Our interreligious world What does it mean to be Lutheran, to appreciate Judaism and Islam? We live, as Lutheran Christians, in a pluralistic world where people maintain differing and sometimes conflicting opinions, moral standards, social perspectives, political allegiances and religious fidelities. In historical terms, this richness of differences happened to us almost overnight.  For instance, our grandparents wrote letters that took over a month to travel across an ocean; today, we correspond instantaneously through technologies like e-mail. It should come as no surprise that when communication accelerates, our differences are heightened. Constant news of unfolding events from Vermont to Syria may mean that differences give rise to questions of who we are, as Lutherans, in relation to everything we witness in the world.Such times of immense world change challenge our self-understanding: “In the midst of such diversity, what does it mean to be Lutheran?” They also offer new opportunities to learn about others: “In the midst of such diversity, what does it mean to be Jewish or Muslim?” During times of upheaval and conflict, media inform many of our answers, sometimes long before we even have formed a question. Consider the conflicts in the Middle East that often change radically in any given week. Many times we hear about Shiite and Sunni, or the High Holy Days, or the mention of land, or the term Imam—but many of us don’t know why these terms are so significant in a particular situation. How do Lutherans develop informed perspectives about Jews and Muslims amid political and religious conflict? In 1993 the ELCA created a consultative panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations comprised of scholars, lay people and clergy. The panel has assisted in developing official statements. The ELCA issued in 1994 the “Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Jewish Community,” which repudiated Martin Luther’s anti-Jewish writings, expressed deep regret for their historical consequences and affirmed the church’s “urgent desire to live out our faith in Jesus Christ with love and respect for the Jewish people.” The 1998 document “Guidelines for Lutheran-Jewish Relations” underscores opportunities for interfaith cooperation at the local level. You can view both of these documents at www.elca.org/ecumenical. Recently the ELCA focus on interreligious relations has deepened for all three of the Abrahamic faiths—Jewish, Christian and Muslim. The need for in-depth discussion is often attributed to both national and international events. Congregations tell us that what often is overlooked is the local need among people of these faiths to simply understand one another. Many who gather for worship in synagogues, churches and mosques in their communities—even where demographics among these three differ—are seeking authentic ways to understand one another’s communities. In response, the ELCA offers a new online resource, “Windows for Understanding: Jewish-Muslim-Lutheran Relations.” It includes essays on Lutheran-Jewish and on Lutheran-Muslim relations; Internet links to prominent interreligious organizations in North America; a “Topics of the Day” section, with subjects from the historical role of women to pluralism, updated according to requests from congregations and synods; thematic and alphabetical glossaries; an annotated reading list; and a listing of additional interreligious resources from numerous ecumenical partners in North America. An e-newsletter also is available. To receive it, sign up at www.elca.org/ecumenical. Still it’s relationships, more than resources, that are of utmost importance in interreligious relations. In daily life at work and in many of our neighborhoods, Lutherans meet others from a different Christian confession or religious community. If we want to contribute to awareness and appreciation of these faiths, and to transform and be transformed, then we must never lose sight of the human face—of the person who lives and worships around the corner, or who exists on the margins of our communities. |
Join the discussion
Type your comments in the form below and click [add comments]
Please keep your comments brief and on-topic. We reserve the right to edit or remove inappropriate entries. E-mail lutheran@thelutheran.org with any problems or questions.
