Posts in Advocacy
Bishop Eaton Urges Biden Administration: Address the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

In a December 4 letter to President Biden, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton called for urgent action to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank. She condemned new Israeli laws restricting UNRWA’s operations and emphasized the catastrophic toll on Palestinian lives. Rooted in Lutheran theology, Bishop Eaton urged the U.S. to restore humanitarian aid and uphold human dignity.

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ELCA Advocacy January Update: UN and State Priorities Edition

Here’s updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices. As the new year begins, these state public policy offices (SPPO) share their annual policy priorities. Find a map and full list of ELCA affiliated SPPOs using our state office map. Learn more about Lutheran advocacy using our new resource, Advocacy 101 For Young Adults.

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New Year Devotional Series: When we hear “Go”

Paul as described in Acts 21 arrived in Jerusalem to some strong responses. Buoyed by a crowd incensed by rumors that he was encouraging Jews to no longer observe Jewish law, a Roman tribune arrested and interrogated Paul to determine his crime.

We’ve heard a lot of rhetoric about our laws recently – from politicians, from pulpits, and most recently, from angry mobs of people rallying around a cry to hold fast as a country to tradition or law and order.

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ELCA joins letter to President Elect Biden on Israel and Palestine

The ELCA joined 16 Christian denominations and organizations in calling for the incoming Biden administration to change the course of U.S. policy and undertake renewed efforts to bring peace to the Holy Land.

The letter requests that the administration take six concrete steps to “build towards a future where human rights violations are ended and there is equality between Palestinians and Israelis.”

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Giovana Oaxaca: Migrating Women and their Experience with Gender-Based Violence

The allegations of medical neglect and invasive gynecological procedures in a privately-run detention center in Irwin County, Ocilla, Ga.—including coerced sterilization—quickly drew disbelief and condemnation worldwide this fall. Far from unique, these shocking allegations echo the historic and current reality of cruel and inhumane treatment towards migrant women.

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ELCA Advocacy November updates
Voting dialogue with persons with disabilities

Persons with disabilities take great pride in going to vote, but some do experience obstacles at the voting polls or even in registering and/or voting by mail.

Please consider being in dialogue with persons with disabilities about their desire to vote, about their opinions about those running for office, and consider asking what might make that day or even that week or month meaningful for them.

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Faith communities urge voters to cast their ballots with climate in mind

Highlighted in the Arizona Republic, Bishop Hutterer was one of four Arizona faith leaders from diverse traditions who spoke at an online panel last week in Phoenix about how different faiths address human responsibility to the environment.

“From our Lutheran tradition, we have this idea of care of creation, the interdependence of each one of us, and the fact that without caring about creation, we have actually denied our neighbors,” Bishop Hutterer says in the article in Arizona Central. “Our lives depend on the life that surrounds us.”

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