Companion Information: Progress and Setbacks in Reducing HIV in Tanzania
When Dr. Paul Mmbando was in medical school 20 years ago, AIDS was generally a death sentence. Nowadays with better drugs, when the conditions of good nutrition and sticking to the daily meds are met, it’s a disease like others that can often be managed. Dr. Paul leads the health department for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT). Daudi Msseemmaa, ELCA Regional Representative to East Africa talked to him on Nov. 17, 2025 about how the church’s role in making sure those conditions are met as World AIDS Day observance approached. What has the church been doing in supporting…
For what shall we pray?
“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 an end to war and conflict, and for places of political unrest or contention, especially Gaza,…
Are You a Pietist; Am I? Who is First, God or the Humans?
The Pietists, 1898. Creator: Venny Soldan-Brofeldt A few years ago, I was at a regional ETS theology conference. A theologian friend of mine was there giving a paper. Afterwards he, and myself, and others got together for a little theology talk. In that talk my Lutheran theology friend said: “you’re a Pietist, and I’m an Anti-nomist.” And yet, I was wondering what exactly my friend had in mind by calling me a Pietist (some make take this as derisively as being called a Pelagian). The thing is, there are many expressions of a Pietism, all the way from the Puritans…
Faithful Resistance: Fighting the Sin of Dehumanization
They are hard to miss. “Invasion“, “Animals“, “Illegals” … We hear these words all the time, whether on the news or in the comment section, used to describe migrants and other marginalized groups. These words are used for a reason. They are designed to make us afraid, to make us numb, and to make us see a “problem” instead of a person. They build walls between “us” and “them.” As people of faith, we have to be honest: this isn’t just a political debate. It’s a spiritual one. The way we talk about and treat the marginalized is a…
Gratitude Shared with Federal Elected Leaders for Reopening of Government
After a record-setting 43 days of shutdown, the federal government resumed operations with a bill signed by President Trump on the evening of Nov. 13, 2025, which funds most federal agencies through Jan. 30, 2026. A message was sent to U.S. House and Senate representatives expressing gratitude for the reopening. This message, which follows, also noted prayer in our ELCA communities for our elected leaders and public servants and encouraged “lawmakers at all levels of government to prioritize consistent and good governance in the future.” November 14, 2025 Gratitude for Reopening of Government The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America…
Suicide as Self-Deicide, A Theological Thought
Barth in his continuing development of a Christian Ethic, in this section, has been discussing self-power versus real power, which is God’s. In this development he has arrived at a discussion on suicide. He is taking self-power, in abstraction from God’s power, to entail a pseudo-power (self-power), and reducing it to its logical conclusion; which ironically, is at the heights of illogicality. He refers to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s thinking on this, even as Barth goes on to paraphrase Bonhoeffer’s position.[1] To the best of my knowledge, the Ethik of D. Bonhoeffer (1949, 111–116) gives us the most cautious statement so far…
Fall Updates: State Edition
Following are updates shared from submissions from ELCA-affiliated state public policy offices (SPPOs) this quarter (formerly shared monthly). Full list and map of SPPOs available. Florida | Kansas | New Jersey | Pennsylvania | Texas | Wisconsin FLORIDA COUNCIL OF CHURCHES – The Rev. Russell Meyer, Executive Director Florida Faith Advocacy Days, Sowing the Harvest, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, will be Jan. 15-16, 2026. We’ll gather at the Florida People’s Advocacy Center for issues training on Jan. 15 and make legislative visits on Jan. 16. High on the list of proposals is ending property taxes, a move…
Partner Organization Resources and Events
Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers in a monthly blog post. Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981. 2025 LSM Musical Advent Calendar Nov. 30 – Dec. 24 Experience the fifth annual Musical Advent Calendar from Lutheran Summer Music with daily musical meditations to inspire reflection throughout the season….
Barth’s Engagement with Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science: A Quasi Critique of the New Age
Mary Baker Eddy The following represents something that I found rather surprising in Barth’s Church Dogmatics. In a context where Barth is discussing the strength and weakness of the human body, he goes into a small-print excursus on Christian Science and Mary Baker Eddy. As I have been reading through the CD what I have found is that many of the themes Barth is known for, while present, only really represent a fraction of his overall corpus. Indeed, those themes (election etc.) are contextually conditioning for all of his work, even his thinking on the human body and physicality. But…
Native American Heritage Month: Events from ELCA Indigenous Ministries
November is Native American Heritage Month. Racial Justice Ministries seeks to lift up the voices and work of our Indigenous siblings by highlighting the many events hosted by the ELCA’s Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations. We especially want to draw attention to the following two events: 15th Annual Vine Deloria Jr. Symposium Oct 11-15, 2025 Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (online) National Day of Mourning November 27, 12pm Patuxet, MA For more information visit: http://elca.org/indigenous ELCA Blogs