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Lutherans to consider legacy with Anabaptists Statement expressing “deep regret and sorrow” for persecution may be adopted
hope in such a way that the assembly stood to its feet and some people wept. In Germany itself, Lutheran and Mennonite churches were in conversation from 1989 to 1993, resulting in a declaration of mutual Eucharistic fellowship. Other dialogues have occurred in France and the U.S. “In the spirit of biblical forgiveness, it is important that we offer forgiveness when asked,” said Ernst Bergen, MWC treasurer. General secretary Larry Miller added, “We need to address our stereotypical treatment of Lutherans and our continuing sense of victimization.” MWC
PHOTO: LWF/H. Putsman Penet
Anabaptists will be affected by what happens in July 2010 at the Lutheran World Federation’s Eleventh Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany. The assembly will be asked to adopt the statement Action on the Legacy of Lutheran Persecution of “Anabaptists,” as recommended by its council in October 2009. The statement expresses “deep regret and sorrow” for the 16th-century violent persecution of Anabaptists by Lutherans. It asks for forgiveness for past wrongs, for forgetting or ignoring the persecution, and for continuing to describe Anabaptists in damaging ways. The statement also speaks to how Lutherans will remember this persecution and how the Lutheran confessional legacy will be interpreted in the future. A Lutheran-Mennonite International Study Commission was established in 2002 and worked from 2005 to 2009; its report went to LWF churches in 2010. At the 15th MWC assembly in Paraguay, Ishmael Noko, LWF general secretary, expressed regret, reconciliation, and
The statement speaks to how Lutherans will remember this persecution and how the Lutheran confessional legacy will be interpreted in the future. Larry Miller, MWC general secretary (right), listens as Mark S. Hanson, president, reads a statement from the Lutheran World Federation on the 16th century persecution of the Anabaptists.
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THE MESSENGER | June 2010
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