Faith & Civic Life - 4) Religion and the First Amendment

Did you hear about the new ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life ? This reading takes you inside the important intersection. This episode contains Section 4, "Religion and the First Amendment."As we participate in God's work in the world, ELCA social statements provide broad frameworks to help individuals and communities with moral formation, discernment and thoughtful engagement with current social issues. Social statements also set policy for the ELCA and guide its advocacy and work as a publicly engaged church. They result from an extensive process of participation and deliberation and are adopted by a two-thirds vote of an ELCA churchwide assembly. Faith and Civic Life was adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2025. The fully annotated version is available from the ELCA Resource Center.------Readers: Staff of ELCA Witness in Society Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup Host: Regina Q. BanksProduction: Blake Chastain, Karen KruegerIntro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart 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.