Justice Portal

Because God redeems us through Christ, we are made new to love and serve all neighbors. Loving neighbors includes working for justice in our personal and public lives. Together as church and as individual Christians, we are called to love neighbors as we love ourselves.

As a church we affirm God’s call through our 1991 social statement The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective: "Along with all citizens, Christians have the responsibility to defend human rights and to work for freedom, justice, peace, environmental well-being and good order in public life" (p. 5; download in English or Spanish).

On this page you will find information and links to participate with others across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in living out God’s baptismal call to act for justice.

Augsburg Fortress offers the following resources that take into account justice matters.

Hear My Voice: A Prison Prayer Book
Description: This is a prayer book for those who are incarcerated. Featuring the gifts of writers with diverse connections to the criminal justice system, Hear My Voice is a collaborative effort sponsored by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Augsburg Fortress. As noted in the book’s welcome on p. 8, “This book is also a call to the church and to every congregation to be in prayer and solidarity with people who are incarcerated.” | VIEW
Luther’s Small Catechism with African Descent Reflections
Description: This edition of Luther's Small Catechism is not only the version of the Small Catechism widely used among Lutherans in North America today, but also includes reflections from a distinguished group of African descent Lutheran theologians. These brief commentaries offer additional context, language, and illumination from the experiences of African descent people, both past and present, to enrich our understanding of the Small Catechism and enliven faith. -- Excerpt from the introduction by the Rev. Dr. James Kenneth Echols (1951- 2018). | VIEW

Environmental Justice

Stewart, Benjamin M. A Watered Garden: Christian Worship and Earth’s Ecology
Description: This book begins with the classic, ecumenically held patterns of Christian worship and explores them for their deep connections to ecological wisdom, for their sacramental approaches to creation, and for a renewed relationship to the earth now itself in need of God’s healing. | VIEW

Other

Erlander, Daniel. Manna and Mercy: A Brief History of God’s Unfolding Promise to Mend the Entire Universe
Description: Manna and Mercy is a book about God--more specifically, the God of the Bible who is present and active in human history and in our lives today. Through his distinctive illustrations and hand-lettered text, Erlander conveys the continuity of God’s covenant of life, justice, and inclusion to all people and all of creation. God is in the business of mending the universe, and we are all Partner People in that work.nThis book includes several supportive resources for children and adults; it can be read by an individual but also serves as a curriculum for children and adults. | VIEW
Leader Sourcebook | VIEW

January

15 – Martin Luther King Jr. birthday
20 – Martin Luther King Jr. day observed (Holiday is observed on the third Monday of January)
21 – National Day of Racial Healing (Observed the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. day)

February

Black History Month

March

Women’s History Month

8 – International Women’s Day
21 – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
25 – International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

April

Arab American Heritage Month

11 – Fair Housing Month/Anniversary of Fair Housing Act
22 – Earth Day

May

Asian Pacific Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

1 – National Day of Prayer (first Thursday in May)
5 – Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women’s Day
31 to June 1 - Tulsa Massacre Commemoration

June

GBTQIA+ Pride Month

17 – Commemoration of the Emanuel Nine
19 – Juneteenth
20 – World Refugee Day

July

August

23 – International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
23 – Anniversary of the uprising of Santo Domingo (today Haiti and Dominican Republic) that initiated the abolition of slavery in Caribbean
28 – Anniversary of the historic March on Washington, D.C.
31 – International Day for People of African Descent

September

National Hispanic Heritage Month Sept 15 to Oct 15

October

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

11 – Indigenous Peoples Day (Observed on the second Monday of October)

November

National American Indian Heritage Month

December

1 – World AIDS Day
10 – Human Rights Day
18 – International Migrants Day