Sounding Board
Faith leaders invite listening, speaking truth
"Speak, Lord, we are listening" has been our diocesan theme for the past year. With this theme we have stated our intent, our willingness and our commitment to listen to God. We have asked God to speak to us.
I wonder how we have listened.
I wonder what we have heard.
In my own life this past year, I have asked God to grant me curiosity and openness to others. I have sought the courage to seek out those whose voices I might normally avoid. In doing so, I have found that I have had to work on strengthening my own capacity for loving my neighbor.
Love God, love our neighbor. We are invited to listen deeply to God and neighbor so that we might grow in our own capacity for love of God and neighbor. We are called to listen, to understand, to learn, to develop. We are called to listen so that we might love in concrete actions.
Listening to those who are different than we are is in short supply these days in our world. Our political spheres do more shouting-over than listening to one another. People running for office say they listen to "the people," but rarely do any listen to those who might vote for a different side. Listening in many circles is done to rebut, not to understand. We already know that what will be shouted out this month as we get closer to an election will only be negative. The followers of Jesus are called to show a different way, and if we don't, who will?
At the diocesan convention on Oct. 20, we learned about our understandings of differences and how we might work to listen in order to love better. We were invited to listen, learn, and act on both the individual and the congregational level. We were asked to stretch, and perhaps be challenged about our own understandings of the ways of the world. Yet, all of this is done for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of the Way of Love.
Jesus doesn't desire that we be content with a world of discord, violence and division. It might be uncomfortable to truly listen to perspectives and ideas of someone who thinks about issues differently, even just a simple issue of which hymns to sing.
The willingness to truly listen to learn and understand and love is what is critical for us to have today.
Speak, Lord, we are listening.
How shall you listen to God this month?
What do you long to hear?
Let us to spend time listening to God, and listen to our neighbor, and seek to learn and understand, that we might better love.
Bishop Gretchen Rehberg
Episcopal Diocese of Spokane
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Meeting for the first time virtually on Oct. 1 and 2, 2024, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Conference of Bishops issued a statement on the need to speak the truth.
The conference, an advisory body of the ELCA, includes 65 synod bishops, the presiding bishop and the secretary.
"We know that the power of truth is greater than the power of deceit," the statement read in part.
"We, the members of the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, speak with one voice to condemn the hateful, deceptive, violent speech that has too readily found a place in our national discourse. We lament the ways this language has led to hate-fueled action."
The statement continues: "We refuse to accept the ongoing normalization of lies and deceit. We recommit ourselves to speaking the truth and pointing to the one who is truth.
"We find courage in our collegiality and implore the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as well as our partners and friends, to join us as we
• "Pledge to be vigilant guardians of truth, refusing to perpetuate lies or half-truths that further corrode the fabric of our society.
• "Commit to rigorous fact-checking, honoring God's command to "test everything; hold fast to what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
• "Reject the use of humor that normalizes falsehood, remembering that our speech should "always be gracious" (Colossians 4:6).
• "Boldly advocate for the marginalized and oppressed, emulating Christ's love for the least among us.
• "Courageously interrupt hate speech, standing firm in the knowledge that all are created in God's image.
• "Lean in with curiosity, engage with those who think differently and "put the best construction on our neighbor's action" (Luther's explanation of the Eighth Commandment).
• "Amplify voices of truth."
For information, visit elca.org/News-and-Events/8247.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Conference of Bishops
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I belatedly read the October Fig Tree. Amidst all the usually high-quality articles and invitations, I was particularly impressed with your editorial about faith/values and the media. I could almost sense you wanted to name names as you contrasted presidential candidates. But I was particularly appreciative of the questions you ended your reflection with. Thank you. I hope you get some well-deserved recognition for calling the media out for those times when they soft-pedal their journalistic obligations.
Paul Graves - Faith & Values
Columnist - Sandpoint
