A Gustavus Christmas
For the first time, Gustavus Adol- phus College, St. Peter, Minn., will live stream its annual “Christmas in Christ Chapel” service on Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. (CST). Viewers can only watch the video live (not archived, due to copyright issues) at www.
gustavus.edu/CinCC. Under the theme “Tender Rose, Starry Night,” the college’s 42nd worship service will consider Jesus’ humble birth in light of scientific discoveries about the universe. “The nativity has always been a cosmic story, not just a human one,” said Siri Erickson, the school’s chaplain.
‘Brave Preacher’ Annie Edison-Albright, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Ste- vens Point, Wis., is this year’s Brave Preacher recipient, announced the Beatitudes Society. This year’s theme was violence of poverty and income inequality in the U.S. “I felt called to preach about the extreme prejudice against people living in poverty, par- ticularly attacks aimed at fast food workers striking for an increased minimum wage,” Edison-Albright said, adding that as a privileged pas- tor talking to mostly privileged peo- ple it was a “challenge to prepare and nerve-wracking to deliver.” She will divide the $500 prize between Bread for the World, which trained her as a Hunger Justice Leader, and the food pantry housed at Redeemer.
Unclear on concept A survey finds 16 percent of the Church of England’s licensed minis- ters are unclear about God, and 2 per- cent think God is a human construct. The survey of 1,500 Anglican clergy in England, Scotland and Wales by the international market research agency YouGov suggests the church’s leadership is confused about the
nature—even the very existence—of God. Older clergy were more likely to hold unorthodox beliefs than younger clerics. Nearly 90 percent of those ordained since 2011 believe in God compared with 72 percent of those who became priests in the 1960s.
Bridge-building The Association of Lutherans of Arab and Middle Eastern Heritage held its 10th general assembly Oct. 11-12 in Chicago. Under the theme “From East to West, How Can Arab- American Christians Serve as a Bridge?” more than 50 participants discussed bridge-building, wor- shiped and studied the Bible together. The vision of the association, founded in 1993, is to seek and serve
people whose cultures are rooted in the land of the Bible and early Chris- tianity, to proclaim the gospel among them, and to share the community’s gifts with the ELCA as a whole.
‘Spread hummus’
Jews and Muslims marched through one of Washington, D.C.’s busiest squares in mid-October shouting, “Spread hummus! Not hate!” trying to draw the attention of workers lined up at food trucks. Many in the lunchtime crowd ignored them, but a few joined in to sing “Salaam, Shalom,” a tune with the words for peace in Arabic and Hebrew, or to pen a comment on the side of the “#SpreadHummusNotHate” bus. The one-day tour was designed to counter anti-Islam ads that appeared months ago on city buses.
10 Declaration 20 years old T
wenty years ago the ELCA issued the “Declaration of the ELCA to the Jewish
Community,” acknowledging, rejecting and expressing sorrow over Martin Luther’s anti-Semitic writings. A copy of the 1994 declara-
tion hangs across from Emily D. Soloff ’s desk. She is the Ameri- can Jewish Committee’s national associate director for interreli- gious and intergroup relations. The ELCA declaration, Soloff
said, “represents the fruit of the hard work of dialogue when we acknowledge our mistakes and declare ourselves ready for new understandings and relationship. It is not enough to regret the past. Today’s challenge is to recommit to authentic partnership.” Kathryn Lohre, ELCA direc- tor for ecumenical and inter-
religious relations, said the 20th anniversary of the declaration “is an opportunity for us to remem- ber our commitment to building ‘cooperation and understand- ing between Lutheran Christians and the Jewish community.’ It is also an occasion for us to renew our resolve as we seek to confront today’s global rising tide of ‘anti- Semitism as a contradiction and an affront to the gospel, a violation of our hope and calling.’ “The declaration has called the
church into a continual process that does not end by simply reject- ing that in our history which is shameful, but that challenges us to live into a reconciled future by reaching out in right relationship to our Jewish sisters and brothers.” To read the document, search for it by title at
www.elca.org.
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