Category: Protestant

“We said at the beginning of the 2025 Kansas legislative session that we were expecting to bear witness more than passing or stopping particular legislation, and so it turned out,” said Rabbi Moti Rieber, Executive Director of Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) in the ELCA-affiliated state public policy office network. This month’s SPPO Spotlight Series entry is a look at some of the ways KIFA bears witness through advocacy. KIFA works with the ELCA Central States Synod and is a strategic partner of the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC), the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, and the Mercy…

Faith Lens is on a summer hiatus until September 2025. Thank you for being a part of our faithful community of readers!   ELCA Blogs

“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.   In the coming weeks, those in the United States will mark two significant anniversaries: five years since the murder…

By Emily Ahern, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow [About the Author]  On May 1st, many observed the public holiday May Day, otherwise known as International Workers’ Day. This day is set aside specifically to commemorate working class people and to shed light on the demands made by people involved in the labor movement. Christians have intertwined with this movement, historically and today, and Lutheran teaching shapes our point of view.    A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE  May 1 was specifically chosen to commemorate the strike which would culminate in the Haymarket Riot, a clash between labor protesters and police on May 4, 1886…

Catalyst Question Who are the most helpful people in your life? What makes them so helpful for you? Flourishing Together Recently, Baylor University researchers released initial results from a new study on human flourishing. This global research follows hundreds of thousands of people in hopes of understanding what factors lead to a “good life.” That’s how the researchers understand flourishing. More than personal happiness or security, flourishing is a kind of holistic satisfaction. More than just feeling happy in the moment, to flourish is to feel like you’re thriving in most, if not all, areas of life. The results were…

“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.   In the coming weeks, those in the United States will mark two significant anniversaries: five years since the murder…

Issue 99 of Administration Matters Online Bible Studies — 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly Join ELCA Churchwide Assembly voting members in preparing for the assembly! All are welcome to participate in the online Bible studies that will be held Wednesday evenings in July (July 9, 16, 23). Each session will focus on the assembly theme “For the Life of the World” through one of three lenses: climate justice, gender justice, and war/conflict and reconciliation, followed by engagement with these Bible study presenters: •    July 9 — Willie Korboi (climate justice lens) •    July 16 — Deacon Clare Josef-Maier (gender justice lens) •    July 23…

“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.   In the coming weeks, those in the United States will mark two significant anniversaries: five years since the murder…

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: May 2025 BUDGET RECONCILIATION ADVANCES VIA COMMITTEE | FEMA THREATS | ADVOCACY WITH COMPANION CHURCHES | HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA | TAX REFORMS | MIGRATION POLICY UPDATES   BUDGET RECONCILIATION ADVANCES VIA COMMITTEE: Individual committees in the House of Representatives have scheduled “mark up” dates to write up budget reconciliation text, with much happening the week of 5/12/2025. This comes after the House and Senate passed a shared budget resolution “blueprint” Apr. 14, which instructs committees to find…

Catalyst Question H0w do you understand the word “gospel”? More than just a definition, what does the Gospel of Jesus mean to you? Gospel in the Law It’s official: commencement season has officially started. Across the country, many high schools and colleges have already held their graduation ceremonies. From South Cameron High in Louisiana, where the entire graduating class was 1 person, to the University of Texas at Austin, where more than 11,000 students are receiving diplomas, there are many people of various ages who are culminating education careers with earned degrees. What’s fascinating is that graduation isn’t required. Most…