Episcopal, ELCA leaders headline webinar connecting political advocacy with love of neighbor

An Episcopal and Lutheran webinar on July 9, joined by more than 2,000 participants, highlighted the two churches’ nonpartisan political advocacy, as well as tips for church members to express their faith values through public engagement.

The Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, or ELCA, both participated in the webinar. Each spoke for about five minutes at the beginning, affirming that Christianity doesn’t just have something to say about contemporary society: It also calls on Christians to be advocates for justice.

“It’s probably not accidental that Jesus speaks of the spirit of God as the advocate,” Curry said, citing the Gospel of John. “The work of advocacy really is the work of love, and it is the practical work of love in the social and public context.”

The 90-minute webinar, titled “Advocacy Tools for Loving Your Neighbor,” was livestreamed on Zoom and Facebook and hosted by The Episcopal Church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations and its ELCA counterpart. The two churches share resources for some of their advocacy work – an international policy adviser is employed by both denominations, for example – and Curry and Eaton often speak together on social justice issues.