Church Must Focus Involvement on Injustice, Hunger and Poverty

Consultation Makes Visible Global Network of Lutheran Theologians

The Luther seal or Luther rose is a widely-recognized symbol for Lutheranism

In the future, the worldwide Lutheran communion must make overcoming injustice,hunger and poverty the central focus of its action, emphasized Dr. Margot Kässmann, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover, in a press conference on 26 March in Augsburg, Germany,during the consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches: Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today."

Both the theological consultation and the Eleventh Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to be held in Stuttgart,Germany, in July 2010 will contribute to a broadening of horizons on the eve of the Reformation jubilee in 2017. Kässmann called the theme of the LWF Assembly "Give Us Today Our Daily Bread" a"theological and political" challenge. "Lutheran churches should focus together on the transformation within the worldwide communion," insisted Rev. Dr Karen Bloomquist, director of the LWF Department for Theology andStudies (DTS). According to Bloomquist, Lutheranism since 1517has undergone considerable change.

For the sake of the future of the Lutheran church, it is of paramount importance to strengthen the connections between theology and the life of the church. According to Dr. Bernd Oberdorfer, who holds the chair of Protestant theology at the University of Augsburg, the consultation, from an academic point of view, is of great significance for the worldwide Lutheran communion, in particular because it clearly brings out the multiple dimensions of Lutheran theology.

The St.Paul Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, USA is one of the churches who always reaches out to the community to help the needy over the years

The consultation is a unique opportunity to explore what ties Lutherans to the roots of the past and what new avenues of future reflection and action can be traced, the theologian said. For Rev. Dr Guillermo Hansen, currently associate professor of systematic theology at the Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, the Augsburg gathering "makes the worldwide network of Lutheran theologians visible." This meeting was an exceptional opportunity for theologians from all over the world to come face to face in order to dialogue, the Argentinian noted.

"To be in Augsburg is spiritually and theologically a homecoming for me," said Dr Ramathate Dolamo of South Africa. In addition,the consultation has a future perspective, because it offers the possibility to better define the Lutheran self-understanding. "As theologians, we must respond to the needs of the congregations,"the theology professor pointed out. For this reason, the theological debate at the meeting is of fundamental importance.

Over 120 theologians from more than 30 countries are taking part in the consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches: Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today" in Augsburg,Germany, under the auspices of the LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS). The 25 to 31 March meeting, held in collaboration with the Institute of Protestant Theology of the University of Augsburg, is the culmination of the DTS study program "Theology in the Life of the Church," which has been ongoing since 2004.