Lutheran (ELCA) Ping!
Posted on 06/12/2008 5:39:34 PM PDT by lightman
ELCA Presiding Bishop, Other Religious Leaders, Meet with Obama
08-087-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was among more than 30 national Christian leaders who met here June 10 with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Hanson was invited by Obama's staff to meet privately with the Senator in a meeting in which Darfur, the Iraq war, gay rights, abortion and faith issues were discussed, the Associated Press reported.
Hanson said the meeting's purpose seemed to be an effort by Obama "to begin a process of being engaged with a diverse group of religious leaders." Attendees included leaders of Evangelical, Protestant and Roman Catholic churches and organizations, he said.
Among other things, Hanson said he explained to Obama that Lutherans "are on the ground" throughout the world, providing ministries that include disaster relief, response to HIV and AIDS and other diseases, alleviation of poverty and community development. Churches and other non-governmental agencies need a strong U.S. government partner to provide effective global healing ministries, Hanson said he told Obama.
Hanson also told Obama that next week he will visit churches and church leaders in Kenya and Tanzania. In Tanzania Hanson will chair a regular meeting of the Lutheran World Federation Council (LWF), in his role as LWF president. Obama has family roots in that region of Africa.
"Reaching out to the faith community is a priority for Barack Obama and will be a priority under an Obama administration," Obama spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters. Psaki added that Obama is expected to meet again with religious leaders in the coming months.
Hanson said he hopes to get similar invitations from the presumed Republican presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and other presidential nominees.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog:www.elca.org/news/blog
I wonder if Hanson will also visit churches and church leaders in Kansas. I understand B. Hussein Obama has family roots in that region of America.
chirp chirp
I am amzed at this. What’s this guy’s history?
Don’t they know that Obama supports abortion?
Go figure!
So will the good Bishop then have his congregations vote Democrat? I thought there was a separation of church and state. Oh, yea, that only pertains to conservatives.
Are you ELCA?
I appreciate all your work on the Catholic threads. But this is the ELCA for cryin' out loud. They would kill anything that was an inconvenience to them.
He has been described as "Bill Clinton in an alb". That's a little unkind because he does not seem to have the, uh, fidelity problem that WJC had has. But as you can read in the link to his biography, he is a product of liberal divinity schools in the late 1960's. He seems to be stuck in a "recreate '68" time warp.
Yes, but not by choice. It’s a small community we live in. The Pastor is low key and does not rock the conservatives boat..
It is my understanding that the ELCA does not oppose abortion as an officially adopted position.
That is correct.
They are left wing social activists hiding behind the veil of religion. I left the ELCA four years ago after cracking the shell a little at a time. I won't go within a mile of any of the mainline protestant churches that affiliate with the World COuncil of Churches.
Great.
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