LISTSERV mailing list manager LISTSERV 16.0

Help for ELCANEWS Archives


ELCANEWS Archives

ELCANEWS Archives


ELCANEWS@LISTSERV.ELCA.ORG


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

ELCANEWS Home

ELCANEWS Home

ELCANEWS  November 2006

ELCANEWS November 2006

Subject:

Windows For Understanding' Lutheran-Muslim-Jewish Relations

From:

[log in to unmask]

Reply-To:

[log in to unmask]

Date:

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:02:16 -0600

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (111 lines)

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 20, 2006  

Windows For Understanding' Lutheran-Muslim-Jewish Relations
06-182-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and ELCA
Global Mission developed an online resource to "create healthier
and deeper perspectives for the present and future of Jewish,
Muslim and Lutheran relations."  "Windows for Understanding:
Jewish-Muslim-Lutheran Relations" is at
http://www.ELCA.org/ecumenical/interreligious/windows.html on the
ELCA Web site.
     "In the history of the ELCA we haven't had a single
foundational document which has allowed us to think together
about the relationships among Lutherans, Jews and Muslims," said
Dr. Michael R. Trice, associate director, ELCA Ecumenical and
Inter-Religious Relations.
     Windows for Understanding "gives us an opportunity to speak
with our Jewish and Muslim friends and neighbors and to talk
together about the issues that are important for all of our
communities: How we understand our faith, how we understand
authority, how we understand the vitality of these particular
beliefs," Trice said.
     "This resource allows us an opportunity to come within
hailing distance of one another, which is to say it gives us a
chance to talk with one another in a nonthreatening way," Trice
said.
     "Within this resource you have an opportunity to link to all
kinds of organizations that are Jewish, Muslim and Lutheran," he
said.  Readers can "look through a glossary with terms that are
clearly identified," he said.
     Trice said the online resource also "allows Lutherans to
reflect critically upon their own heritage and what makes them
Lutheran.  That's a very healthy way of engaging others and at
the same time understanding our own faith."
     "Lutherans are really well-positioned to have relationships
with both Jews and Muslims in the United States and elsewhere,"
said Dr. Carol S. LaHurd, coordinator, Peace Not Walls Campaign,
ELCA Global Mission.  U.S. Lutherans have "devoted a lot of
energy to renewing relationships with American Jews," she said,
and they have "very close ties with the Christian presence in the
West Bank."
     LaHurd said the primer "is an attempt to give everyone an
introduction to Judaism and Islam and to do that in the light of
our commitments as Lutheran Christians and how that can
facilitate our having relationships with Jews and Muslims."
     "A resource that may help us separate out the essence of the
three religions from some of the extremist expressions of those
religions is a timely thing to do.  So, that's part of our goal,"
she said.
     "It is especially pressing right now with regard to
understanding Islam just because of global events," LaHurd said.
"We saw the reaction to the controversial Danish cartoons.  We
saw the reaction to Pope Benedict's statements recently about
Islam and also events like the war in Lebanon and the insurgency
in Iraq.  All of those things increase the perception of
religious polarization.  Even if it doesn't actually increase
polarization, it increases the perception that polarization is
there."
     "Increasingly, Americans and members of ELCA congregations
are encountering Muslims in the workplace, in the schools, in
their neighborhoods," LaHurd said.  "In a recent study, 50
percent of the people polled had a favorable view of Islam, but
if the people interviewed knew even one Muslim personally, that
jumped up to a 75 percent approval rating," she said.
     LaHurd pointed to another poll the Washington Post and ABC
News conducted in March 2006.  "In that poll 46 percent of
Americans said they had an unfavorable opinion of Islam," she
said.  "Ironically, that 46 percent is double what it was in
early 2002, right on the heels of 9-11.  That's telling us that
global events and media coverage of extremist elements in Islam
are probably both having an effect on people's attitudes."
     "That makes our release of this primer perhaps even more
important, and it underscores our hope that we, by giving people
a little education about Islam, might encourage them actually to
build friendships with Muslims in their own communities," LaHurd
said.
     Trice noted that a Lutheran-Jewish Consultative Panel of
ELCA scholars, lay and ordained, has met for more than a decade
to advise the ELCA presiding bishop on Lutheran-Jewish relations.
     "Through the work of the Lutheran-Jewish Consultative Panel
the ELCA repudiated Luther's anti-Semitic writings, which was a
very healthy step forward for this church and how we understand
ourselves as an inter-religious neighbor in the world.  It was an
important move on behalf of Lutherans and on behalf of this
church," Trice said.
     In recent years the panel helped develop the ELCA's
Guidelines for Lutheran-Jewish Relations, he said.
     Panel members provided "critical reflections" and "very
helpful suggestions" that have and will continue to inform
Windows for Understanding, Trice said.
     "One of the things about the resource that is most helpful
is that it is an online resource, so it can be refined and
amended where we need to," he said.
-- -- --
     Information about ELCA Global Mission is at
http://www.ELCA.org/globalmission/ on the ELCA Web site.
     Audio of LaHurd's comments is at
http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/061115A.mp3 and
http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/061115B.mp3 and of Trice's
comments is at http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/061115C.mp3 and
http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/061115D.mp3 and
http://media.ELCA.org/audionews/061115E.mp3 on the Web.

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

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

Advanced Options


Options

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password


Search Archives

Search Archives


Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe


Archives

May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
November 2018
October 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002
September 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
December 2000
November 2000
October 2000
September 2000
August 2000
July 2000
June 2000
May 2000
April 2000
March 2000
February 2000
January 2000
December 1999
November 1999
October 1999
September 1999
August 1999
July 1999
June 1999
May 1999
April 1999
March 1999
February 1999
January 1999
December 1998
November 1998
October 1998
September 1998
August 1998
July 1998
June 1998
May 1998
April 1998
March 1998
February 1998
January 1998
December 1997
November 1997
October 1997
September 1997
August 1997
July 1997
June 1997
May 1997
April 1997
March 1997
February 1997
January 1997
December 1996
November 1996
October 1996
September 1996
August 1996
July 1996
June 1996
May 1996
April 1996
March 1996
February 1996
January 1996

ATOM RSS1 RSS2



LISTSERV.ELCA.ORG

CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager