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from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: September 2024 PRESSURE FOR FARM BILL ACTION | INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT APPROPRIATIONS FOR FY25 ADVANCE | CONFLICT IN SUDAN | INCREASED CALLS FOR CEASEFIRE & HUMANITARIAN AID, AND RELIGIOUS EQUALITY | ELCA BISHOPS’ HILL VISITS YIELD DIVIDENDS   PRESSURE FOR FARM BILL ACTION: In congressional meetings across the House and Senate over August recess, ELCA Witness in Society staff continued to press for passage of the Farm Bill alongside many Lutheran constituents from their districts. Congressional staff from…

As we approach the anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023, we remember a day of heartbreaking grief for the people of Israel and Palestine, devastated by Hamas attacks on civilians and by the bombardment of Gaza. Mindful that the people of the Holy Land are still living in anguish and in war one year later, congregations may consider incorporating prayers and laments in worship on Sunday, October 6 or at other times near the anniversary, in public worship or for devotional use at home or in other settings. ELCA Worship Resource: Crisis in the Holy Land (as PDF). Also available as a…

Qualification. This whole post is an exercise in de jure. The basic principle I am getting at on this occasion is to touch on whether or not a sinner, or someone who has been found to be in sin, could have still been used of God to bear witness to Christ in spite of their own personal moral and egregious failures.  As most know now, at least those in the “right” circles, Dr. Steven Lawson has fallen morally. The church he started in Dallas, TX, Trinity Bible Church, made the announcement a few days ago that Lawson had admitted to being in an…

Warm-up Question How do you typically identify people who are your friends? Storm Preparation This week, a group of thunderclouds in the Caribbean region quickly became Tropical Storm Helene, and as of this writing, is expected to become a major hurricane that is currently threatening Florida’s Gulf Coast before it moves inland. This Tallahassee newspaper is providing updated coverage since most models predict the city will receive a direct hit from Helene. When disasters strike, whether natural or those of human origin, people often enter a survival mode. Governments suggest or even mandate evacuations. People rush to purchase essentials from…

“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. Prayer prompts: For peace in our world, especially in Gaza and Israel, Ukraine and Russia, Syria, Sudan, Myanmar, Lebanon, and all areas of conflict… For those in the path…

The nomist (law based) “Gospel” is a performance-based message that has no grounding in the true message of the Incarnation&Atonement of God in Jesus Christ. It is based on a mercantile quid pro quo transactional framework present in medieval and reformational times that isn’t attested to in the canonical Scriptures. Either the Gospel is God’s Grace all the way down, or it is a works-based Gospel typically associated with, in the history, what is known as Pelagianism. The tragic thing is that people in the classical Calvinist and Arminian, and generally Latin frames of Christian theological understanding, are beholden to…

Pastor Mack Patrick (he/they) serves as an Assistant to the Bishop in the Northern Illinois Synod focusing on communications, stewardship, and works with youth and young adults. As a transgender pastor in the ELCA, Pastor Mack strives to make the church a more inclusive and accessible place for all of God’s beloved children. Outside of work, you can find Pastor Mack reading in a hammock, building things with Legos, tinkering with technology, or riding roller coasters. Pastor Mack is proud to have served on the 2024 tAble Planning Team for the ELCA Youth Gathering. Our blog post for this month…

Warm-up Question Who is the best teacher that you’ve ever known? What made them so good? A GOAT in the Pressbox Recently, Tom Brady began calling professional football games as an announcer on FOX. Brady is often considered the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). This expertise led to him receiving a massive contract worth $ 375 million to move from the field and into the pressbox. After two weeks of calling games, reviews are mixed on Brady’s performance in his new role. Some—including many fans whose teams lost to Brady during…

Barth appeals to the primacy of Jesus Christ in all things. In one instance, in his Church Dogmatics, he is developing what it means to understand that Jesus is God’s ultimate plan for all of creation, all of history; which ultimately entails a disruption from all else, even as all else is taken up into the life of Christ as God’s history for the world. Here Barth is in the process of developing his treatment on such things, with particular reference to a doctrine of time vis-à-vis eternity. We will pick up with him mid-paragraph: At any rate, as a…

“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 peace in our world, especially in Gaza and Israel, Ukraine and Russia, Syria, Sudan, Myanmar, and…