April 19, 2005
The Honorable Senator Bill Frist
509 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Frist:
I am writing to you as the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the fifth largest Protestant church body in the United States with a membership of nearly five million people of faith.
How do you know who's got faith?
As Lutherans, we share a common faith in Jesus Christ, a love of the gospel and, in the tradition of Martin Luther, a healthy respect for the separation of church and state.
Oh really? How do you explain cujus regio, ejus religio then? Or the state Lutheran churches in northern Germany and Scandinavia?
We are a church body deeply committed to unity in the body of Christ and to mission for the sake of the world.
The membership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America includes conservatives, moderates, and liberals. As Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, we are all “people of faith” who take our faith seriously and attempt to live out Christ’s love in love for and service to our neighbor. Discerning God’s will for all people and creation challenges each of us individually, and our church corporately, on a daily basis.
No kidding. You got that right.
This discernment is never clear cut and it certainly is never subject to a political party litmus test on any issue. The rhetoric that some people of faith—Republicans, conservatives, or fundamentalists—“have it right” and all other people of faith have it wrong not only is self righteous, but inappropriately polarizes people of faith for political purposes.
Who said this? Did you ever notice such "self righteous" rhetoric on the left, or is it only objectionable when conservatives (ostensibly) use it?
I am not writing to express a view on the proposed rule change affecting judicial nominations, but to respectfully ask that you cease judging whether or not people have faith by how they choose to express that faith on political issues.
So when did Sen. Frist actually commit the heinous offense of "judging whether or not people have faith"? What bad, wicked, naughty, evil deed did he do?
You honor neither yourself, this country, nor people of faith by such political manipulation.
So whom do you honor with this letter of condemnation?
In the strongest terms, I urge you to use your position of significant responsibility to lead this country to a healthy respect not only for dissent, but for all people of faith.
As if dissent were a scarce commodity, or the GOP intolerant concerning "people of faith."
In God’s grace,
Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
http://www.elca.org/advocacy/
I wonder what else we might find at this "advocacy" page. I don't even want to check it out.