IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-MCL4CC (BUTTON) * About * Faith * Interactive Map * Resources * News and Events * Our Work * * (BUTTON) CAMPAIGN FOR THE ELCA (BUTTON) Give * ELCA.org * Living Lutheran * The Lutheran * Youth Gathering * Churchwide Assembly * Like us on Facebook Facebook Like us on Facebook * Follow us on Twitter Twitter Follow us on Twitter * Call Process Call Process * Find A Congregation Find A Congregation ELCA ____________________ (BUTTON) (BUTTON) CAMPAIGN FOR THE ELCA (BUTTON) Give * About + About + Mission + Vision + History + Congregations + Synods + Leadership + Financial + _________________________________________________________ + Churchwide + Office of the Presiding Bishop + Office of the Secretary + Office of the Treasurer + Congregational and Synodical Mission + Global Mission + Mission Advancement Meet Bishop Eaton Meet Bishop Eaton The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton was elected as the ELCA's fourth presiding bishop at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. Born in Cleveland on April 2, 1955, Eaton earned a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School... Read More >> Find a Congregation Find an ELCA Congregation There is a place for you among our nearly 10,000 congregations across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands... Search Now >> * Faith + Faith + ELCA Teaching + Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations + Faith and Society + o Social Messages + o Social Statements + Journal of Lutheran Ethics Martin Luther Luther and Lutheranism Martin Luther was eight years old when Christopher Columbus set sail from Europe and landed in the Western Hemisphere. Luther was a young monk and priest when Michaelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel in Rome... 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Read More >> * News and Events + News and Events + News Releases + ELCA Facts + Media Room + Calendar + Publications + ELCA Blogs + 500 Years of the Evangelical Reformation Bishop Eaton met with religious leaders in London, Geneva and Rome. Deepening dialogue In an endeavor to deepen dialogue, Bishop Eaton met with religious leaders in London, Geneva and Rome. Read More >> Media Room Media Room ELCA in the News ELCA members frequently make U.S. secular and religious news headlines. Take a look at this list of some current coverage about the ELCA... 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Home 2. Faith 3. Faith and Society 4. Social Statements 5. Death Penalty Death Penalty The social statement on "The Death Penalty" expresses ELCA opposition to the use of the death penalty because of the church's ministry with and to people affected by violent crime, even while recognizing that God entrusts the state with the power to take human life when failure to do so constitutes a clear danger to society. The statement acknowledges the existence of different points of view within the church and society and the need for continued deliberation, but objects to the use of the death penalty because it is not used fairly and has failed to make society safer. Its practice undermines any possible alternate moral message since "the message conveyed by an execution, reflected in the attention it receives from the public, is one of brutality and violence." You can read or download the full social statement on "The Death Penalty" in English or en espanol. The statement was adopted in 1991 by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly. Social Statement (en) Social Statement (esp) Follow these links to find supplemental resources for understanding this social statement: * Engage with the study guide * Read an introduction * Read a brief summary * To order multiple copies of the social statement To order multiple copies of the social statement To order multiple copies of the social statement click here. * ELCA Teaching * Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations * Journal of Lutheran Ethics * Daily Bible Reading * Faith and Society * Social Messages * Social Statements * Abortion * Caring for Creation * Church in Society * Criminal Justice * Death Penalty * Economic Life * Education * Genetics * Health Care * Human Sexuality * Peace * Race, Ethnicity and Culture * Addressing Social Concerns * Current Social Writing Projects * Moral Deliberation * Social Policy Resolutions This is Christ's church. There is a place for you here. 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