A week ago, our Muslim neighbors ended the holy month of Ramadan with the joyous celebration of Eid al-Fitr. For much of April, Christians and Muslims journeyed through their respective periods of fasting, prayer, and reflection, as Lent and Ramadan coincided. During this holy time of confluence between Christians and Muslims, The ELCA Church Council unanimously adopted “A Declaration of the ELCA to the Muslim Community” affirming our friendship and solidarity with Muslims, nurtured over time through meaningful cooperation, dialogue, and common action.
“Through this message, we recommit ourselves to the heart of both our theological traditions: love of God and love of neighbor,” Presiding Bishop Eaton wrote in an open letter to the Muslim community. “Lutherans and Muslims have engaged in a dialogue of life, learning from our differences and growing in our common beliefs. We have discovered friendship and solidarity, working shoulder to shoulder toward a better life for all people and creation. Along the way, we have come to know each other, and ourselves.”