Welcome to Unity Church ELCA Church

The movement for human rights has made significant progress

over the last century. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights1

and the means to monitor those rights did not exist prior to 1948.

Genocides have been named and condemned for what they are.

Slave labor has been outlawed in much of the world. Women

in many societies have achieved greater degrees of autonomy,

education and public influence than anyone could have imagined

even 100 years ago.

Yet staggering numbers of God’s children have not experienced

this advancement. Governmental oppression, war and famine send

historic numbers of people streaming via dangerous routes into

nearby countries that are overwhelmed and often reluctant to

accept them.2 People are treated as “suspicious” or are brutalized

simply because of their gender, race, ethnicity or religious beliefs.

Impoverished citizens have no access to clean water and live in

environmental degradation. Many multinational corporations

invest heavily in and benefit from the conditions in countries with

egregious human rights violations.

Bad news from around the globe brings deep discouragement

about prospects for human society.3 Our church, however, lives

in abiding hope because of God’s promises and has resources for

bold witness. This message draws together commitments from

the Lutheran tradition and the Scriptures and a strong foundation

of social teaching developed by the ELCA and its predecessor

church bodies.4 This message summons God's people to courage,

confession and engagement to promote and protect human rights.

Called by God

Concern for the well-being of others lies at the very heart of

Christian faith (Matthew 22:36-40).5 Christians have a variety of

social identifications through their nation of origin, race, ethnicity

or political affiliation, but all Christians have a common identity as

children of a loving creator who became vulnerable as Emmanuel,

God with us. The One in whom there is no Jew or Greek (Galatians

3:28) teaches that we should treat all people in need as we would

treat Christ among us (Matthew 25).

In the name of the God who creates every human being out of

love, this church teaches human dignity is God’s gift to every

person and that the commitment to universal rights protects that

dignity. In adopting this social message, the Evangelical Lutheran

Church in America (ELCA) Church Council gives renewed attention to 

addressing human rights as a church.6 It also believes

the time is right for more Christians to enter public conversation

and take action to safeguard the dignity due to all children of God.

ELCA social teaching is clear: “The God who justifies expects all

people to do justice."