by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
The February 2009 issue of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics (JLE)
features discussion papers on the topic of human rights.
"Violations of human rights are often violent, so advocating for
and supporting human rights vigorously is one important way to
help bring about a nonviolent world," the Rev. Ronald W. Duty
said.
The papers were presented at a consultation on human rights
hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA)
Task Force for the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence.
Held in the fall, the consultation served "to celebrate the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to encourage the ELCA
to continue to be active on human rights issues," said Duty,
assistant director for studies, ELCA Church in Society. "The JLE
February issue brings together the thoughts and ideas of
practitioners in human rights and theologians who think that the
church is and should be at the forefront of defending human
rights." The consultation was supported by a grant from Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans. The JLE is a free online publication
from the ELCA dedicated to promoting awareness, study and
conversation about Christian ethics in the Lutheran tradition.
Lutheran ethicists gather annually to talk about mutually agreed
upon topics related to Christian ethics and the church's presence
in society. At their Jan. 7-9 gathering in Chicago ethicists,
pastors, graduate students and others addressed the topic of
genetics. The ELCA is developing a social statement on genetics
and biotechnology due in 2011. Papers presented at the gathering
will be published in the JLE in 2009.
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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
