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Catalyst Question What’s your favorite remake? It could be a song, movie, or other piece of art. How does it compare to the original? What’s Wrong with a Remake? In Luke 3:1-6, John the Baptist cries out, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” Straight paths. Leveled hills. Smooth roads. It’s all so unoriginal. Hundreds of years before John’s wilderness prophecy, another prophet said the exact same things. In Isaiah, after Jerusalem is overrun by enemies and God’s people are forced into Exile, the prophet similarly calls for leveled trails and paved streets. But is there anything wrong with a remake?…

Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” –Jonah 4:11 Animals have become too humanized. They deserve respect, care, and love, indeed. They serve as companions, and as a source of comfort and release (and sometimes terror). But at the end of the day, they aren’t human beings. They have their rightful place in an “order of being,” but that order cannot (should not) supplant the value of a human being vis a vis God. I’m not suggesting…

This blog post was co-written by Rev. Charbel Zgheib of the ELCA and Rev. Hakim Shukair of The Episcopal Church.  Our faith is shaped by our prayer. For Arabic-speaking Christians in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Episcopal Church, worshiping in their native language deepens this connection. As the number of Arabic speakers grows in the U.S., creating a meaningful Arabic liturgy has become more than a translation task—it’s a vital step toward honoring and empowering faith communities. The Power of Language in Worship When Immigrant Christians in the United States pray in their native language, they engage…

Advent begins today. So also, today begins a new format of Faith Lens. Don’t worry. Faith Lens will still bring current events into conversation with the rotation of Bible passages many congregations use on Sundays. If you’re curious about that set of readings, which is called the Revised Common Lectionary, you can find many helpful resources here.. You can also read more about the Revised Common Lectionary’s history. Advent is a word that means “arrival,” “start,” or “approach.” The advent of something isn’t its completion, but it is the beginning of the thing. We’re beginning this era of Faith Lens…

It’s unfortunate that, on a binary, either you are a “conservative” and thus believe that God relates to humanity as Law prior to Love; or that you are a “progressive,” and thus that God only relates to humanity as Love (which entails, that God stands with the other, so-called, in a purely affirming way—in this instance I’m thinking of so-called Gay Christianity and LGBTQ in general). And yet it is possible, and I believe, required, to think God as triune Love, and yet a God of holiness who contradicts all of our righteousnesses; whether that be left, right, or in…

Warm-up Question What is your favorite holiday? Share some of the reasons why you prefer that celebration. Holiday Origin Stories Every year we celebrate a number of holidays. Some are national in origin, which is why Independence Day is on July 4th in the United States of America, September 16th in Mexico, and June 26th in Madagascar. Others have deep religious meaning, like Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, though each of those holidays now have many secular elements as well. Too often, we only tell one part of the holiday’s origin story. Take, for instance, the celebration of Christmas. Of course,…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For lasting peace in Gaza, and for an end to all war and violence around the world……

There has been a resurgence, among Protestants, either towards affirming the classical theism of Thomas Aquinas (i.e., Christian-Catholic theology synthesized with Aristotelian categories) or rejecting it.[1] But even those, in the broader Reformed world who ostensibly reject it, still affirm it; insofar, that they operate with the philosophical-theological categories provided for by said Thomistic synthesis. I have, for decades now, been calling this Thomistic-Aristotelian mode of Reformed theology out. And yet, that machine will never really bust. It has tentacles reaching into the far reaches of the Christian world at this point. In the West, in particular, it has publishing…

This blog post “Communicating Shared Values” is part two of a series designed to spark conversation! To read the previous posts in the series, you can view all ELCA Innovation Blog posts here. Research Insight: Young adult parents don’t consider religious faith or spiritual development important for their children.    This chart from the study shows how respondents view what is most important to teach children. Last week’s blog post shared a call to action from the U.S. Surgeon General for faith communities and religious leaders to play a part in responding to issues around parents’ mental health and well-being…

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available. UN | COLORADO | OHIO | PENNSYLVANIA | TEXAS | WISCONSIN Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y. – ELCA.org/lowc Christine Mangale, Director UN General Assembly Third Committee: The UN General Assembly Third Committee, which focuses on Social, Humanitarian and Cultural issues, meets Oct. 3 through Nov. 22. Recently, the LOWC Director hosted a small delegation in advance of their attending meetings from LWF…