wfn.org | LWF Council 03-2005 LWF President Hanson Asks Church to Stand

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

LWF President Hanson Asks the Church to Stand with the Suffering 
Call for Peace and Justice as a Prelude to Reconciliation

PRESS RELEASE N0. 03-2005

LWF Council Meeting in Jerusalem/Bethlehem, 
31 August * 6 September 2005

JERUSALEM/BETHLEHEM, 31 August 2005 (LWI) * "We have come to
Bethlehem to listen, to witness, to challenge and to pray for a lasting
and just peace," the President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)
Bishop Mark S. Hanson told participants in this year's LWF Council
Meeting being hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and
the Holy Land (ELCJHL).

Presenting the President's Address to the annual LWF governing body,
Hanson, who is also Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) reminded the LWF Council participants from all over
the world that they were in the region to also witness the faithful and
powerful testimony of the ELCJHL Christians and to share the people's
cry.

"May the cries for peace and justice provoke confession, repentance
and become a prelude to reconciliation," Hanson said in his address
before some 170 participants. "The Church: Called to a Ministry of
Reconciliation" is the theme of the 31 August * 6 September meeting,
taking place at the ELCJHL's International Center Bethlehem.

The LWF President noted that the ministry of reconciliation begins and
is renewed as the assembly gathers in Christ around the means of grace
on behalf of the whole creation. "Therefore, we are so bold as to
claim there is joy and celebration in the ministry of reconciliation.
May we as the LWF Council experience that joy as we renew our commitment
to a ministry of reconciliation for Jerusalem and to the ends of the
earth."

New Way of Describing the Reality of Suffering in the Middle East

Hanson referred to US theologian Dr Cynthia Moe-Lobeda in her book
Public Church for the Life of the World, and her critical questions
therein about discerning God. He called the LWF Council members to a new
"Christian discernment" that would make it possible to perceive and
describe the world in a new way. This was particularly necessary where
dominant forces distort historical realities by describing them falsely.

He expressed hope that participation in this year's meeting should
enable those taking part to start re-describing the reality of suffering
in the Middle East. This would make it possible to understand more
clearly the complexity of problems involved and "the imperative for an
independent, viable Palestinian state living side-by-side in peace with
a secure Israeli state," he said.

Hanson stressed the importance of continued efforts by the LWF in
creating "channels for hearing" those who do not wield power
especially the outcasts, suspects, those who are abused, the powerless
and the oppressed, whether they are within the Lutheran communion or
from without.

Commitment to Eucharistic Hospitality

Referring to worldwide ecumenism, Hanson raised the issue question as
to how the  LWF should respond to Pope Benedict XVI's commitment to
Christian unity, and whether it was possible to build upon the Joint
Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) together so that
that it remained a living letter. An important aspect in this context
led Hanson to question how LWF member churches could continue to
manifest their commitment to eucharistic hospitality and sharing with
the Roman Catholic Church without minimizing the theological issues that
remain. He wondered whether the year 2017 and the 500th anniversary of
the Lutheran Reformation could provide an opportunity for shared
reflection with Roman Catholics on joint contributions and commitment to
the unity of Christ's church and to global work for justice and
peace.

Global Ecumenical Council on Christian Interpretation of Scripture

The LWF President referred to a suggestion made by the President of the
Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa/USA, Dr Duane Larson,
that the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican and
Lutheran communions and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
convene a global, ecumenical council on the Christian interpretation of
scripture. 

He pointed to an article by Larson in the Dialog magazine, in which the
theologian had expressed the opinion that Christianity was in the midst
of a global identity crisis, which in his opinion stemmed from not
having ecumenically addressed questions about the interpretation and
authority of scripture. Hanson proposed that Larson's suggestion for a
global ecumenical council should be discussed in the context of the
current LWF Council meeting.

Proclaiming the Gospel in the Interest of Reconciliation

Hanson cited some of the challenges he encounters during his travels as
LWF president. He spoke of hearing about the frustration and conflict
created when evangelists preach a prosperity gospel "that promises
financial gain and success to those who follow these leaders." In the
USA where a consumer driven culture values a privatized spirituality and
demands a "feel good" religion, there is great pressure on pastors
and congregations to get their "market share" of members by
"offering some gospel other than the radical good news of God's
reconciliation and forgiveness by God's grace through faith for
Jesus' sake," he said.

Concerning his travels to Central America and West Africa, Hanson
mentioned how he witnessed LWF members engaging in truth telling for the
sake of reconciliation. Central American Lutherans had spoken the truth
regarding those who benefited or did not gain anything from the peace
accords in El Salvador and from free trade agreements. Liberian and
Sierra Leonean Lutherans described the painful truth of the horrific
cost of extended civil war. Hanson stressed that the truth about
violence and exploitations had become the context for broad interfaith
initiatives seeking human rights, justice, and lasting peace.

A ministry of reconciliation, the LWF President stressed, begins in
Word and Sacrament and leads to a critical analysis of power within the
communion. For Hanson, the question remained whether the communion of
Lutheran churches felt it was being called to continued conversation
regarding commitment to the ordination of women and to women in
positions of leadership. 

A ministry of reconciliation in the LWF, he said, is reflected in
relationships of accompaniment, and not by domination. (989 words)

*	*	*

There are around 170 participants in this year's Council meeting,
including representatives from the LWF member churches on the 49-member
governing body. Also attending are officials from LWF partner
organizations, invited guests, stewards, interpreters and translators,
and LWF staff. The Council is the annual governing body meeting between
Assemblies held every six years. The current Council was appointed at
the July 2003 Tenth Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada. It comprises the
President, Treasurer and 48 persons elected by the Assembly. Other
members include advisors, who are ordained and lay persons representing
the different LWF regions. 

During the Council Meeting, the LWF Office for Communication Services
can be reached at mobile telephone No. +52 378 1673 

*	*	*

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138
member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a total
membership of nearly 66 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith
relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights,
communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.
Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the
dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be
freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

Pauline Mumia
Editor - English
The Lutheran World Federation
Office for Communication Services
150, route de Ferney
P. O. Box 2100
CH-1211 Geneva 2
SWITZERLAND

Telephone   +41 22 791 61 11
Direct Line   +41 22 791 63 54
Telefax        +41 22 791 66 30
E-mail		pmu@lutheranworld.org