I just wanted to take a moment today to thank you for such a beautiful, thoughtful op-ed in last week’s paper, which my colleague, Jordan Reeves, shared with me.
 
The values that you spoke of so eloquently in the op-ed were ones that we had all discussed during the Traditions and Spirituality in a Changing Landscape retreat on Flathead Lake in April, and really resonated with me throughout the op-ed.
 
My sincere thanks again for making such powerful connections here between faith and stewardship, and I am already looking forward to the next time that our paths cross so that I can learn more about MAC’s priorities and ongoing work.

Anne Carlson, Ph.D.
Climate Adaptation Specialist
The Wilderness Society
(mobile phone) 406.548.7964
www.wilderness.org
 
We protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places


To read the opinion letter from the Montana Association, continue reading below or click here Christian Group Supports Blackfoot Stewardship Project

Words From the Bishop - Good is stronger than Evil, Love is Stronger than Hate.  

Will the ELCA Bishops make a statement on the Orlando massacre? Yes.  We already have.  Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre several years ago, the bishops adopted a statement abhorring violence.  In the years since then we have experienced more and more mass shootings--in a theater, in a community center, in a church, on campuses.  A year ago we watched with horror the race-related Mother Emmanuel shootings.  And now Orlando, motivated by hatred of LGBTQ people.  We are a society of laws, designed to protect people.  We welcome diverse opinions.  But we do not tolerate mass murder.  As Christians we reject violence and hatred.  Please read the words of the ELCA Bishops below:

A Pastoral Letter on Violence adopted by the ELCA
Conference of Bishops, March 4, 2013

"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
Jeremiah 31.15 and Matthew 2: 18

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
Every faithful caregiver who sits with victims of violence knows what we know - as God's
church, we are called to reduce violence and should, in most cases, restrain ourselves from using violence. Whether or not statistics show that overall violence has declined in recent years, every person wounded or killed is a precious child of God.

As bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we lament the tragedy of gun violence in our country. We are grieved by the way violence threatens and destroys life. We affirm the current soul searching and shared striving to find a way to a better future.

While the church grapples with this call to reduce violence and make our communities safer, we recognize that before God we are neither more righteous because we have guns nor are we more righteous when we favor significant restrictions. Brokenness and sin are not somehow outside of us. Even the best of us are capable of great evil. As people of God we begin by confessing our own brokenness - revealed in both our actions and our failure to act. We trust that God will set us free and renew us in our life's work to love our neighbors.

In this time of public attention to gun violence, local communities of faith have a unique opportunity to engage this work. As bishops, we were thankful to recognize the many resources our church has already developed (see below). We begin by listening: listening to God, to Scripture, and to each other. Providing a safe place for people to share their own stories, together we discern courses of action. Together we act. And together we return to listening - to assess the effectiveness of our efforts to reduce violence.