At the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, July 28 - August 2 in addition to electing a new bishop and other business, the Assembly will vote on adopting a social statement on "Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All."
During this 4 week Bible Study we will be reading and discussing this social statement (it's 40 pages). The social statement cites a number a bible verses, and references the US Constitution, the Book of Concord and Martin Luther's teachings. The social statement address what it means to be both Christian and a citizen at the same time, and Lutheran themes such as how God uses both Law and Gospel. Every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, we pray for God's will to be done "on earth as in heaven." What does this mean for us in our daily lives?
"Civic life" refers to "politics" (activities of deciding how to govern and order life in community) not "partisanship" (loyalty to a specific party, group or person). As God is neither Democrat nor Republican, this Bible study is not partisan. This Bible Study is for all people (middle school and up) who are interested in how the Bible guides us to live in our daily civic lives. News and social media love to tell stories of what Christians believe and do; this is your chance to dig deeper into the bible and early Lutheran teachings and give you tools to evaluate what others say about the bible and civic life. People of all views are most welcome because only with diverse viewpoints can we discern together how the ELCA Social Statement on Faith and Civic Life is biblical or if it has become partisan.
If you have any questions about this 4 week Summer Bible Study, please talk with Pastor Michelle.
A link to the full document of the social statement on "Faith and Civic Life" can be found here: https://www.elca.org/faith/faith-and-society/current-social-writing-projects/civic-life-and-faith along with general information on what social statement are, the people who helped to write this document and the time line of the document. Printed copies of the social statement "Faith and Civic Life" will be available at church and at the bible study.