Friends in Christ:
As we enter the third week of the new presidential administration in Washington, DC, there seems to be so much happening so quickly that it reminds me of the early days of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, when there was so much uncertainty and change that it was hard to know what to believe, what to expect, how to respond, and what to do. Amid all the swirling claims and counterclaims, I believe it to be of utmost importance that we in the church stand firm and remember who we are called to be and with whom we are called to stand.
We have clearly articulated our commitments in our synod statement of vision, mission, values, and practices (linked here), and I particularly want to highlight how we state what we believe to be God’s vision: “A world that embodies the fullness of life: justice, peace, equity, hope and love for everyone, including all races, genders, identities, abilities, and social status.”
Given the current political landscape, I feel called to articulate how I understand this vision stands in direct contrast to much of what we are experiencing:
- We stand with our LGBTQIA+ siblings, and we decry the recent actions that seek to erase our transgender siblings and contradicts our understanding of full diversity of God’s creation.
- We stand with our immigrant siblings, and we decry the recent actions that seek to demonize and criminalize those who have come to this country in a variety of ways and for a variety of purposes. We recognize that the immigration system is broken, and we call for reforms that are just, humane, and compassionate.
- We stand with our siblings of all colors and backgrounds, and we decry the recent executive orders that seek to remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives from public life. We reaffirm our commitment to our Authentic Diversity Strategy and pledge to continue our work to combat White supremacy culture.
- We stand with our partners in the Lutheran Services of America network, particularly Lutheran Social Services and Global Refuge, who have recently been falsely accused of improperly using government funds. We applaud their work of providing needed, life-giving services to millions of people over many decades, and we pledge our continued support.
- We stand with all the public servants who have worked to provide support and guidance to those in need in this country and around the world, and we decry recent efforts to dismantle the many ways in which our government has worked in partnership with public and private agencies to respond to human needs. While there may be significant room for improvement in how we organize our resources to meet human needs, we stand opposed to efforts to discontinue this work, recognizing that the poor and marginalized will pay the highest cost for such efforts.
Finally, I want to highlight that we as a synod have committed to engage in the practice of showing up: “We live out our faith by engaging in service, action, and advocacy around issues of poverty, violence, racial equity, gender, the LGBTQIA+ community, immigration, mental illness, and injustice.” We will need to move beyond well-crafted statements and place ourselves and our resources firmly behind those with whom we are called to stand. I’m not sure what that will look like, but I pray for God’s strength and guidance as we strive to be the church that God and our neighbor need us to become.
In Christ,
Bishop Paul Erickson
