I'm married to an ELCA pastor in a fairly small town area. While I understand the Biblical roots of the "radical hospitality" to the alien and reserve judgment on specifics until there is actually policy (no earlier than 2022, apparently), it is increasingly obvious that ELCA churchwide is leaving rural congregations and their pastors out to dry, and they don't seem to care if they become nothing but an urban, liberal church. For one thing, churchwide actions are increasingly felt as hostile to the values of more rural and sometimes more conservative congregations. For another, the churchwide actions do not have any "what does this mean for your congregation" resources. So when this stuff hits the news and everyone asks the pastor "what does this mean" and make rumblings about leaving the congregation over it, it would be nice to have something from churchwide to help pastors talk their flocks off the ledge, so to speak. We have already heard talk of people potentially leaving, and we're not a church that gets 300 people every Sunday with a $500,000 annual budget.
With anything like this, the ELCA should almost immediately have resources available as talking points for pastors, at least before the next Sunday morning. It does no one any good when congregants have serious concerns and the pastor can't give any answers or even any real comfort based in fact.
In short, the large, urban congregations don't seem to have any consideration for the impact of their votes on smaller, rural and generally less liberal congregations. Many of the latter have already left the ELCA, and that marginalizes the remaining smaller and more rural congregations even more, making them feel even more voiceless and as if they don't matter. That is seen in churchwide's focus on four issues -- race, gender, sexuality and immigration -- with almost NO work (at the higher levels) on any other matters of mission or ministry. It's not that I sharply disagree with that ministry -- but it feels like congregations are being bludgeoned with these issues, and only these. Instead of talking about feeding the hungry in our communities, clothing and housing the homeless in our communities, visiting and caring for the sick in our communities -- also core Christian values -- all we hear are the Big Four -- identity issues and immigration (which is also largely an identity issue in practical terms). Yes, identity-based social justice IS a Christian issue, but not the only one. Yet it is all we hear from churchwide and from many synod offices.
That said, if it is like most ELCA policies like this, implementation will be left to the synods and to the congregations themselves. If nothing else the ELCA doesn't generally impose requirements on congregations on matters of conscience-bound theological difference. But if that is the case, it would be nice for churchwide to be able to report this is the case to congregations and pastors.
A lot to that, and yes, it would be good to have more sent out to help, though there is the explicit statement given in the post #1 -- see it in quotes and italicized. But more would be good.
What is 'conservative', in the good, right, true and valuable way? To preserve what is good, and to continue it.
Right?
Then....Christian hospitality to those in need is....well, isn't it what "conservative" truly is?
I'm really asking you, because it's clear to me it's obeying Christ (and totally 'conservative'), but I want to understand and help those that don't see that, just as you've said needs to be done.
We have to keep that in mind -- the actual instructions from God -- and not get distracted by the mere worldly politics surrounding Congress and the current administration. They, those people, are not our Teacher, our Lord. Only Christ is.
Perhaps just this is part of the very message needed: this is not about political stuff. Not even 1%.
So, where in the Bible does it say a nation doesn't have the right to determine who immigrates to their country, and who doesn't?
Does China not have the right to turn away people who might desire to live in that country?
Does Mexico?
Does any country have the right to protect their border and determine how immigration, if any, will be handled in an orderly and legal manner?
Where is this clearly stated in the Bible?
We can't just break any law we might not personally like or agree with.. we can only ignore a law if it's a law forcing our participation in sin, such as a law being made making it illegal to pray to our God, for instance.
The foreigners that come to our land, whether fleeing famine, deadly violence (that has killed many family members already often), or economic collapse, we should treat the way the scripture -- the Bible -- says to treat them.
Right?
Leviticus 19:34 You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
In the New Covenant, we are under this in a more broad perfect form:
Matthew 7:12 In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.
Do you see what's at stake here?
It's nothing less than actual, real Christianity.
We have to keep that in mind, and not get distracted by the mere worldly politics surrounding Congress and the current administration. They, those people, are not our Teacher, our Lord. Only Christ is.
