Ecumenical Life Newsletter

“We of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America share with the Church of Jesus Christ in all times and places the calling to be peacemakers.” The ELCA Social Statement, For Peace in God’s World (adopted by Churchwide Assembly in 1995)[1], talks not only of a hope for peace but also of a calling to be peacemakers—individually and corporately—for all members of this church. When we pray for peace in our world, peace in our nation, peace in our community, peace in our family, and peace in our hearts, we are asking for the Holy Spirit to give us the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and courage to be peacemakers in the various spheres of our common lives, trusting that the Spirit will do so in order that we might do the human things that make for peace. For God often brings peace working through the efforts and affairs of human beings.

Lutherans are called to pursue peace and to seek justice at the same time. For without justice, the appearance of peace is deceiving. So we are called, first, to build a culture of peace by fostering a dynamic vision of difference in unity, promoting respect for human rights, countering and transforming attitudes that encourage violence, and by strengthening the will and the ability to resolve conflicts peacefully. We are called, second, to work for an economy with justice by insisting that peace and economic justice belong together, supporting just arrangements to regulate the international economy, provide effective economic assistance that reduces hunger and poverty at all levels of society in environmentally sound ways, and reduce military expenditures wherever possible. We are called, third, to help create a politics of cooperation by strengthening international and local cooperation, improving international structures for common security, working for the control and reduction of arms, controlling the arms trade, advocating for participatory and accountable political structures within nations, encouraging private organizations and their work for peace, encouraging and supporting nonviolent action, and providing care for people who are uprooted by the lack of peace.

Lutherans may personally participate in these efforts in a number of ways, by learning to practice nonviolence, through individual actions in local, family, and church settings, by regularly praying for peace, by being informed about public issues and participating in public policy advocacy and efforts to encourage corporate social responsibility, by voting and by participating in community organizing efforts and social ministries, by learning the attitudes and values, basic knowledge, skills, and behaviors required for effective moral deliberation or conflict mediation, and by getting to know one’s neighbors, including those who are different than oneself, and interacting with them regularly.

· Pray for peace in your congregation by participating in the International Day of Prayer for Peace on September 21 or an adjacent Sunday. (See http://www.idpvigil.com/.)

· Learn about the ELCA’s participation in the UN Decade for a Culture of Nonviolence, and explore resources available to you and your congregation. See /nonviolence.)

· Learn about peacemaking activities and educational opportunities by joining the ELCA’s Equipping4Peacemaking Network. (See /nonviolence/event/join.html.)

· Participate in the One Campaign and ELCA advocacy efforts to work for peace at the national level. See /advocacy/one/05-06-23-aboutone.html.

· Learn about resources on violent video games and the work of the ELCA’s Corporate Social Responsibility Office to influence how they are marketed to young people. (See /advocacy/corporate/videogames.asp.)

· Get access to justice and peace resources for children for ELCA schools, early childhood ministries, and Christian educators. (See /schools/resources/peace/.)

· Become familiar with the ELCA Social Statement, For Peace in God’s World and the ELCA’s Message on Community Violence. (See /socialstatements.)

These are just some of the steps you can take on your journey in your calling to be a peacemaker!

Note: Rev. Ronald W. Duty is Co-chair of the ELCA Inter-unit Task Force on the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence, and also Assistant Director for Studies in the ELCA’s program unit for Church in Society.

[1] For Peace in God’s World is online at www.elca.org/socialstatements/. For a complementary copy, call the Church in Society Request Line at 800-638-3522, ext. 2996.