August 24, 2010

CHICAGO – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), addressed a number of topics in an Aug. 24 pastoral letter to the church, including differing views on human sexuality, reconciliation, not bearing false witness against one another and ongoing dialogue about faith and life.

"It is my prayer that we use this time for discerning and engaging; for repenting and reconciling; for restraint but not timidity; and for rejoicing," Hanson wrote in his letter.

"Throughout the ELCA I hear people asking, ‘Is my voice heard? Will my voice be respected as we seek together to discern God's purpose for us?' The answer is yes," Hanson wrote. "Nevertheless, people of deep faith and a desire to be part of this church wonder: Do we mean it when we say we can preach, teach and hold divergent views on sexuality and be full participants in the ELCA's life and witness? Again, the answer is yes."

Hanson wrote that his "yes" is predicated upon members' commitment "to be engaged together in discernment," which "must be grounded in the witness of the Scriptures and the confessions, and it needs the voices of all the baptized."

The presiding bishop commented on the recent assembly of The Lutheran World Federation in Stuttgart, Germany. He said the most powerful moment of that meeting occurred when Lutherans asked for forgiveness from God and from Mennonites for the violence done to Anabaptist Christians in Reformation times and through continuing legacies in Lutheran teachings.

"This experience of reconciliation is underscored for me in the fifth chapter of 2 Corinthians: the powerful announcement that if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. This new creation rises from Jesus, who died rather than be in the sin-accounting business. The implication for us of the gospel's transforming power is that we become ambassadors for Christ. God has entrusted to each of us the message and ministry of reconciliation," Hanson wrote.

In his letter Hanson referred to the anticipated formation this week of the North American Lutheran Church. "We must ask how this separation in the body of Christ will serve the ministry and message of reconciliation entrusted to us by God," he wrote.

"The ELCA has and will continue reaching out to others for the sake of the gospel and serving our neighbor," he wrote. "Standing together, we are known as a church that rolls up its sleeves and solves problems, the church that is catalyst, convener and bridge builder. Our strong ecumenical relationships and global partnerships testify to that commitment."

He continued, "Yet before the ELCA can undertake any such efforts with a new Lutheran church body, I believe we must commit to obey the commandment against bearing false witness and commit to live its meaning in every setting, both private and public: ‘We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.'" The quotation is from Martin Luther's Small Catechism in Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

Hanson wrote that the world is plagued by incivility, willful misunderstanding and hurtful caricatures of people who do not agree. "Let us declare that such behaviors will stop with us. There is room in this church for lively conversations and disagreements about questions of faith and life. There is room in this church for vigorous dialogue that witnesses to faith without rushing to judgment and closing off discussion," the presiding bishop's pastoral letter said.

Hanson called for restraint in judging others and called for speaking charitably with and about others. He said members should not be timid in proclaiming Jesus Christ and participating in God's healing of the world.

"Even in the midst of great challenges in the economy and in the church, we can rejoice because the ministry in which we are engaged is a ministry of God's mercy and reconciliation in Christ," Hanson wrote.

"Our ministry is not about us, our shortcomings or our problems, for we proclaim Jesus Christ. We rejoice in the forgiveness that God offers at the font and the table, in public proclamation and personal assurance. We celebrate the reconciliation from God that breaks down every dividing wall of hostility and unites humankind in the bonds of Christ. We delight in the promise of the new creation that God is bringing to life in Christ. We joyfully embrace the world and all its inhabitants in love and service," Hanson's letter concluded.

The full text of Presiding Bishop Hanson's pastoral letter is at http://www.ELCA.org/bishopstatement/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service