On the morning of Feb. 19, 1974, a theological struggle over ecumenism and the inerrancy of the Bible drew students of Concordia, a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) seminary in St. Louis, to a campus fieldhouse. Some 400 seminarians voted that day to continue their theological education “in exile,” triggering events that would create Concordia Seminary-in-Exile (“Seminex”) and ultimately Christ Seminary-Seminex. Kurt Hendel, professor emeritus of Reformation history at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), served on the Concordia faculty in 1974. “The creation of Seminex ..read more

Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These daily petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life as together we pray for the needs of the world and give thanks for the ministries of our church. Wednesday, April 17 We give thanks that we can live in the joy of being God’s children and that, though we may not understand completely what that means, it will be fully revealed to us someday. The post Prayer ventures: April 17 appeared first on Living Lutheran ..read more

Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These daily petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life as together we pray for the needs of the world and give thanks for the ministries of our church. Tuesday, April 16 We ask God for the openness to reflect on our nation’s history of injustice and inequality and for the courage and humility to overcome racial, religious and gender bias. The post Prayer ventures: April 16 appeared first on Living Lutheran ..read more

Linda Post Bushkofsky, executive director of Women of the ELCA, announced that she will retire June 30, 2024, after 22 years of leading Women of the ELCA churchwide organization. The executive search process has begun, with Women of the ELCA churchwide executive board president Myrna Wells-Ulland working with ELCA People Solutions (human resources) to ensure a seamless transition. For Bushkofsky, whose first career was as an attorney, those 22 years with Women of the ELCA have been “an unforgettable journey of service and leadership,” she said. “When this position was offered to me in the spr ..read more

Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These daily petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life as together we pray for the needs of the world and give thanks for the ministries of our church. Monday, April 15 “Let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). We praise God for  ELCA World Hunger’s 50 years of action to end hunger, bring relief to those who suffer, develop sustainable solutions to hunger and raise awareness of the needs of our neighbors—here and around the wo ..read more

ELCA advocacy is most effective when Lutherans across the country are involved and active. The ELCA has professional policy staff who help facilitate Lutheran advocacy efforts, but members of Congress want to hear from their constituents—your stories, experiences and influence impact their decisions. On the Witness in Society’s advocacy resources page, you’ll find information that will educate and equip you to be a more effective advocate.   The post This is: advocacy appeared first on Living Lutheran ..read more

Lectionary for April 21, 2021Fourth Sunday of EasterActs 4:5-12; Psalm 23;1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18 For this lectionary we continue last week’s theme of recognizing someone and responding accordingly. I, of course, cannot think of this in any other context than parenting. My youngest has very different preferences from my oldest (there’s a five-year age gap). Therefore, family dinners must be presented differently to each of them, we read different books at bedtime, and we speak to them about issues such as moving and sickness differently. Since I know who they each are, I can respond to ..read more

Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These daily petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life as together we pray for the needs of the world and give thanks for the ministries of our church. Sunday, April 14 We thank God for the Scripture, sacraments, hymns and liturgical art that reveal our redemption and freedom through Jesus Christ. The post Prayer ventures: April 14 appeared first on Living Lutheran ..read more

Every day, Living Lutheran offers a prayer from the ELCA resource Prayer ventures, which can be downloaded here. These daily petitions are offered as a guide for your own prayer life as together we pray for the needs of the world and give thanks for the ministries of our church. Saturday, April 13 We live in a world that pits different groups of people against each other, causing inequity and anguish. We ask the Spirit to transform our fear and prejudice into compassion, kindness, empathy and respect—qualities that strengthen our relationships with each other and affirm the goodness of G ..read more

The ELCA’s primary companion church in the Holy Land is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). This Arabic-speaking community of faithful Lutherans is the primary relationship through which the ELCA sees the situation in Palestine and Israel. Both churches are members of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), a global communion whose vital Jerusalem-area program has pursued projects related to health, education and humanitarian aid in the occupied Palestinian territories for over 65 years. The ELCA, the ELCJHL and the LWF share a long history of nurturing ..read more