is expected to supply the answers.
The Rev. Dale A. Sillik, Trinity Lutheran Church, Lilburn, Ga., described how he seeks to stand with people as they make ethical decisions rather than giving them the rules. "When prospective members ask 'how much do I have to give?' I respond, 'What will give you joy?'"
The group discussed some of the challenges pastors face in helping parishioners make ethical decisions. "An hour on Sunday is woefully inadequate for moral formation that enables moral discernment," said Dr. Donald Braxton, who teaches religion at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio.
The Rev. Ronald Duty said he asks his confirmation students to think about and live out social, ethical issues in light of what the Lutheran catechism teaches. Duty is leaving Trinity Lutheran Church, Jeffers, Minn., to join the DCS studies staff in Chicago.
The final session of the gathering was a discussion of "The Particularist Turn in Theological and Philosophical Ethics," an article presented by Dr. Gene Outka, a Lutheran who teaches ethics at Yale University and Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Conn.
Lutheran ethicists will meet again near San Francisco prior to the 1999 meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics. The pre-gathering will discuss "The Promise of Lutheran Ethics," a book to be published later this year by the ELCA Division for Church in Society.
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 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
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
