BRATISLAVA, Slovak Republic (ELCA) -- The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and a vice president for Lutheran World Federation (LWF), will be one of the signers of the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" on behalf of LWF said Bishop Christian Krause of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick (Germany), LWF president, in a June 29 announcement.
Eight persons, seven Lutherans and one Roman Catholic, will sign the document on Oct. 31 in Augsburg, Germany. Signers include Anderson; Dr. Ishmael Noko, LWF General Secretary; Bishop Julius Filo, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in the Slovak Republic; Parmata Ishaya, Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria; President Huberto Kirchheim, Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil; the Rev. Dr. Prasanna Kumari, Arcot Lutheran Church, India; and Vatican representative Edward Idris Cardinal Cassidy, President for the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
The Joint Declaration is the result of more than three decades of dialogue between Lutherans and Roman Catholics. This is the first time such a declaration has been recognized between the two churches. Anderson chaired the Lutheran group that worked with Roman Catholics in the United States toward a document of agreement in the 1970s and 1980s.
Krause said the eight people who will sign the Joint Declaration include "men and women, lay and ordained" who "will underline the global communion aspect of the federation."
The declaration states a belief about the way people become "justified," or right with God. Jesus Christ won salvation through his life, death and resurrection; salvation is a gift that no one but Jesus Christ can earn, says the declaration.
"Together we confess: by grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit," it says.
The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries representing 58 million of the world's 61.5 million Lutherans. The LWF's highest decision-making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven years. Between Assemblies the LWF is governed by a 49-member council which meets annually, and its Executive Committee.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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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 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
