The article summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on the occasion of the church’s 20th anniversary, highlights the increasing diversity in the denomination, and emphasizes the importance of the strong ecumenical work that continues to take place, both nationally and internationally. Commitments to social justice, global connectedness and economic stewardship are also discussed.
In the aftermath of the first Persian Gulf War, the authors describe economic and political characteristics of the Arab Middle East, the effects of that 1991 conflict, and Arab aspirations for change. Also explored are potential positive roles for American churches and Christians.
Social statements are social teaching and policy documents in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Created by task forces composed of ELCA members and supported by ELCA churchwide staff members, social statements are developed through a series of participatory steps. Contributors share divergent feedback on the “Draft Social Statement on Women and Justice” with embodied local and global perspectives.
In 2019, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America affirmed its thirteenth social statement, which is biblical and theological social teaching and policy. As an introduction to a collection of essays, Mary J. Streufert sets this ELCA social statement Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action within the context of ecumenical and global Lutheran partnerships, seeing gender justice as a faithful, trusting response to God’s gracious call to serve neighbors in Christian freedom.