Wednesday, May 09, 2007

ELCAers Invited to Sign Statement on Scripture

Three weeks ago I posted A Lutheran Statement on the Authority and Interpretation of Scripture in the Church, which had just been posted by Lutheran CORE - Coalition for Reform as the ELCA begins Book of Faith: Lutherans Engage the Bible, a five-year "initiative to deepen and broaden engagement with the Bible for all ages, all cultures, and to draw on our heritage of faithful ways to let the Word engage us." CORE has now made available a two-page print-friendly version of the Statement.

Lutheran CORE is also inviting ELCA clergy and laity to add their signatures to the statement by sending their name and address by email to L-CORE@charter.net. CORE intends to send the statement along with the signatures received by the end of June to ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, the Rev. Stanley Olson (Exec. Director of the ELCA unit on Vocation and Vocation), and the Synodical Bishops in July (in time for the Churchwide Assembly in August). With a goal of 2000 signatures, as of this moment 157 persons (including at least 61 pastors and one AIM) have signed on. I've signed it. How about you?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

As a matter of fact, I did sign it. But as one of the two chief authors of the Statement and as a member of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee, it wouldn't make much sense if I hadn't. The Statement has made it to computer screens in the ELCA HQ because a member of the Steering Committee (not me) did receive a short e-mail response from someone in the ELCA HQ connected with the Book of Faith initiative. His comment? "It [the Statement] has an edge to it." Yes, it does.
Ken Kimball

Anonymous said...

As of today (May 10) we're up to 201 signatures. Much thanks to Pastor Tibbets serving as a communications nodal point in the dissemination of the Statement and being among the first wave of signees.

Pastor Zip said...

You're welcome, Ken.

Pastor Zip said...

Update here.