On the Current Financial Crisis: From the Conference of Bishops

Almighty God, ...teach us how to govern the ways of business

to the harm of none and for the sake of the common good;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 78 )

Grace and peace to you.

As bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we are deeply concerned about the current financial crisis, which is affecting not only our nation but the entire global economy. This crisis is causing fear and loss in our country as thousands of families face unemployment, foreclosure, and uncertainty about savings and pensions. Meanwhile, they struggle to put food on the table and gas into their cars. The future is uncertain for all of us, but it is especially frightening for those who are already vulnerable and struggling to survive. We offer our prayers for those whose lives are being affected and for our national leaders as they seek to address this complex matter.

We call on all people in our own communities of faith and those from every segment of our society who seek the health of our nation to join in conversation and prayer about our collective economic life, our financial behaviors, and the interconnectedness of all life and creation that cries out to be reclaimed.

This church has addressed the issues surrounding economic life in its social statement, “Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All", and we encourage the use of this statement as a way to understand more fully how the following theological and biblical principles are central as we respond to this situation.

Concern for People in Poverty
The constitution of the ELCA calls this church to serve by “standing with the poor and powerless and committing itself to their needs.” (ELCA 4.02.c.). We are grateful for the pastors and leaders in our congregations who already have stepped forward to care for those who are suffering, and we encourage them to continue this response and to provide leadership in the task of turning our attention to the causes and effects of this crisis. We are called to work toward an economic system that truly serves the common good and especially the needs of the poor. We look for partnership with all those who seek to address this financial crisis in a way that also recognizes the humanitarian issues involved.

Personal and Corporate Responsibility
The ELCA social statement on economic life calls for individuals to live responsibly and within their means and to beware of the dangers of over-consumption and unnecessary accumulation, which draw us beyond authentic need into excess and destructive indebtedness. We call on businesses and corporations of all sizes to consider the social implications of company policies and to practice good stewardship of creation (Genesis 1:26).

The Need for Good Government
We hold and teach that government has an instrumental and constructive role to play in our shared life. This role includes “limiting or countering narrow economic interests and promoting the common good” (“Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All,” p. 11). We call on government to hold corporations and other powerful economic actors accountable for the effects of their practices on workers, communities, and the environment.

The Benefits and Limits of Free Markets
For many people, the current market-based economy has proven to be effective as a system to meet material need, generate wealth, and create opportunity. However, we hold and teach that any economic system should be measured by the degree to which it serves God’s purposes for humankind and creation. Those who have been blessed by the fruits of our economy are called to be generous in giving to those who have lost much and to advocate for accountability and appropriate regulation in this system.

As people of the God who calls us out of fear into hope and community, we welcome all people into widespread and respectful discussion about this current crisis. In this way we can create partnerships that will help those whose lives are being shattered and encourage responsibility and integrity in our national economic life.

As people of faith we pray:

Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ dignified our labor by sharing our toil. Guide us with your justice in the workplace, so that we may never value things above people, or surrender honor to love of gain or lust for power. Prosper all efforts to put an end to work that brings no joy, and teach us how to govern the ways of business to the harm of none and for the sake of the common good; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Conference of Bishops
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
October 7, 2008

Obsession with Extremism

An organization called The Clarion Fund, which describes itself as "an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization devoted to educating the public about national security issues" is currently distributing 28 million copies of the one-hour version of a film entitled, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West." Copies of this DVD are being direct-mailed to individuals and distributed as advertising supplements to newspapers in 13 states including Michigan. (The DVD has been included in the Detroit Free-Press, Flint Journal, Grand Rapids Press and Lansing State Journal.)

We received two copies of the film here at LOL. Deeply concerned about matters of interfaith understanding - especially the portrayal of minority communities - I sat down to view this film. While words fail me, my colleague, Pastor Martin Zimmann - who had previously received the DVD - articulated my feelings in a letter to the editor of the Toledo Blade, which was published on September 19, 2008. I share the the bulk of Marty's letter with his permission:

After viewing the "Obsession" video that came with this morning's Blade, I feel a deep sadness. This film offers up plenty of reasons for people to fear and be hostile to Arabs without offering any practical solutions to our foreign policy dilemmas. If we want to dismantle the message of religious extremism (in all the Abrahamic faiths), it cannot be done by simply showing stylized clips of angry Muslims burning American flags. Certainly, the film pretends to acknowledge peace-loving Muslims, but only gives their voices one-tenth of the air time it spends displaying graphic images of bloody victims and the rants of a radical minority. The solution to our seeming impasse with the Islamic extremists must come through educating ourselves about the complexities of US and British foreign policies that have fomented this tension in the Middle East since the end of the Ottoman Empire after WWI. The solution is not through creating more fear, but offering opportunities for dialogue and understanding across cultures...

The Gallup organization - well known for its facility in political polling - has established the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, " a nonpartisan research center dedicated to providing data-driven analysis, advice, and education on the views of Muslim populations around the world." In March, the Center published Who Speaks for Islam? in which it presented the findings of a multi-year study that included interviews with tens of thousands of Muslims in 35 countries that are Muslim or have significant Muslim populations. Their findings shatter the stereotypes perpetuated by movies like "Obsession." The Center's research reveals what many (but sadly, not enough) of us know from personal experience:

• Muslims criticize or condone nations based on politics rather than religion or culture.
• Muslims around the world are as likely as Americans in general to believe that attacks on civilians are morally unjustified.
• Extremists who condone or carry out acts of terrorism are generally no more religious than the majority that rejects such extremism.
• When asked what they most admire about the West, Muslims elsewhere in the world offer the same answers as Americans: technology and democracy. (See Counterintuitive Discoveries in Who Speaks for Islam?)

Ambassador Carlos Pascual, Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, puts it this way: "Yes, there are extremists and there are extremists who use religion in the name of their extremist cause but it doesn't mean that religion is the driving factor behind their extremism."

Ambassador Pascual's observation was directed at extremists who use Islam "in the name of their extremist cause" but he could have easily been referring to other faith traditions. We seem not to have questioned that Jim Jones, David Koresh and others distorted - perverted - Christianity for their own extremist purposes: domination and control of others. Why, then, is it more difficult for us to recognize the same dynamic at work among extremists who claim to be acting in the name of Islam?

The question, of course, is rhetorical. If we are to understand that "Islamic terrorism" is an oxymoron, we must learn about Islam which values compassion, tolerance and mutual respect. When we act out of fear and anxiety fostered by third-parties rather than first-hand knowledge, we are more likely than not to obliterate the 8th Commandment. Those of us who count ourselves among the disciples of Jesus Christ are called not to bear false witness against our neighbors but to reach out across perceived divisions and to build bridges of understanding that will span the chasms of xenophobia.

We are a church "reformed and always reforming." Let us once again commit ourselves to re-forming the manner in which we understand those whose faith differs from our own. For Christ's sake.

Pastor Sue