CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In a Feb. 13 e-mail message to professional leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the ELCA presiding bishop said he is greatly troubled by the situation between the governments of the United States and Iraq and the possibility of war. The Rev. Mark S. Hanson asked church leaders to be "united in our commitment to pray, to engage in public deliberation and to work for peace."
Hanson, who writes and distributes e-mail messages to the church's leaders periodically, told the church's leaders his current message is intended to support them as they lead their congregations and communities.
"I am writing to you because of my deep concern about the grave possibility of imminent war facing not only our nation, but also the human family," Hanson's message said. "As I listen to the voices of pastors throughout the ELCA, I realize we are struggling with how to exercise the pastoral, priestly and prophetic dimensions of our call at such a time."
Quoting from the Lutheran Book of Worship, Hanson said he is aware that the baptismal vocation calls us to "serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth."
"As weapons inspectors continue their work, the United Nations debates next steps, the Iraqi people suffer and our government moves closer to war, we must not abdicate our responsibility both to pray for peace and to engage in public conversation regarding what is a just response that might lead to peace," Hanson urged.
Hanson said his message is not intended to minimize the "complexity" of the current situation. He cited the combination of the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein, the possible use of weapons of mass destruction, "immense" U.S. military strength and an already unstable Middle East as examples.
"That is precisely why we need broad-based conversations in which we articulate our convictions and are willing to challenge and be challenged by others," Hanson said.
"War should never become a military response severed from its moral dimensions. As people of faith, we will always be asking hard ethical questions regarding the reasons for war and the conduct and consequences of it. No, I do not expect the members of the ELCA to be of one mind regarding these questions."
The ELCA social statement, "For Peace in God's World," is an important resource for church members to use in response to this crisis, Hanson said. "It affirms that, as the baptized people of God, we share with the Church of Jesus Christ in all times and places the calling to be peacemakers. It also affirms that, as people of faith, we begin with a strong presumption against all war," he said.
"We must ask hard questions about the causes, activities, and consequences of this [possible] war," Hanson continued. "The statement also affirms that as a church we are committed to denouncing beliefs and actions that find ultimate security in weapons and warfare, and that despair of any possibility for peace."
Hanson also noted that For Peace in God's World shows the ELCA supports "thevocation of men and women in the military who in conscience directly face the ambiguities of relative evils, and who may suffer and die to defend their neighbor." At the same time, "we strongly support efforts to develop the potential of nonviolence to bring about just and peaceful change ... and we provide pastoral support of those in conscience who undertake nonviolent action for peace," Hanson added.
Hanson said he has received many messages from churches throughout the world, Lutheran and non-Lutheran. One response came from Lutherans in Japan, he said.
"It included a petition with 283 names, testifying to their experience of war. They want us to know of their prayers and solidarity for all efforts to achieve peace," Hanson said. "They also put challenging questions to us, which we have an obligation to consider, about whether it is too late to find a peaceful solution to this crisis, about the humanitarian consequences of war on the people of Iraq, and about the destabilizing effects of war within the region and throughout the world."
"As people of faith, let us not grow weary in our diligent prayer, our moral deliberations, and our baptismal calling to work for peace. Let us continue to hold each other and our ministries in our daily prayers," Hanson concluded. ---
The complete text of Hanson's e-mail message is at http://www.elca.org/bishop/iraq_0302.html on the Web.
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
