RESOLUTION FOR AFFILIATION WITH THE LUTHERAN PEACE FELLOWSHIP

The Lutheran Peace Fellowship “is a body of Lutherans who share a vision of peace as shalom – the presence of justice.”(1)  Established in 1943 has flourished within the last forty years to become one of the major peace witness within the Christian Church.  As an independent, inter-Lutheran organization, the LPF is now based at Luther-Northwestern Seminary in St. Paul Minnesota with its own full-time staff person.

The core of the LPF’s ministry is summed up in the LPF Commitment:  “As members of the body of Christ and as participants in the new Creation, we are committed to:

Pray, study and work for peace in every relationship, and particularly to renounce militarism by our personal and corporate witness.

Seek peace according to the Biblical vision of SHALOM, which sees peace established when injustice and oppression are eliminated.

Practice conflict resolution through non-violent alternatives.

Provide an education/action witness within the Lutheran churches, and study and explore the various Lutheran theological and historical traditions as they relate to the Fellowship’s objectives, while also maintaining ecumenical ties and cooperative relations with all who work for peace.

We believe that our peacemaking task is at the very heart of the Gospel ministry.”

As active responses to the above commitment, the LPF dedicates much of its energies to providing specific services such as:  counseling for conscientious objectors, enlivening theological dialogue within the church between just/unjust war and pacifist Lutherans, maintaining an issuing an annual “Call to Tax Resistance for Lutherans,” encouraging the Church to realize peace positions it has already taken, publishing as resource for congregations and peach groups, and joining with other groups worldwide in trying to halt the nuclear and conventional arms race and it encourages Lutheran participation in ecumenical peace work.

WHEREAS, the Lutheran Peace Fellowship had established itself as a viable peace witness within the Lutheran Church, and

WHEREAS, the Lutheran Peace Fellowship Commitment is an accord with the LSM-USA Constitution, Particularly Article II, Section D, which reads:  “The purpose of LSM-USA shall be … To provide a well-developed program of study, assembly, discussion, and action, which program shall provide for the expression of fellowship in Christ and of the social and intellectual concerns of campuses, of communities, and of the entire world…”, and

WHEREAS, LSM-USA has gone on record as supporting Amnesty for War Resisters (1972,1973), for supporting the World Peace Tax Fund (1982); and also for supporting Nuclear Disarmament (1978,1982,1983),

THREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT LSM-USA affiliate with the Lutheran Peace Fellowship and become active within its peace witness,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT all LSM affiliates look into the possibility of forming or joining the local chapters of the LPF in their region or school.

SPONSOR:  The International and Ecumenical Relations Committee of the 1984-85 National Council, LSM-USA

(1) Pamphlet – “Lutheran Peace Fellowship – A Community of Christians Working and Praying for Peace.” All other information in the resolution is from the same source.