Title: ELCA Bishops Discuss Economic Life
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
October 17, 1997
ELCA BISHOPS DISCUSS ECONOMIC LIFE
97-029-083-AH
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "I hope you have
bullet-proof vests," Rembert
Weakland, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Milwaukee,
told the Conference of
Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, meeting here Oct. 2-7.
He praised the ELCA for undertaking a process
toward a social statement on
economic life.
The bishops discussed the preliminary study,
"Give Us This Day Our Daily
Bread: Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for
All." Weakland told the ELCA
bishops about the process of developing the Roman
Catholic bishops' pastoral
letter on economic life some years ago.
"In our culture, money is power," Weakland
said, and some who hold
economic power strongly oppose the church becoming
involved in matters of
economic justice.
Weakland encouraged the ELCA to move slowly,
try to be brief and
approachable, to think about using different
documents to reach different
groups within the church, and to put it out on
audio tape. He reminded the
church to be sensitive to the vulnerability of the
middle class as well as the
plight of the poor.
"If we were doing it over I would want to
challenge consumers," Weakland
said. He suggested asking the questions: "How do
you live today as a
Christian in a consumer society? What effect does
it have on your lifestyle?
On your spirituality?"
"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" was the
overarching theme of the
bishops' meeting. The Rev. Craig L. Nessan,
assistant professor of Contextual
Theology at Wartburg Seminary, provided a Bible
study in three sessions. He
urged the bishops to "remember the poor who do not
have sufficient bread for
the day's journey." He said we are "tempted to
construct a life in which the
poor are absent."
"My neighbor's material needs are my
spiritual needs," Nessan said. He
expressed hope that a statement on economic life
will mean "a more committed
engagement by our church to concerns of the poor."
The bishops discussed a possible pastoral
letter on the occasion of the
millennium. They agreed to develop a document
together with the Rev. H.
George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA,
possibly with an emphasis on
the biblical book of Revelation, directed to ELCA
congregations and members.
Someone suggested a t-shirt and other ways to say,
"Fear not." Another idea
is to institute an annual "gesture to the
occasion" in the next three years,
such as every congregation planting a tree.
Following a preliminary report from a "think
tank" convened to discuss
campus ministry in the ELCA, the bishops
encouraged the Church Council to
delay action on it until spring so the bishops may
study and talk about the
report.
The Rev. Ralph A. Kempski, bishop of the
ELCA's Indiana-Kentucky Synod,
expressed concern about "a real upswing in Klan
and militia activities." He
said, "Actual maneuvers are taking place. We have
a responsibility to teach
that it is inconsistent with the gospel and
Christian life to be a part of
these organizations."
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or
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