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FEATURE: How Is the Church Called to Counter Empire? LWF Publication Develops Theological Insights to Resist the Domination of Empire Today
SAN DIEGO, California, USA/GENEVA, 5 December 2007 (LWI) - The venue and host of their meeting was strategic - a downtown congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) surrounded by corporate high-rise buildings that symbolize *empire, but gathering, around a meal prepared by a formerly homeless person who currently feeds the poor, elderly and those without shelter.
The group comprising seven authors of a recently published book of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) gathered on 16 November at the First Lutheran Church in San Diego, California's second largest city, and United States' eighth largest. The city of 1.3 million people largely reflects a military-industrial complex of empire, with an economy largely composed of electronics and defense-related manufacturing, telecommunications and tourism, among others.
The ELCA congregation has a 115-year history in downtown San Diego, with a ministry that is well known for its service to the city's poor and homeless. Its community outreach activities include free meals and a medical and dental clinic provided by volunteer teams.
After the writers summarized what they had written for the LWF book, "Being the Church in the Midst of Empire: Trinitarian Reflections," the local pastors and Bishop Murray Finck, ELCA Pacifica Synod, began to describe the urgency and relevance of the publication for clergy whether ministering among the military, or among poor immigrants.
As pointed out by Rev. Gloria Espeseth, pastor of Gethsemane Lutheran Church, "Both undocumented immigrants and missile builders are in our congregations. Here (near the US/Mexican border), discussions on immigration often generate more tensions than do those over sexuality."
Some also noted the globalized entertainment industry, long associated with southern California, conveys "all that is wrong with empire, and needs to be critiqued theologically."
The Relevance of Theology
"I'm so glad to see a Lutheran theological book on this topic," commented Rev. George Johnson, a retired ELCA pastor in San Marcos, California. "I've been trying to urge pastors to think theologically about empire. Lutherans are too often co-opted by the culture in which they live." Added Deanna Thompson, one of the book's authors, "yet there is always a theological surplus that is not co-opted. That's what we need to get at."
Contributing author John Hoffmeyer pointed out that "theological thinking helps preserve the independence of the church from special interests. Theology raises questions, rather than necessarily providing answers." One of the pastors noted that "more sermons need to end with questions."
A recently ordained ELCA pastor Rev. Karla Jacobson, who was previously active in the 2000 jubilee debt cancellation initiatives stressed the importance of taking first steps to change things, "with joy, and with hope."
The LWF publication features seven aspects: how empire is entwined in our history and faith, what and where is the church, criteria and power for confessing today, Trinitarian resistance to empire, theology of the cross, the public vocation of the church, and fundamentalism and democracy.
"It was heartening to hear how this group of pastors identified with many of the emphases in the book," commented Rev. Dr Karen Bloomquist, the book's editor, and director of the LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS). The group met prior to the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature in San Diego, where empire is a frequent topic, but usually without attention to its implications for the life of the church.
"Being the Church in the Midst of Empire: Trinitarian Reflec tions" is the first book published in the LWF/DTS Theology in the Life of the Church series. It is available at USD 18 through: Lutheran University Press, P. O. Box 390759 Minneapolis, MN 55439 or publisher@lutheranUpress.org or through DTS.
For further information please contact the LWF Department for Theology and Studies, 150 Route de Ferney, P. O. Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland. Tel. +41 22 791 6111, Fax +41 22 791 6626, or uli@lutheranworld.org (664 words)
* Empire refers to massive concentrations or networks of power that impose order and control through dominant political, economic and cultural institutions, with overpowering and oppressive effects.
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(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140 member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of nearly 66.7 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith 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.]
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