Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice

Over the summer, members of St. Luke's met for five weeks on Sunday mornings before worship to study the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) proposed social statement on genetics.  In a practical display of what Lutherans call "the priesthood of all believers," the class was co-taught by Pastor Erik, Scott Shippy and Erika Dornfeld, each of whom brought their own particular education, experience and perspectives to the course. Conversation focused on how Lutherans do social ethics, and (in this context) what sorts of information and questions we'd bring to topics like genetic testing, the use of GMOs in agriculture, and stem cell research. The ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted at the end of August to adopt the social statement, making it the 11th statement adopted since the formation of the denomination.Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice is a study written by the Criminal Justice Task Force of the ELCA and published by the ELCA. It is an invitation to join this church’s moral deliberation on a major social issue that not only affects millions of our neighbors whom we are called by God to love and serve, but also many in our congregations. Your participation is crucial.At St. Luke's we are offering a five-week seminar on faith and criminal justice before worship from 9am to 10am in the Lesher Lounge.  The class will be led by Cynthia Stengel, John Tillo and seminarian Drew Rindfleisch.  There's no need to pre-register for the class, all are welcome - just come prepared to learn, to listen and to share how the faith that is in you can be a resource for both thinking and acting on the pressing social issues of our day.Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice // Sundays, Oct. 9 - Nov. 6 // 9am - 10am // Lesher LoungeFor more information, contact Drew Rindfleisch.