by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
The Criminal Justice Task Force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) met May 29-30 in Chicago to receive input from specialists
and plan its work. The task force is developing a social statement on
criminal justice that will address social concerns and provide a biblical
and theological framework for discussion among Lutherans. A study guide,
to be made available to the church in winter 2010-2011, will help lay the
groundwork for a draft statement. The 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is
expected to consider the proposed social statement.
Cynthia Osborne said task force members represent "a remarkable diversity
of expertise and perspective in criminal justice -- prosecutors,
defenders and judges, theologians and other academic scholars, service
providers, victim and human rights advocates, and system reform experts.
Beyond their professional roles and expertise, the task force members
bring a wealth of life experiences as well." Osborne is chair of the
task force and vice president of strategic initiatives and program
development, Lutheran Services in America, Baltimore. She said many
members of the task force can also speak with a personal voice. "The
work of this task force is timely, as we are increasingly reminded in the
media about the unsustainably high rates of incarceration in the United
States, about the ineffectiveness of incarceration in reducing crime, and
about the growing awareness of the need for comprehensive reform.
Osborne said the first step of the task force is to study and
deliberate, "examining the issues broadly and deeply, with a commitment
to making room for all points of view and always with the knowledge that
the role of the task force isn't to solve our country's challenges in
criminal justice, but to discern the appropriate voice and role of the
church in addressing the complex issues related to criminal justice."
She said the period of intensive study, which includes reading, learning
from one another and from external experts, and engaging ELCA members in
dialogue, will continue until winter 2010.
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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
