Bishop Eaton Addresses Political Violence

For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us (Ephesians 2:14).

Just a few weeks ago in my June column for Living Lutheran I wrote, "I can't think of an election cycle more fraught and divisive than this one. People all across the political spectrum claim that life as we know it is on the line. It's not possible to agree to disagree—one must decide and put a stake in the ground. There is the potential for violence." That potential is now a reality after last weekend's shooting at a Trump campaign rally that killed Corey D. Comperatore and injured other attendees. I am thankful that former President Trump's injury was minor and pray for his recovery alongside those affected.

I also wrote, "But division and violence don't have to be our inevitable future." I believe this and that God calls this church to say a definitive "no" to political violence now and in the future. Political violence has a long history but no place in democracy. This church belongs to God, and our unity in Christ is a grace-filled and healing gift in a fractured society. As the ELCA we have theological and community resources to meet this moment through worship, discipleship and civic engagement.

In the face of violence, God's resolve for peace in human communities is unshakable. In proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ's forgiveness, healing and new life, the church addresses the ultimate root of violence. God calls us as church together in this moment to hear and embody this good news by embracing our identity as peacemakers through active civic engagement grounded in our baptismal identity and our institutional witness to foster justice, racial and social equity, reconciliation, and healing with compassion and imagination.

Last weekend's shooting has distressed and destabilized our nation. Political violence breeds fear and can set in motion cycles of violence that will further shatter us. Consider how, as individuals and communities in our life together, you will:

• Confess and confront the violent tendencies within ourselves and our society.
  
• Resist use of dehumanizing language about people with different political leanings.
  
• Build bridges of curiosity and compassion with people who think differently.
• Find ways to cultivate the practices of nonviolence in civic life.

Our inevitable future belongs to God. In this certainty and bound together in Christian hope, consider how you can join me in ongoing prayer and actions for our nation, a peaceful election season, the safety of candidates for office, and a bold and life-giving witness of our church in the time ahead.

In Christ,

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

A prayer from Worship Resources for a National Election

Holy God,
out of your great love for the world,
your Word became flesh to live among us
and to reconcile us to you and to one another.
Rekindle among us the gift of your Spirit
that we might live as one new humanity in Christ,
dismantling the walls that divide,
ending the hostility between us,
and proclaiming peace to those who are near
and to those who are far away;
through Christ Jesus, in whom we all have access,
in the one Spirit to you,
both now and forever. Amen.
(Holden Prayer around the Cross, p. 132-33)

Resources:
ELCA social statement For Peace in God's World
ELCA social message Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy
ELCA social message Gun-related Violence and Trauma
Draft social statement on Civic Life and Faith
ELCA Civic Engagement Guide
Service of Prayer in Times of Violence (2016)