January 27, 2011

CHICAGO – A synod bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has posted a video essay on YouTube in which he urges church members to stand with young people who are "victimized, brutalized or bullied."

The Rev. Bruce Burnside, bishop of the ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, Madison, said he made the video in response to reports of bullying locally and at a nearby college campus. The video is at http://www.livinglutheran.com/videos/-bishop-bruce-burnside-of.html, on the LivingLutheran.com website.

Burnside's video is part of the "It Gets Better" project, an online video collection of messages started in 2010. Many public figures and celebrities contributed video testimonials to help reassure young people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender that the bullying and torment they experience in their daily lives, especially in high school, will end, and that there's a better life ahead.

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, submitted his own video to the project in October 2010, in which he assured gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender young people that each is "a beloved child of God." He also told young viewers, "There is a place for you in this world and in this church."

Hanson's video is at http://www.livinglutheran.com/videos/2010/10/you-are-a-beloved-child-of-god.html, on LivingLutheran.com.

In his video Burnside said, "As a Christian I believe that Jesus teaches that there is a place in his kingdom where there is a preference for those who are victimized, those who are oppressed, those who are brutalized. And there is a place in his kingdom for those of us who stand with them. So I call on you to not just believe that one day will be better, but to help make it better."

Burnside explained that he knows what it is like to be bullied, and said that when he was young he was picked on by two boys. His father told him to defend himself. Burnside said that after one instance in which the boys knocked him down, his father came to the rescue and sent the boys away. "‘Bruce, I am sorry,'" Burnside recalled his father telling him.

"There are times when we can't stand up for ourselves, and we have to rely on others to stand with us," Burnside said. "We can't just say that one day it will be better for those who are victimized or brutalized or bullied. There are times when we need to help make it better."

In an interview Burnside said one reason for making the video was that he and synod staff felt it was important to respond to reports of bullying. A topic of discussion in the synod is that the church exists for the sake of the world, not for the sake of itself, he said. "We need to seek ways to explore how we speak a healing word to the world," Burnside said.

Burnside also said he wanted to communicate to ELCA members that Christians have a responsibility to make things better for anyone who is a victim of bullying.

The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with approximately 4.5 million members in more than 10,000 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.

ELCA News Service