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Dear friends:
I met last week in Milwaukee with a group of faith leaders for our monthly breakfast. It’s a small but diverse circle – Jewish, Muslim, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Greek Orthodox. On occasion, we wrestle with theology or exchange stories from our sacred texts, but mostly we share the experiences and challenges that bind us together as faith leaders.
Moving “beyond tolerance” to experience diverse relationships in deeper ways can be transformative.
Our conversations range from lighthearted stories to deep concern about the social and economic injustices that plague our world. During the holy days of Ramadan and Yom Kippur, we offer informal blessings upon the spiritual observances of our Muslim and Jewish friends. During Holy Week, they are likewise mindful of the significance of this time for Christians.
As we journey with Jesus to the Last Supper, into the garden, then carrying the cross through the streets of old Jerusalem, and finally to the break of dawn on Easter morning, we remember vividly how central the Crucifixion and Resurrection are to our faith. The Christ event inspires us to believe that God’s love can transform all things into new life.
For me, Easter is about God’s liberating power and God’s expansive grace. Sadly, some Christians see Easter as a narrowing of God’s love rather than a widening of it. This understanding of the Gospel is more about condemnation than transformation.
In recent years, we have seen a rise in Christian Nationalism. This ideology claims the United States was founded as a Christian nation and advocates for the values of predominantly white evangelical conservative Christians to shape our civic, political and cultural life, with little regard or respect for religious pluralism in American life.
Earlier this year President Trump established a task force to “Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias,” which at first glance seemed designed to protect all faiths but in practice is an attempt to curtail the rights of other religions under the guise of defending Christianity. As ELCA Bishop Paul Erickson put it: “Instead, this order aligns the federal government with Christian Nationalism, a dangerous conflation of fundamentalist Christianity, conservative politics, and fierce patriotism that distorts what it means to be an American citizen and an engaged Christian in society.”
With urging from the Wisconsin bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America a statement entitled For Religious Liberty and Against Christian Nationalism was crafted and shared through the Wisconsin Council of Churches. You can read the statement and add your signature here.
The gift of Easter is an invitation to embrace God’s Spirit of abundance and inclusivity, and to treat all our neighbors with a love that appreciates and honors their sacred journeys.
In his book The Peacemaker’s Path, author Jerry Zehr suggests one way to bridge the political, religious and cultural divides of our time is to seek a lasting “shalom” through the common truths echoed in the sacred texts of all major religions – the Golden Rule, the command to love, the call to offer compassion and generosity to the poor and marginalized. These are the divine callings that unite us in the Creator of all life.
Wishing you a blessed Holy Week and a Happy Easter!
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