ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson's Letter to the ELCA About Iraq

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson I am writing to you because of my deep concern about the grave possibility of imminent war facing not only our nation, but also the human family. As I listen to the voices of pastors throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, I realize we are struggling with how to exercise the pastoral, priestly, and prophetic dimensions of our call at such a time. I am also mindful that our baptismal vocation calls us to "serve all people, following the example of our Lord Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth" (Lutheran Book of Worship, p. 201).

As weapons inspectors continue their work; the United Nations debates next steps; the Iraqi people suffer; and our government moves closer to war, we must not abdicate our responsibility both to pray for peace and to engage in public conversation regarding what is a just response that might lead to peace.

I do not seek to minimize the complexity of our current situation. The combination of the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein; the possible use of weapons of mass destruction; the immense United States military strength; and an already unstable Middle East means there are no easy answers. That is precisely why we need broad-based conversations in which we articulate our convictions and are willing to challenge and be challenged by others.

War should never become a military response severed from its moral dimensions. As people of faith, we will always be asking hard ethical questions regarding the reasons for war and the conduct and consequences of it. No, I do not expect the members of the ELCA to be of one mind regarding these questions. Rather, it is my plea that we be united in our commitment to pray, to engage in public deliberation, and to work for peace.

I commend to you the ELCA's social statement, "For Peace in God's World" (www.elca.org/dcs/peacein.html) as an important resource for assisting us in responding to this crisis. This statement-grounded in both the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions-constitutes the social policy of the ELCA on matters of peace and war. It affirms that, as the baptized people of God, we share with the Church of Jesus Christ in all times and places the calling to be peacemakers. It also affirms that, as people of faith, we begin with a strong presumption against all war.

As Lutherans we acknowledge in these discussions the principles of the "just/unjust war" tradition which, recognizing the reality of sin in our world, permits recourse to war only in very exceptional circumstances and under strictly defined conditions. We must ask hard questions about the causes, activities, and consequences of this war. The statement also affirms that as a church we are committed to denouncing beliefs and actions that find ultimate security in weapons and warfare, and that despair of any possibility for peace.

In "For Peace in God's World" we are clear that this church supports "the vocation of men and women in the military who in conscience directly face the ambiguities of relative evils, and who may suffer and die to defend their neighbor" (page 12). At the same time, "we strongly support efforts to develop the potential of nonviolence to bring about just and peaceful change and we provide pastoral support of those in conscience who undertake nonviolent action for peace" (page 20).

It is important that you are aware of the many messages that I have received from churches around the world, both Lutheran and ecumenical. One response came in a bulky envelope from Lutherans in Japan. It included a petition with 283 names, testifying to their experience of war. They want us to know of their prayers and solidarity for all efforts to achieve peace. They also put challenging questions to us, which we have an obligation to consider, about whether it is too late to find a peaceful solution to this crisis, about the humanitarian consequences of war on the people of Iraq, and about the destabilizing effects of war within the region and throughout the world.

As people of faith, let us not grow weary in our diligent prayer, our moral deliberations, and our baptismal calling to work for peace. Let us continue to hold each other and our ministries in our daily prayers. "And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, . . . guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)