How Do We Turn Worry and Resignation Into Caring Enough to Change?

 So what’s there to worry about? The U.S. government may—or may not—shut down.  October 1 state exchanges for the Affordable Care Act open, but most Americans do not understand them. Scientists release a report with overwhelming evidence that human beings are causing Global Warming, but it’s a beautiful day outside.

When issues are immeasurably large and my daily life is what’s real to me, what do I dare worry, or care, about?

Friday afternoon my husband and I drove twenty minutes down the Mississippi River from Dubuque to Bellevue, enjoying the early fall beauty of the bluffs. After indulging in a dark chocolate ice cream cone we wandered up the main street. I noticed a woman sitting in a chair in the street—well, at the edge of the street. “What’s this about?” I wondered, until I spotted other people standing across the street. “There must be a parade coming,” I thought. I love parades! I asked the woman what time it would start. “Shortly,” she said.

We stayed. We joined in the Homecoming Parade, cheering on the Bellevue football team, the coaches in their lead car, the school board in theirs, the band, the king and queen. Then came the juniors’ and sophomores’ floats and even one carrying the middle school student council. We clapped even louder. Some moms, on their feet cheering, offered us their folding chairs. We became part of their community. Life was real and very local last Friday, even though we had been strangers an hour before.

Friday night The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.

President Barack Obama spoke by telephone with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in what was the first communication between the leaders of the two countries since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Afterwards Obama said, "Resolving this issue [Iran’s nuclear program] could serve as a major step forward in a new relationship between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect."

That phone call took place Friday afternoon, about the time we were cheering on young people we didn’t know marching in a parade in Bellevue. We and they may have had more to cheer than any of us knew at that moment. Potential for the future, for all the world’s youth.

So what do we dare care about?

A week earlier my husband and I drove about twenty minutes north from Dubuque, this time into Wisconsin. We entered a store and commended the shop keeper for her “No guns allowed on the premises” sign on the door. I asked what reactions she had received and she replied that some people never noticed and some people laughed.  Laughed? Saddened, I reiterated my appreciation and told her of our fledgling Culture of Nonviolence Coalition in Dubuque. The next day in Dubuque I told a shop keeper about the sign and asked if she had considered one. She said, “It wouldn’t do any good. Gun laws won’t change in my lifetime.”

Resignation rather than daring to care and caring enough to change.  Government shut downs, global warming, mass shootings. This is the new normal. President Obama, speaking at the memorial after the Naval Yard mass shootings: “I fear there's a creeping resignation. That these tragedies are just somehow the way it is. That this is somehow the new normal.”

Both the cause and the result of resignation to the new normal is, “Just take care of yourself.” I expect the government to be there for me, until I personally am inconvenienced. I expected I could go about my daily life locally, safely, until one day I was not safe. Rather, what if I thought, “I need to care about the ongoing threat of government shut-downs and refusal to raise the debt ceiling for the sake of the rest of the people, including the world’s people.”? And, “I need to sign up for health care—and get a flu shot--for the sake of my neighbor.”

The disconnect between the personal and communal, between the local and global leaves us sitting in the street alone. We are the government. We are the human beings called to be stewards of the environment. In our lifetime, we can change things. We are actors in our own drama, participants in our neighbor’s parade.

One small group of obstinate people cannot really shut down the government any old time they want to  if we claim in the words of the Declaration of Independence, that “WE hold these truths…” and really do mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Clearly, we care. The question is do we care enough. I think we do. I think those middle school student council members riding in the Homecoming parade do. How can we help them and all of us really be “we the people,” that no one can shut down?

Reflect on this Sunday's appointed texts: Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31

I Was There 25 Years Ago; The Challenges Ahead

Twenty-six years ago April 30, 1987, my husband Burton and I drove from Dubuque to Columbus Ohio, where we, together with 2000 other Lutherans from 3 church bodies attended the Constituting Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which would officially begin the following January 1, 1988.  I was teaching at Wartburg Seminary; Burton was pastor of Grace Lutheran in East Dubuque. Burton and I wanted to be at the beginning of the ELCA because we had been part of all three church bodies over the years. We were part of the American Lutheran Church. The ALC was strong in the upper Midwest. While living in New England, where the Lutheran Church in America was strong, I had served an LCA congregation. And each of us had entered Lutheran Churches as teenagers, hearing the Gospel, through Lutheran Church Missouri Synod congregations in Iowa and California.  A schism in that church body in the 1970’s produced the AELC, the third predecessor church body of the ELCA.

Preparation for the ELCA began in 1982. Many, many people would work together for years towards this new beginning. Over 11 years I would be part of four different tasks forces and commissions working on the New Lutheran Church. Today, 25 years later, we celebrate the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a church body with 4 million members and 10,000 congregations.

 2 Cor. 5:17 is the anniversary passage So, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed way; see, everything has become new!

A great verse. However, church-speaking, everything old has not passed away if it was in Christ and everything new is not new if it is not in Christ. When we came together we wanted to honor the past. At the constituting convention the presidents of the three churches poured water from three different vessels into the one font. All of the history, all of the baptisms, all of the people already one in Christ, were joined in this new way.  This made way for releasing what could have been a tight hold on old structures, the very places (headquarters) Minneapolis, St. Louis, Philadelphia towards a new place for churchwide (itself a new term) Chicago.  We live in a “Move forward” culture, but moving from continuity into change is difficult. When it is in Christ, however, the new is not for the sake of newness, but for the sake of mission, making way for those who not yet here.

It may be hard to imagine for some, or to remember, 25 years ago, most church conventions (what we called them then) were attended overwhelming by men. And the voices you heard most at the microphones were clergy. And rarely did one see a person of color.  But the new ELCA adopted representational principles. At assemblies and on boards, commissions, task forces, we would have equal numbers of women and men.  Lay and clergy voices would all be heard, and we would have people of color and whose first language was not English more represented.  We needed to see and hear and learn from one another in new ways.  And things changed overnight.  Huge. But you know what? People didn’t become fearful. The opposite happened. We moved beyond the “token” stage, which in terms of race and gender and class is often more fear-producing.  All of a sudden when we gathered, things now seemed “normal,” as though this is the way we were created to be, together in our differences, one body.  That inclusion has grown.  The challenge is to keep asking, “Who is not at the table? Who is not in our community?” 

In the Gospel text this anniversary Sunday, September 8, 2013, Luke 14:25-33, large crowds were traveling with Jesus and he turned and spoke to them.  Five challenging phrases.

1.   Whoever comes to me, must hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters and life itself to be my disciple. Wait a minute. Isn’t Christianity all about loving people? Especially one’s family? Well yes.  Christ is talking about the radical commitment of the call to discipleship. That fits with what we just said. We came together and come together not just as a family (In fact that term “family church” can sound exclusive) but from different histories and heritages with those who are different from “my family.” The verse preceding our anniversary verse from 2 Corinthians reads, “From now on we regard no one from a human point of view.”  We are connected to one another in Christ.  Not just Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Germans; as our new presiding bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, said in a press interview recently, not just all  flavors of Jello, but now with Latinos, Asians, national Africans, as a church body there are now different foods at our potlucks. And during these 25 years we have established new ecumenical partnerships and inter-faith dialogs. In a world of ethnic and national strife, often violent, the problem is hating the other’s father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters and loving mine.  My family, My school My neighborhood, my nation. As disciples of Christ, we are called to care about land, water, good education and medical care, for all the world’s neighbors, in Martin Luther King’s words, the Beloved global Community.

2.    Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Being a Christian is not about taking up the cross to lead a parade, or holding it higher than other religions. It is about bearing the crosses as they come.  In the past 25 years we have seen joys, but also more suffering than we could have imagined.  Picture some in your local congregation.  Remember. And also in the systemic injustices of society. In Christ, together,we carry one another in the midst of a suffering world.

     Being part of the ELCA means being able to help out in disaster relief way beyond what one congregation could do. Think over 25 years: Katrina, Haiti, the Malaria campaign. From the Suffering Christ comes the church of the resurrection.  We are rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, his life, death, and resurrection,” said David Swartling, ELCA secretary, at our recent churchwide assembly in Pittsburgh.  “We are a church of the reformation. And the reformation is not only an historical event; it is an ongoing process…We are a church of reconciliation.  “Always being made new.”  Our anniversary verse follows with: “All this is from God who reconciled us to Godself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Godself…entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.  This is a new calling every single day.

3.Whoever does not estimate the cost.  Otherwise when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him. This, of course, can have a very concrete meaning a congregations who may be in a building or remodeling process. But the challenge is deeper still. With the foundation on Christ, disciples dare, wisely, courageously, collaboratively to be the building ones. Since the ELCA began 25 years ago, 435 new congregations have officially organized. Today there are 330 new starts currently under development, including 56 new starts in 2012.  ELCA members kept their commitment that at least half of these new starts are in a “situation of deep poverty” or part of “one of our ethnic strategies.” Other group new starts are “Jesus and Justice Ministries.”  Can we finish?  Can we begin? The foundation is ready, Christ himself.

 

4.    Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?  If he cannot, then while the other is still far away he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. This is way too realistic an image. We live in the world, these very days, where our President and the Congress, and all citizens across the land must think about the cost of war and the cost of the use of chemical weapons. What is our call to discipleship? How do we as individuals, as faith communities, as a church body, study Scripture, and carefully learn about and discuss world events together. It was not easy to be disciples in the world 25 years ago or now. We, you and I, each congregation, this church body are called into the world of church and state issues, and as disciples in any situation, to be very wise, praying, and thinking Christians.

 

5.     So none of you can become my disciples if you do not give up all your possessions. OK. This text calls us to have a Giving-up Day? Not a Celebration? No--again, there’s more to it. Jesus description of discipleship, on his way to the cross, is about who and what possesses us. Therefore, to be in Christ, where everything is new, we are freed to no longer be in bondage to our possessions.  Alone we might say, “Just how much is enough, Lord?” Together in Christ we have been able to do more than any of us alone could have comprehended, imagined with our communal resources put to work in service and mission.  Celebrating means accepting challenges.

 

At the Churchwide Assembly the Spirit was alive in new challenges for this now young adult, 25-year old church. An increased number of young adult voting members pushed the challenge of a five-year campaign from $69 to $77 million with the addition of funds for formation of youth and young adult leadership and a stretch goal for disability ministries.

Celebrating means challenges.  ELCA adopted the Social Statement, “The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries” by an overwhelming 882-25 vote.

The vote comes in the midst of recent national debate on racial inequities in the criminal justice system, racial profiling in stop and frisk policies, and mandatory maximum sentencing.

 

The assembly voted (828 to 40) to advocate for the adoption of comprehensive immigration reform legislation that supports an earned pathway to lawful permanent residency and eventual citizenship.

 

With a 834 to 41 vote, the assembly moved to encourage ELCA members, consistent with their bound consciences, to contact their elected officials and advocate for passage of legislation that promotes universal background checks, prevents gun trafficking and more.

 

The 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved nearly unanimously to continue the Book of Faith initiative which empowers its 4 million members for biblical engagement so that we become fluent in the first language of faith – the language of Scripture – to be renewed for lives of witness and service.

The ELCA has ordained 7,500 pastors since 1988, almost half of the active pastors on the clergy roster, and after the study of ministry, we now have hundreds of associates in ministry, deaconesses and diaconal ministers, many of whom studied at Wartburg Theological Seminary.

This weekend thousands of people in congregations across the ELCA will be engaged in service. God's work.  Our hands.

What a day. And tomorrow? Next week? Well, next Sunday, September 15, marks the 50^th anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, an act of racially motivated terrorism which killed four Sunday School girls. Our 25^th anniversary Sunday stands during the 18 days between the 50^th anniversary of the March of Washington for Jobs and Freedom and that 50^th anniversary reaction. I end this blog in what might seem a strange place, but deliberately. While traveling with Christ, we are always in the middle of something, historically, and now.  We mark turning points, and we ask that Christ mark us for turning points toward a more just society, more caring communities, more bold discipleship. For this we are being made new. 

Lutherans Adopt “The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries”

 
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), with 4 million members and nearly 10,000 congregations, meeting in churchwide assembly August 12-17 in Pittsburgh adopted a Social Statement, “The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries” by an overwhelming 882-25 vote.

The vote comes in the midst of recent national debate on racial inequities in the criminal justice system, racial profiling in stop and frisk policies, and mandatory maximum sentencing. The ELCA has been engaged in a broad, thorough study beginning in 2008, emerging from a concern among ELCA members over the “massive levels of incarceration in the United States.” Cynthia Osbourne, chair of the ELCA task force said, “We knew the enormity of this topic when we first convened.” “We took those first few years to study, listen and learn from both outside experts and from one another – our list of what must be addressed just grew stronger.”

The statement affirms the fundamental principles of the U.S. criminal justice system, such as due process of law and the presumption of legal innocence, and it also recognizes serious deficiencies — overly harsh sentencing and persistent inequalities based on race and class. It asks members to recommit themselves to visiting the prisoner; correct the flawed criminal justice system; participate in God’s work with hands and hearts.

Linda Manson, a member of the task force said the statement, “confronts how racism has shaped the criminal justice system.”  “It pinpoints how people of color experience higher rates of contact with police, even when other factors like age and economic status are taken into account. It points out how African Americans are more likely to be detained and statistically more likely to be convicted and to be incarcerated.”

The churchwide assembly went on to approve a series of implementing resolutions with an 891 to 22 vote.  There were 11 recommendations approved, some were amended:

Some of the 11 recommendations called the ELCA to:

+ call on ELCA members through prayer, discernment, ministry efforts and public action to hear the cries, offer hospitality, accompany and advocate on behalf of those whose lives are caught up in or committed in service to the criminal justice system;

+ call on the expressions of this church and other related ministries and organizations to advocate for system reform;

+ encourage ELCA congregations to work with victims, victim advocates and victim support organizations to grow in sensitivity and response to the harm caused by crime and to grow in awareness to restorative justice practices;

+ hold in prayer the ministry of ELCA chaplains and pastors serving in all correctional facilities or serving with law enforcement agencies and to support prison ministry;

+ develop additional liturgical resources for those involved in the criminal justice system;

+ direct ELCA advocacy ministries to coordinate efforts to develop a social investment screen on private prison operations;

+ encourage congregations to consider becoming sites of ministry and action for the incarcerated and their families;

Floor debate was vigorous, but not so much against the Social Statement as to how to be more actively engaged. For example, an amendment was offered in the above implementation resolution to replace “to consider becoming sites” with “to intentionally becoming” noting that in most congregations “we already have” people who are or who have been incarcerated and their families.

“We are a church of the resurrection.  We are rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, his life, death, and resurrection,” said David Swartling, ELCA secretary. “We also are a church of the reformation. And the reformation is not only an historical event; it is an ongoing process…We are a church of reconciliation.  The theme of the assembly was “Always being made new.”

Over the past 25 years, the ELCA has adopted 11 Social Statements.

Separately, the assembly voted (828 to 40) to advocate for the adoption of comprehensive immigration reform legislation that supports an earned pathway to lawful permanent residency and eventual citizenship; ensure humane and just enforcement of U.S. immigration laws; protect families from separation; provide resources and protections to ensure the successful integration of refugees, asylees, survivors of torture and trafficking, unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable migrants; and to ensure the protection of U.S. citizens and migrant workers

Addressing community violence, with a 834 to 41 vote, the assembly moved to encourage ELCA members, consistent with their bound consciences, to contact their elected officials and advocate for passage of legislation that promotes universal background checks, prevents gun trafficking and requires the reporting of lost or stolen guns to law enforcement so that violence in our communities might decrease. In its action, voting members also moved to lift up the ELCA social messages on suicide prevention, community violence, and mental health and to call upon congregations and synods to engage their members on ways to prevent suicide.

With an 812-45 vote the ELCA committed itself to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and took measures to ensure that commitment through awareness-building, accompaniment and advocacy.

The 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved nearly unanimously to continue the Book of Faith initiative which empowers its 4 million members for deep biblical engagement that approaches the Bible as the written Word of God using a variety of methods so that they become fluent in the first language of faith – the language of Scripture – and to be renewed for lives of witness and service.

I conclude this blog with the news which is dear to my own heart. For the first time, the ELCA will have a woman leading the church body.

The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, bishop of the ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod, was elected ELCA Presiding Bishop succeeding Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson.  

 

 

 

Towards Full Partnership: The Election of Elizabeth Eaton as Presiding Bishop of the ELCA

After the first round of synodical elections after the formation of the “New” Lutheran church in January of 1988, there were no women Lutheran bishops. I was one of three speakers at the first Conference of Bishops and told those 65 men having only male bishops was dangerous. Slowly, oh, so slowly things have changed. And yesterday, we moved one more step toward the full partnership of women and men in our church body at the biennial churchwide assembly. We saw standing together current Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and Presiding Bishop Elect Elizabeth Eaton after her election and we heard in their statements immediately following collegiality beyond competition. And we saw mutual affection and respect when Bishop Hanson introduced Bishop Eaton at her news conference later that day.

Wartburg is represented at the churchwide assembly by President Stan Olson, faculty member Prof. Sam Giere and by a significant number of students who are voting members as well as by alumni and friends.  President Olson immediately informed the Wartburg community electronically of the election: “Pr. Elizabeth Eaton, Bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod, is the Presiding Bishop Elect for the ELCA. Let us give thanks for her servant leadership to come and give thanks for the servant leadership of Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson.”

Elected on the fifth ballot, Eaton received 600 votes, Hanson 287; 445 votes were needed of the 889 cast. Dr. Giere commented: “The final ballot went decidedly in her favor (approx. 2/3) It hasn't gone unobserved among us at the seminary representatives' table that the theme ‘Always Being Made New’ is being blown into reality by the Spirit.  In her acceptance she acknowledged the witness and work of those women who came before her including in particular April Ulring Larson as the first female bishop in the ELCA. . . . It is important to note the image of the assembly's work since the preparation for the third ballot when candidates began to address the gathering: three women and one man.  Not to suggest that all things are equal in this church, but there is a profound symbolism in the final four candidates for presiding bishop standing together with the names Ann, Mark, Jessica, and Elizabeth.  Last (for now) but not least, ELCA vice-president, Carlos Peña, announced the election of our new presiding bishop.”

Presiding Bishop Elect Elizabeth A. Eaton said, “We are a church that is overwhelmingly European in a culture that is increasingly pluralistic. We need to welcome the gifts of those who come from different places, that is a conversation we need to have as a church.”

Prior to becoming a bishop. Eaton served as pastor in Ohio. She has a M.Div. degree from Harvard Divinity School.

Representational principles adopted at the time the ELCA began in 1988, 25 years ago, assured equal representation of women and men on boards and commissions and at synodical and churchwide assemblies, changing the nature of such gatherings tremendously.

Things had already changed at Wartburg Seminary and by 1990 Professor Elizabeth Leeper was installed as Assistant Professor of Church History, bringing the number of women professors at Wartburg to four (the other three being Norma Cook Everist, Anne Marie Neuchterlein, and Patti Jung), plus two more serving as instructors in biblical language (May Persaud and Cindy Smith).

Changes in the path toward male and female partnership in regard to bishops as recorded in our Wartburg Seminary Persistent Voice networking newsletter:

Spring 1992 The Persistent Voice (PV): “Marie Jesper, 47-year-old minister in Hamburg, Germany has become the first woman ever elected a Lutheran bishop. When she was consecrated as spiritual leader of the 950,000 Lutherans who make up 60% of the population of Hamburg and more than 90% of the Protestants, she said, “I read and interpret the Bible with my experience as a woman. I want to be a sister among sisters and brothers.”

Summer 1992 PV: “Bishop-Elect April Ulring Larson will be installed October 11 in LaCrosse, WI, as bishop of the LaCrosse Area Synod of the ELCA. Rev. Larson, a 1977 graduate of Wartburg Seminary, was elected June 12 on the fifth ballot, the first woman elected bishop in the ELCA.” PV: “She will bring to the office a quiet wisdom, compassion and ability to listen. She has a strong commitment to justice and good skills in helping congregations resolve conflict.”

Summer 1995 PV: “The Rev. Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl will be installed as bishop of the South Dakota Synod of the ELCA Sept. 24 on the campus of Augustana College. She was elected June 2 on the third ballot. In a phone interview she said, ‘God has worked such a miracle in my heart and life by this experience.’” Although she had been a candidate in Western North Dakota before, this was the first time South Dakota had a woman as a candidate. She is a 1977 graduate of Wartburg Seminary.

One might have thought the rate of change would then increase; however according to The Lutheran (August 2013) from 1988-2012, the total number of female bishops among all the 65 synods over the 25 years had been only 12.

Spring, 2008 PV covered the story of the election of Rev. Susan Johnson as the new National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), September 29, 2007, in Winnipeg. Because two of the five synodical bishops at that time were women, that brought the total to ½ male and ½ female. Bishop Johnson said in an interview with PV, “I think we take a fair amount of pride in that accomplishment.  Does it mean we have conquered all gender issues? No, but it’s a visible witness to people that we are committed to full equality in the church.”

(One thing National Bishop Johnson and Bishop Eaton have in common, besides their gender? Susan was a high school music teacher before she entered seminary and Elizabeth’s undergraduate degree is in music education.)

At the press conference, following the churchwide election August 14 Bishop Hanson introduced Bishop Eaton as “My Colleague,” and Bishop Eaton said that all of Bishop Hanson’s work toward making the ELCA a more inclusive church had led to this moment of her election. She gave thanks for his leadership over the past 12 tumultuous years in the ELCA, referring in part to the 2009 churchwide decision on sexuality, noting also that no bishop resigned after that decision.

Bishop Eaton emphasized that the ELCA is a place where people hear the Gospel, “upon which we can all agree,” which has made this an inclusive church.

Ann Rogers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette asked, “During your remarks you stated the importance of including the voices of those who had difficulty with 2009 decisions. How do you propose going about this?” Bp. Eaton: “This is one of the geniuses of the Lutheran movement—we thrive on paradox. As long as we agree on the cross of Christ, we can live together. If people believe they are being heard and there is a place for them, we will be OK.”

She was questioned by another reporter about the relationship going forward with the two break-away new Lutheran church groups. (NALC and LCMC) Bishop Eaton responded, “In baptism we are brothers and sisters in Christ,” but added that much work will need to be done before we can have a dialog because there has been much pain. “We will do what we can through God’s grace.”

With wisdom and wit, Bishop Eaton gave brief, clear answers to the questions of reporters both in the room in Pittsburgh and connected on the web. A reporter from the Chicago Tribune, who had covered the papal election, posed a question relating Eaton’s election to the election of the new pope in Rome, asking if she had a “room of tears” as the new pope had. Eaton said with a slight smile on her face, “Oh, this was just like that.”  She went on, “We have nothing like that, no frescoes. I did weep at worship this morning.” The reporter had asked about her family. Bishop Eaton noted the presence of her husband, the Rev. Conrad Selnick, an Episcopalian priest, and spoke of their two daughters, now in their 20’s.

Asked what she thought the ELCA would look like in 5 or 6 years, she answered, “God only knows,” adding that we need to make space for those coming in while continuing to honor our heritage. She ended the press conference eloquently speaking about the need for the distinctive voice of the ELCA and Lutheranism in the current American religious landscape, not to be subsumed under Christian Protestantism or deism or the religion of popular culture, but a faith of the cross and resurrection in which true joy and freedom can be found.

One Teacher, One Book, One Pen, Can Change the World

The Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot by the Taliban for attending classes, July 12 addressed hundreds of young people at the United Nations, urging them and world leaders to work towards free education for all girls and boys in every nation in the world.  She spoke in the name of the world’s religions calling for peace, education, and equality.

“Let us pick up our books and our pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One teacher, one book, one pen, can change the world,” Ms. Yousafzai said, in an impassioned address.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had named July 12 – Ms. Yousafzai’s 16th birthday – ‘Malala Day’ in honor of her heroic stand to ensure education for all. The meeting, which featured nearly 1,000 youth leaders, was addressed by former United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in his capacity as UN Special Envoy for Global Education.

 One teacher, one book, one pen, can change the world.

Malala, who was shot in the forehead and face, told the gathering that the Taliban’s attack on her nine months ago changed nothing in her life, except that “weakness, fear and hopelessness died.”

“The extremists were, and they are, afraid of books and pens,” she said. “The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women.” She urged worldwide action against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism.

This call to action was delivered just as the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO) Education for All Global Monitoring Report, launched a new policy paper spotlighting that globally, the number of children not allowed or able to attend school has fallen from 60 million in 2008 to 57 million in 2011. However, 28 million children out of school live in the world’s conflict zones, and more than half of those are women and girls.

Watch the video of her inspiring speech at this U.N. website:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45395&Cr=education&Cr1=#.UeGuF74o6M8

The Assault of Rampant Anti-Abortion Legislation and the ELCA Social Statement

The North Carolina state Senate voted on the Eve of July 4th on a measure that would add more restrictions on abortions. The anti-abortion measures were tacked onto a Sharia law ban even though there is no Sharia Law in the United States. Fear upon fear for the Fourth of July.

“They’re doing it quietly on 4th of July weekend because they’ve seen what’s going on in Texas and know that women will turn out,” Melissa Reed, VP of Public Policy for Planned Parenthood Health Systems said.

The bill requires abortion clinics to meet standards for licensure of ambulatory surgical centers. The bill would also require doctors to be present when women take the oral drug RU486 that can terminate a pregnancy preventing the attachment of a fertilized ovum to the uterine wall.

In Ohio Gov. John Kasich flanked by six men, signed stringent abortion restrictions into law as part of the state's new budget Sunday night. There were no women involved in the final part of the budget process.

The new abortion provisions will make it harder for family planning groups like Planned Parenthood to receive federal funding. The bill requires doctors to perform ultrasounds whether medically needed or not.

One provision prevents abortion clinics from having written transfer agreements with public hospitals. Ohio requires surgical abortion providers to have such transfer agreements so that the clinic can easily transport a patient to the closest hospital if needed. By preventing clinics from having those agreements, the bill would effectively force many to close.  

Ohio's new abortion restrictions came just days after state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Texas, successfully filibustered proposed anti-abortion regulations in her state. But those regulations were back on the table this week as Texas began a special legislative session, and Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, has vowed that this time, "it will become law." He is determined to win! Five other states, Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Kansas and South Dakota, have quietly passed GOP-sponsored abortion legislation that takes effect this week.

So what does the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Social Statement on Abortion say? (It was adopted by more than a two-thirds majority vote at the second biennial Churchwide Assembly in 1991.)

“Because of our conviction that both the life of the woman and the life in her womb must be respected by law, this church opposes:

• the total lack of regulation of abortion;
• legislation that would outlaw abortion in all circumstances;
• laws that prevent access to information about all options available to women faced with unintended pregnancies;
• laws that deny access to safe and affordable services for morally justifiable abortions;
• mandatory or coerced abortion or sterilization;
• laws that prevent couples from practicing contraception;
• laws that are primarily intended to harass those contemplating or deciding for an abortion.”

This relentless battle advancing like wild fire in legislatures across the states is fueled by fear. One man said, “Abortion is a stain on the fabric of our nation. Our country can be healed. … In God’s timing, it will happen if we remain faithful.” This relentless “battle” seems to have less and less to do with children, or even with birth. The entanglement of faith and freedom and fear on this Fourth of July rings with emotion.  But what is the fear? And where is the concern for hungry children? And gun violence? And a nation that imprisons more of its people than any other? The ELCA’s  Social Statement does not see abortion as the highest or only sin on which we should focus: “Sin is evident in the many ways human lives are not given equal respect or treated with high value, but are subject to abuse, violence, and neglect by individuals, groups, and entire societies.”

No woman seeks to have an abortion because it’s a great experience. ELCA Social Statement: “Abortion ought to be an option only of last resort. Therefore, as a church we seek to reduce the need to turn to abortion as the answer to unintended pregnancies. Abortion ought to be an option only of last resort. Therefore, as a church we seek to reduce the need to turn to abortion as the answer to unintended pregnancies.”

The ELCA Statement also says, “The concern for both the life of the woman and the developing life in her womb expresses a common commitment to life. This requires that we move beyond the usual "pro-life" versus "pro-choice" language in discussing abortion.”

And, “We are moved particularly by the anguish of women who face unwanted pregnancies alone. The panic and isolation of such pregnancies, even in the best of circumstances, can be traumatic. Poverty, lack of supportive relationships, immaturity, oppressive social realities, sexism, and racism can intensify her sense of powerlessness.”

This ELCA Social Statement, adopted over 20 years ago is as valid today as then, and valuable, needed, in the public conversation, particularly given the assault of anti-abortion legislation sweeping across the nation from state to state. What is the fear? Why is Governor Perry determined to “win”? Do the primarily white male legislators fear losing control? Losing political contributions? Do men fear losing out to women who really do need freedom for health care of their own bodies?

 The radical nature of forced vaginal ultrasounds becomes a weapon to “win a war.” But what war? And who is the enemy? I am a woman of faith who cherishes birth and children and this nation. And I am afraid of the fear that would violate and victimize women and children.

There have been a few legislative initiatives to require equal restrictions upon men’s bodies and sexual freedoms, but most have been received in jest. Seriously, conception needs both sperm and egg.  What if across this nation, state by state, we worked together for responsible, loving, caring conception?  Instead, deeply rooted fear has manifest itself in erroneous information that a woman’s body somehow “takes care of the situation” in the case of rape. Legislation rules to punish the incest and rape victim with little mention of legislation to punish those who rape or perpetrate incest.  Men who have sex outside of monogamous marriage are also a danger. Where are the advertisements with that warning alongside those that boost testosterone?

The ELCA Social Statement on Abortion: “A woman should not be morally obligated to carry the resulting pregnancy to term if the pregnancy occurs when both parties do not participate willingly in sexual intercourse. This is especially true in cases of rape and incest. This can also be the case in some situations in which women are so dominated and oppressed that they have no choice regarding sexual intercourse and little access to contraceptives. Some conceptions occur under dehumanizing conditions that are contrary to God's purposes.”

What would it mean to promote sex education for young men and women that is accurate and positive and includes the faith foundations of all, not just some people on the religious right?

The ELCA Social Statement on Abortion: “Marriage is the appropriate context for sexual intercourse. This continues to be the position of this church. We affirm that the goodness of sexual intercourse goes beyond its procreative purpose. Whenever sexual intercourse occurs apart from the intent to conceive, the use of contraceptives is the responsibility of the man and of the woman”.

And: “Our congregations and church schools ought to provide sex education in the context of the Christian faith. Such education, beginning in the elementary years, needs to emphasize values such as responsibility, mutuality, and abstinence from sexual intercourse outside of marriage. Parents should also be prepared to teach sexual responsibility to their children in the home. It is especially important that young men and young women be taught to exercise their sexuality responsibly.

And: “Because this church recognizes parenthood as a vocation that women and men share, we should encourage and educate males, from an early age, to assume more responsibility for raising children. Congregations should provide parenting classes and support groups for fathers and for mothers.”


And, “Greater social responsibility for the care, welfare, and education of children and families is needed through such measures as access to quality, affordable health care, child care, and housing. Sufficient income support for family’s needs to be provided by employers, or, in the case of the unemployed, through government assistance. As a society we need to provide increased support for education, nutrition, and services that protect children from abuse and neglect.”

And, “Because parenthood is a vocation that women and men share, this church supports public and private initiatives to provide adequate maternity and paternity leaves, greater flexibility in the work place, and efforts to correct the disparity between the incomes of men and women.”

The Supreme Court Rulings handed down last week were diverse in content and outcome; however one could find a connecting theme of freedom and fear in them as well. Striking down the heart of the Voting Rights Bill of the Civil Rights Movement has huge implications.  Voter Suppression is on the rise. Why fear the freedom of all to vote?

Concerning Marriage Equality, there was the fear that marriage of LGBT people would diminish marriages of heterosexual people.  Heterosexual people do not need to be afraid of Gay and Lesbian people.

So what is the fear on this Fourth of July? Fear that if all people, of every color, ethnicity and creed vote, Caucasians will have less power? Fear that if women have access to health care and choice and become full partners with men, men will somehow have less control, less power?

Freedom for some needs to mean freedom for all. Of that we need not be afraid. Planned Parenthood, planned partnership. Freedom from fear.

The Seasons Change: Control and Climate Change

The summer solstice arrives and it is very green here in Dubuque.  The seasons change; we cannot control the rotation of the earth or its revolution around the sun.  Climate changes; we have been agents of that change, often thereby controlling other people’s lives.

I love the long days.  My friends in Namibia and Australia have the darkest days of the year now.

I love the green where I live, but why is it so green here and not elsewhere and at whose expense is my enjoyment and prosperity? Am I simply “more blessed” because I live where land is fertile and water is plenty, at least most years?  Oh, we live with danger here in the Upper Midwestern United States, too. We had a drought last year. And a week ago Wednesday evening we went to our “safe place” twice at the sound of the tornado warning sirens. But my question this beautiful green, long summer day is, “What do I think and believe about who changes the seasons and about our responsibility in regard to the control of change we do have?” And how does that compel me to act?

Mother Nature: I don’t know who this “Mother Nature” is today. Historically and pre-historically images of mother and goddess focused on the life-giving aspects of nature. Today the concept is more elusive and “she” is more often blamed than respected.

“Luck”:  Likewise I don’t know who “Luck” is, but an awful lot of people believe in it.  For some, it is their only guide and compass.  But a chancy guide at best.  Belief in Luck may help some people give reason to the unfathomable, but it fails to lead to responsible action of planning and prevention in regard to the needs of the earth.

A God of Personal Protection:  “The Lord protected me.”  And not my neighbor?  Immediate feelings of relief are understandable and gratitude toward one’s God wonderful, but concern for the welfare of the neighbor is also at the heart Christianity and the other major world religions as well.  When one rests one’s belief on a God who “protects (only) me,” survivor guilt can set in. What do we do with the reality that one is taken and another spared? And when one’s family or house was not protected? Does one  blame or turn away from God?  And what about the need for the protection of the earth itself and the role we play in that? Religious leaders and faith communities are called to help their members dig deeper into the profound meanings of having a Protector God.

Studies of religions, anthropology and history reveal many stories of the origin of the earth and humankind. These stories shape one’s own and a whole people’s view of how one’s cares for, cherishes and honors the earth, or dominates, disregards and abuses it. For those of us whose creation story rests in Genesis, the interpretation of Scripture is crucial, (and not just how long a “day” was). 

Creation for Domination: Some Christians interpret Scripture believing that human beings were created as special among all the creatures of the earth, with a calling to dominate the earth.  This interpretation can lead to a presumptive attitude that it is, “our God-given right” to do what serves human beings, even to use up the earth because heaven awaits as a “better place.”

Creation for Stewardship:  The interpretation I and the church body to which I belong holds, places the emphases on being stewards of the earth. We are called to care for creation, preserving the earth for all its creatures, vegetation, land and waters, not just for human beings, including not only for this generation but for all generations to come.

American Exceptionalism: This, too, is a belief system, a powerful one, that contends the United States is the “greatest nation on earth,” and also “exceptional,” with special rights and privileges.  This thinking, explicitly or implicitly, states that this country can expect others to conserve resources while at the same time using way more than our share.

Regional exceptionalism:  “I have a right to my good life where I live, but you do not.” This results in a blame-the-victim scenario.  After a large flood, sympathy pours out for a few days, followed shortly by, “They should change where they live: not so close to a river.” When tornados struck Oklahoma City twice in two weeks, dramatic pictures or heroic rescue awed America the first time, but the second time one could hear words of chastisement.   Fill in the blanks for those who live on a sea-shore or in a forested area.

The truth is everyone lives in some danger of some natural disaster at some time.  Climate change has raised the danger for us all, and for some, who have few choices, the increase in danger is much greater. Blaming another or expecting the other to change so I won’t have to, or won’t have to feel bad, avoids collective responsibility.  We are not in complete control but we are agents of change.  It is important for each of us to examine our goals and our gods to see how they shape us and compel or impede our mutual accountability and care for our common earth.

The seasons turn for us all.  

Common Service: A Queen, a Nun, and all of Us

"I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service of our great Imperial family. God help me to keep my vow," said Queen Elizabeth II on her first official state visit so many years ago. This week, 2000 people filled Westminster Abbey in London to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of her coronation June 2, 1953.

A week ago, in East Dubuque, Illinois, population a little less than 2000, Sr. Mary Owen Haggerty was remembered for her years of faithful service. Born in 1927, just a year after Queen Elizabeth, the Sister also served for some sixty years, as part of the Dominican Order of Sinsinawa, WI, within sight of East Dubuque. Hundreds gathered to share memories the night before her funeral, not just nuns, but nieces and nephews and all sorts of people from the Tri-States of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin and as far away as Colorado and Connecticut.

Queen Elizabeth served the Commonwealth.  Sister Mary Owen served the common health. The Queen has served faithfully, consistently, responsibly, day after day, year after year, with modest warmth and wisdom.  So did the Sister. And the world changed around them both.

Sister Mary Owen took her vows before Vatican II. Her church, her religious order, its form of governance, her garb all changed. But her arenas of service only grew. About 25 years ago, in her early 60’s, while attending a Rural Ministry Conference here at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Sr. Mary Owen approached Pastor Burton Everist of Grace Lutheran Church in East Dubuque and asked him if she could be his parish health nurse.  She writes in the book Ordinary Ministry: Extraordinary Challenge, (Everist, Abingdon, 2000) that she had offered her services two different times to Roman Catholic churches in the area. “I thought I was making them an offer they couldn’t afford to pass up, but they did.”

Pastor Burton Everist did accept and she was called to be parish health minister at Grace Lutheran, where she served for many years. Three years later Wesley Methodist Church in East Dubuque invited her to be their parish health minister, too. She visited people in the hospital, health care facilities and in their homes, providing consultation, support, a listening ear, care, friendship, prayer, and often a piece of Sinsinawa home-made pie. The Lutherans and Methodists would ask if she would stop by and see their Roman Catholic friends (the majority faith group in the area), and so Sister became the de facto parish health minister for all of East Dubuque.  She wrote that she sometimes served as "'minister-in-the-cracks' to those people who are between churches, because I have become acquainted with them in their time of need."

Sister Mary Owen had at one time been nursing director at Rosary College (now Dominican University) in River Forest, Illinois, had served with Hospice of Spokane, Spokane, Washington, and loved her frequent trips to offer health care in Jamaica.

And across the river in Dubuque, Iowa? Here, too, the sister simply served—bread.  One saw her every Saturday morning at the Dubuque Farmers’ Market, (in continuing existence since 1836), selling Sinsinawa bread, and simply talking with people. One might see her when the market opened in the spring asking an elderly man how he was doing, and then taking him aside to talk when he told her his wife had died during the winter. And so she served, day by day, faithfully into her 86^th year. The card with her picture each of us held as we told stories in the Gathering Room at Sinsinawa quoted Meister Eckart, OP: “There’s no such thing as my bread; all bread is ours, and is given through me and to me through others.”

Common health of a community.  A Commonwealth of nations.  Of course one cannot push the comparison too far. But I keep seeing the common faces of these two women and that strengthens me because of what they have “in common,” a deep, faithful commitment to service.  

I know, Elizabeth II is no commoner, but she does now pay taxes like any other British citizen. She took her vow: “The things which I have here before promised, I will perform, and keep,” before many British colonies became independent nations. Her nation, the constitutional monarchy, her church, her garb, her arenas of service have changed, and, if one thinks of power in terms of well-being, I think her service has grown.  

People ask, “Can women have it all?” That is an imposed question which seems to fit neither the queen nor the nun. I think rather the question should be, “Do we have a call?”  And that’s a question for me, too. 

Perhaps these two women touch me in particular because June 5, 1960, 53 years ago this week, I was consecrated as a Lutheran deaconess, vowing a life of faith and service to Christ. Across these decades my life, too, has changed beyond imagining.  Marriage and ministry now possible together. Ordination. Becoming a pastor and then a professor and writer. But the commitment to faith and service remains the same, just with broader arenas.

The Queen and the nun: Service, commitment.  In each of their lives and ours there are pressures and challenges, suffering, and joy, all of it, yes, all of it. The calling takes us further and further out into the world, whether across oceans or the Mississippi River, to reach out across borders and boundaries and to be drawn close by those we love.

God Doesn't Say, "See You Next Fall"

“See you next fall,” one church member says to another at the end of May.  After all, the summer season is beginning.  The expectation is that many pews will be empty as people leave for vacation.  People often live down to our expectations.

Not unlike expecting a half-full church the week after Christmas or Easter.  Perhaps it is not the same in Judaism or Islam the week after a high holy day or during the summer season.  I cannot authoritatively speak to that. But I do know that in none of the world’s great religions do I hear of God taking the summer off.  So why do we?

Lest I be misunderstood, I have nothing against vacations! Everyone, including clergy, paid and volunteer staff, needs vacation time. We have a God of Sabbath rest.  And a God of the mountains, lakes and sky.  The Creator God re-creates us through recreation.

But God doesn’t say, “See you next fall.”  And thank God for that, because although people need a break from routine, think what it would be like to have a God absent from our lives, from the world, for three months.  During the summer, people will have joys to share with their faith community, discernments to make, suffering to endure, grief to bear.    Babies will be born and people will die, perhaps some suddenly, shockingly.  We will need each other. We need to worship together, to hear words from a holy book, places to talk about the ordinary and unimaginable happenings in the world, a faith community with whom to pray.

Many congregations provide creative ways to carry out education and worship: alternative times of the week, outdoor services, family vacation Bible Schools, multigenerational learning opportunities, service trips, mission projects.   I trust these alternatives will be offered not out of frustration, but joyful expectation. We need to expect each other to come. And someone might just come for the first time.

Kevin, a single father, brought his three-year-old daughter to church one summer Sunday.  Although unaccustomed to weekly worship, she participated fully in listening, singing, and praying.  Kevin asked afterwards about Christian education for her. He was told to come back in the fall when things would start again.  

I need to see you this summer.  You need to see me.  Company in town? Bring them along! Our joy will be complete.  God doesn’t take a vacation from us.  Thank God.

Pentecost, Power and the Invisible War

It is hard to relinquish power once you have it, particularly when it is unlimited and unquestioned power.  President Obama Thursday acknowledged both the helpfulness, even necessity, of having the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) law. He also questioned it, noting the danger of continuing to have a law with such unlimited and far-reaching power.

On the other hand, having unlimited power and license to rape within the military system until recently was not questioned. The sexual crime of rape is all about power. The Independent Lens film, “The Invisible War,” shows the culture of privilege, power and impunity within the U.S. military. The U.S. Department of Defense in its recently released 2012 report showed that 26,000 women and men were sexually assaulted last year, a 35% increase from 2011.  It is not about men and women in close proximity or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is about domination, the unquestioned right of some men to dominate and overpower women and men they assume they can. And it is about being able to retain that power.  Rape and war have long been intrinsically intertwined.

Strange, isn’t it, that women entering the military, particularly in combat zones, was projected as being a danger to military men’s morale and ability to fight.  Likewise, fighting side by side with gays would supposedly weaken the strength of what was thought to be a heterosexual male military. It turns out women were not dangerous. They were in danger of being sexually assaulted by the very men they were told they would demoralize. And the real danger was to LGBT people themselves.  And the silent torture of thousands of straight men has been that they, too, have been sexually assaulted.  It is all about domination.

On Memorial Day weekend we honor those who have died in war. How do we honor them without glorifying war itself? We honor them by remembering their lives, their dedication, and their service.  And we honor them by being honorable ourselves and by helping contribute to creating and sustaining our military culture as an honorable place to serve, a place where people honor each other’s personhood and body.

President Obama addressed difficult topics in his major policy speech on Thursday including terrorism, the use of drones and closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay. The latter is an elusive goal, complicated by Congress. As expected, however, disproportionate news coverage was given to the one woman in the crowd who called out her passionate views on Gitmo. Reports said things like, “Protestors repeatedly interrupted. . . .” (there was one person and one incident) or, “President is speechless for 30 seconds when. .  . .” Actually President Obama remained in calm control without being drawn into either anger or argument. He was patient, not powerless, and then simply went off-script to give an even a finer explanation of his position.

Obama did not so much defend his use of drones on the basis of his power to do so, as deliver rubrics in their use. He said it is clear their use is effective and legal. But, he added, their use must also be wise and moral. 

Think about those words in terms of any use of power. In terms of the invisible war within the military, sexual assault and rape is effective in retaining male dominance, and in keeping power within the hands of the most powerful.  And it has mostly not been judged illegal. Changing that will be a huge challenge, but one taken on by  Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) whose  bipartisan legislation has the support of Senators Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Susan Collins (R-Maine). It places the reporting and decision making for cases of sexual assault in the hands of a trained military prosecutor instead of with the commanding officer.

What about wisdom and morality? Victims of rape in the military have been continually victimized after the assaults. They have no power, most often receive no justice, and are often denied medical treatment. They have faced loss of their careers, PTSD, even suicide.  They, even if single, were accused of adultery, while their married assailants were not.

“The Invisible War” documentary stated that 33% of servicewomen did not report their rape because the person to whom they had to report was a friend of the rapist.  Twenty-five percent did not report because the person to whom they had to report was their rapist.

When interviewed, a person higher in the chain of command said they had alternatives such as to go to their congressional representative, to which a victim responded, “Who in the civilian culture when raped is told to go to their congressperson?”

Of the victims interviewed, their assailants retained careers and license to continue to perpetrate sexual domination. One was promoted to lieutenant. Another was named “Airman of the Year” during the time his victim’s rape was being investigated. Another is now a supervisor in a major U.S. corporation and there sexually assaulted a female employee.

It is hard to relinquish power once you have it.

The season of Pentecost has just begun. The Christ who relinquished power on the cross now lives eternally. Christianity is about morality, but also so much more.  It is about becoming again the Body of Christ in the world during this Pentecost Season.

On Memorial Day Weekend we honor bodies who have died and honor the bodies of women and men who live. We respect sexuality and see Jesus in one another, not that we might dominate and abuse, but so that we might respect, love and live together in all kinds of service.

We are not God. Only God has unlimited power. Christ chose to empty himself, taking the form of a servant, relinquishing power.  The Spirit’s power is unlimited. When you have more, I do not have less. Together we each have more, for the sake of peace and justice.  I do not need to kill, dominate or abuse you. The Holy Spirit empowers us all to claim resurrection power in order to share it.