ELCA NEWS SERVICE
January 29, 2007
ELCA Presiding Bishop Asks Church for Conversation about Iraq War
07-012-AL
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) -- As the U.S. Congress debates its
response to the dispatch of additional troops to Iraq, the Rev.
Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA), sent a message Jan. 26 to ordained and
professional lay leaders of the ELCA, asking them to engage ELCA
congregations in dialogue on the war and to continue to pray for
peace.
In his letter, "A Call to Conversation on Iraq," Hanson
encouraged ELCA members to engage in the national debate on the
nature and direction of the Iraq war with "intentionality,
seriousness and vigor."
"We must bring the best insights from our faith, our
theology, our experience and our intellect to this challenge,
engaging in what will be difficult conversations in our
congregations, communities and with our elected officials,"
Hanson wrote. "I earnestly hope that within all the congregations
of this church we, the baptized, will be engaged in prayer and
moral deliberation, especially in light of the escalation of
violence, the growing casualties on all sides in the war in Iraq
and the urgency to seek peace."
Offering the ELCA social statement "For Peace in God's
World" and the ELCA message on "Living in a Time of Terrorism" as
resources for discussion, Hanson posed a series of questions for
congregations to consider, urged them to keep the debate
respectful of all perspectives and stressed the importance of
modeling such respectful discussion for the nation. "At a
time when this country's public discourse has become contentious
and people often feel powerless, it is a sign of hope for
congregations and communities to engage publicly in civil and
moral deliberation," wrote Hanson.
Finally Hanson asked congregations to convey their views to
their elected officials as part of the moral deliberation
process. "I encourage all of us to dare to struggle with these
issues and to share the results of those discussions with our
elected representatives," he wrote.
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The full text of Bishop Hanson's message is at
http://www.ELCA.org/bishop/m_070126.html on the ELCA Web site.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
