A message from Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton
September 11, 2025
As presiding bishop of this church, I want to address yesterday’s shooting in Utah. Charlie Kirk, known by millions for his views and videos supporting right-wing ideas, died by another senseless act of political violence. He was exercising his First Amendment right of free speech when he was shot and killed. This continues a long streak of political violence that shows no sign of subsiding. We’ve witnessed an attack on the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, two attempts to assassinate President Donald Trump during last year’s campaign, the murder of two Minnesota state lawmakers, an arson attack on the home of Pennsylvania’s governor, a plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor, and too many more.
As I wrote last year, after the attempt on President Trump’s life in Butler, Pa., “God calls this church to say a definitive ‘no’ to political violence now and in the future. Political violence has a long history but no place in democracy. This church belongs to God, and our unity in Christ is a grace-filled and healing gift in a fractured society.”
This church teaches that disagreement is healthy and can lead to greater understanding and cooperation. But we have lost that sense of respectful debate and have degenerated into a society that treats differing opinions as personal attacks, erasing the humanity of some and abandoning the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must recommit ourselves to reflecting what Christ taught us through acts of forgiveness, healing and new life. I continue to hold that “God’s resolve for peace in human communities is unshakable.”
In this moment, I urge all of us in this church to embrace God’s call, to hear and embody the good news of Jesus Christ and to fulfill our roles as peacemakers through active civic engagement.
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
