Response to Lutheran Statement of Policy post-Iran Attack on Israel

See: Lutheran Statement Click Here

(Originally "Peace Not Walls" - Now: Arabic, literally: "steadfast, resilient")

A Response to the recent ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Statement:

As a pastor of the ELCA, I am deeply grieved by our continued refusal to stand in solidarity with Israel when it is attacked on many fronts since Hamas’s invasion of Israel and the massacre on October 7.

In the North, Israel is attacked by Hezbollah from within Lebanon, and bombarded by Iran’s proxies: Syria, Iraq, and, further away in the Arab world, the Houthis in Yemen. (Note: On April 13th, for the first time in history, Iran attacked Israel from its own territory, sending 350 drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles into Israel.)

I am confused why we will not state or show our solidarity with Israel as it defends itself from Iran and its proxies, who war against Israel’s existence.

We Lutherans and mainline Christians must remind ourselves, that, while Palestinians have a land interest in their battle with Israel, Iran doesn’t want that land for itself; it seeks the total destruction of Israel and the Jewish people.

The ELCA’s “Sumud” (originally Peace Not Walls website) calls for a cease-fire as well as an arms embargo:

                                    Protect civilians in Gaza by opposing                                                 

additional U.S. aid to Israel, urging an                                                  

immediate ceasefire, and advocating for continued                           

humanitarian assistance. 

Calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, not only leaves Hamas in power, but abandons Israel to endure Hamas’s stated promise of repeated invasive massacres like October 7.

Our call for an arms embargo on Israel because of civilian casualties in Gaza (which is a sincerely, regrettable part of war) allows Hamas to continue pursuing its stated goal of exterminating 7 million Jews in Israel. An arms embargo leaves Israel helpless to defend itself against Iran and the many enemy fronts in the Arab world that want Israel eliminated.

One cannot escape the implications of this conflict: six million then, seven million now?