by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
Two leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
are calling on Americans, Lutherans in particular, to "welcome
the stranger," making a case for immigration reform in their new
book, "They Are Us." The book is co-authored by the Rev. Stephen
P. Bouman, executive director for ELCA Evangelical Outreach and
Congregational Mission, and Ralston H. Deffenbaugh Jr, president,
Global Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service). Based in
Baltimore, Global Refuge is one of the nation's leading agencies in
welcoming and advocating for refugees and other immigrants. The
book includes personal stories, theological and historical
insights, and questions for reflection and discussion. It is
available through Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, the publishing
ministry of the ELCA.
The Lutheran church in the United States is an immigrant church,
according to Deffenbaugh. "I hope that Americans in general and
Lutherans in particular will reconnect with their own history in
a nation of immigrants, seeing the newcomers among us as their
forbears were once seen," he said. "We Lutherans are
particularly well-placed in the country in this time with such a
contentious debate over immigration. It's been remarkable to me
that compared with the populace-at-large immigration has been
much less controversial in the church." Deffenbaugh said the
debate over immigration is not new to the United States. "It's
so important for people to know who they are. People can't know
who they are unless they know where they came from." Deffenbaugh
contributed chapters on U.S. law and the history of immigration.
Bouman served as bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod
during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He said "something
ugly has emerged" since that day -- "a hardening of the heart
toward the immigrant stranger among us." Calling immigration the
"meta-issue of what America will become," Bouman said the book
advocates for a conversation on how to welcome the stranger from
biblical, theological and social perspectives. "We are Lutheran,
and we are pro-immigrant. The Bible is not equivocal on this,
it's pretty clear -- a wandering economic migrant is our father
in the faith." He said it's in "our self-interest to get this
right. If compassionate imagination doesn't get you there, the
evidence is clear that almost everyone who comes here has a high
value for education for their children and are outstanding
citizens contributing to our public welfare."
- - -
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
