Members of the writing team of the LWF study group on Theologies of the Cross for the 21st Century, with General Secretary Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt and other staff at the Communion Office in Geneva. Photo: LWF/A. Danielsson
Writing team advances LWF study process on how churches engage with the world
Guide churches
(LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) study group on Theologies of the Cross for the 21st Century is advancing, with its writing team meeting at the Communion Office in Geneva, 1-3 May, to draft a document for the global communion.
The cross of Christ is at the heart of Lutheran faith. The LWF Council appointed the study group in June 2024 following a Thirteenth Assembly resolution to explore what the proclamation of the gospel means amid contemporary challenges. The meeting gathered four members for focused writing sessions on a document that will draw on diverse theological perspectives and how churches understand and engage with the world.
Members of the writing team emphasized that theology of the cross is rooted in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, shaping how churches understand and engage with the world, noted Ms Lea Schlenker, LWF Program Executive for Global Lutheran Theology, who accompanies the process that includes online and in-person meetings.
“It is essential to understand that theology of the cross is not a doctrine among others,” Schlenker said. “Rather, it is a lens to look at our world from the perspective of suffering, but at the same time with the hope of resurrection that injustice, violence, and death do not have the final word,” she added.
Theology of the cross is a lens to look at our world from the perspective of suffering, but at the same time with the hope of resurrection that injustice, violence, and death do not have the final word.
Ms Lea Schlenker, LWF Program Executive for Global Lutheran Theology
The study document under development will include guiding principles and recommendations for churches, address misleading theological interpretations, and draw on the experiences of LWF member churches, as well as related work on Lutheran identities and theology. The goal is to support churches to stand in solidarity with those who suffer and foster communities that mirror God’s self-giving love.
The study group comprising theologians, church leaders, and lay and ordained experts is chaired by Rev. Dr Arnfríður Guðmundsdóttir, LWF Vice-President for the Nordic region, who led the meeting in Geneva. Other member of the writing team are: Rev. Dr Kirsi Stjerna, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Ms Tsion Seyoum Meren, The Ethiopian Church Mekane Yesus, and Rev. Cornelius Haposan Sinaga, Protestant Christian Batak Church (Indonesia). A report will be presented to the Council at its 2028 meeting.
