Congress is currently considering two competing bills which would codify civil rights for LGBTQ+ individuals in the United States, the Equality Act (H.R. 5) and the Fairness for All Act (H.R. 5331). The Equality Act has passed the House of Representatives and is now being considered by the Senate. One of the most significant points of dispute is how the two bills would treat religious objections.
Read MoreThe 2021 Earth Day theme, "Restore Our Earth," reminds us of the holy work God entrusts to us — of seeking the well-being of creation as inseparable from the wholeness of humankind. En Español tambien.
Read MoreBut let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" (Amos 5:24 NRSV).
The last 16 days have been a microcosm of the original sins of racism and white supremacy in the United States. As an anti-racist church that condemns white supremacy, we acknowledge these injustices.
Read MoreOn Monday, April 9, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged in a concentration camp in Flossenburg, Germany, for his role in a conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler. A week earlier, on April 1, the wider world had celebrated the news that Jesus “is not here; for he has been raised” (Matthew 28:6).
Read more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s subversive witness in Living Lutheran.
Read MoreIn her April column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton writes about Easter and Earth Day, reminding us that we are redeemed, reconciled and reunited in the beauty of the Creator’s loving handiwork.
Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3uR9fFu and in Spanish at https://bit.ly/3wXV9UA.
Read MorePriscilla Paris-Austin, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Seattle, sees her commitment to racial justice and equity work as a “both/and” imperative involving personal and systemic change. Here, she shares a reflection on how her experiences led her to her work in inspiring and achieving the God-given dream of liberating love.
Read MoreAs this pandemic draws on and we sometimes lose track of our schedule, Presiding Bishop Eaton assures us that no matter where we are or what we are doing, we are in the right place and surrounded by God’s presence.
Read MoreI used to sell insurance. During that time, I learned that most car accidents occur within five minutes of home. Why? We’re overconfident in a familiar place. The most common collision isn’t caused by another person: it is us driving, on autopilot, into a neighbor’s parked car. Ask me. I’ve done it.
At this point in the pandemic, I believe we are in a similar situation. As we return to “normal,” we think we’re safe, and our old habits return. Tired from a year of pandemic, we stop practicing the vigilance and best behaviors that kept us safe on our long and strange journey.
Read MoreThis year, we observe Easter for the second time in a challenging context amid painful situations. To protect our own lives and those of others, many of us celebrate Easter again and will meet with the Risen Lord “behind closed doors” (John 20,19-20).
Read MoreImagine what it must have been like on that first Easter morning when there wasn't the knowledge of the resurrection. When, instead, it was all about death and disappointment. Imagine Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Lord. Hear Bishop Eaton’s message and a hymn from our newest worship resource, All Creation Sings, about the transformation of Mary's grief into joy. Happy Easter!
Read MoreAnother Easter arrives, and again, we proceed with hesitance and fear. We struggle with our beliefs. We are unsure how to celebrate. We can feel isolated and separated from each other, wondering if we should leave our homes. In a time of political unrest, we are unsure of the stories we are hearing from the outside world.
And in these circumstances, we are blessed to experience Easter in the same way as the first followers of Christ.
Read MoreAs we go through Holy Week, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land’s Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar shares his Easter message based on Mark 16:3 “Who will roll the stone away for us?”. View as PDF.
Read MoreTogether with God, we grieve with the families and communities impacted by gun violence — especially in communities where it is an everyday occurrence. These shootings are not isolated but rather a pattern of the gun violence crisis in the United States.
The numbers of victims tell only a part of the pain — the trauma caused by gun violence ripples across family members, friends, neighborhoods, communities and this country.
Read MoreAs we go through Holy Week, Presiding Bishop Eaton reminds us that Jesus is present in all of our suffering. The lives lost to gun violence and the suffering caused by the pandemic - Christ has journeyed this path and continues to journey with us.
Read MoreThis Lent, Bishop Eaton invites us to participate in the Global Survey on Being Lutheran (en Español: Encuesta Mundial Sobre lo Que Significa Ser Luteran). We also ask that you invite others in your churches to participate. The survey will be open through March 31, and responses gathered will help to shape the 13th LWF Assembly in 2023.
Read MoreDuring a multi-day warm-up in February 2020, melting snow and heavy rains caused the Umatilla River and its tributaries to overflow their banks. Damage was great and so was the need for a long-term recovery group (LTRG), a common structure in the disaster response community that allows for a holistic response. Read how Lutheran Disaster Response was a catalyst in the group.
Read MoreArchbishop Óscar Romero was assassinated, forty-one years ago, March 24, 1980. He is a saint to Catholics and Lutherans, and the unofficial patron saint of the Americas and El Salvador.
I became aware of Archbishop Romero while in Mexico City. I was a student at Luther Seminary at the time, and our class watched the movie Romero. His story continues to impact my view of the world and the church.
Read MoreMembers of the Association of Asians and Pacific-Islanders – ELCA share the Embodied Blessing and Healing, part of the litany for the day of lament against anti-Asian racism observed on March 21, 2021. The litany is done without words, using movement as expression.
Read MoreBishop Eaton received her first COVID-19 vaccination shot on St. Patrick’s Day. “There’s nothing to it!” This is her process.
Read MoreAs a nation, we continue to witness and suffer from the cruelties of racial and gender-based violence. In recent days, we have witnessed the horror of gun violence in Atlanta and the vandalism of one of our ELCA congregations in Seattle.
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