The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) a large Christian denomination in the United States.

Welcome to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA is a church of about 4 million members who actively participate in God’s work in the world. We believe that we are freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor.

With our hands, we do God’s work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus Christ’s name throughout the world. We are a church that belongs to Christ. There is a place for you here. We live in many different communities, span all ages, cultures and races and bring to this church unique life experiences and perspectives. Seek answers to your questions and discover what God is calling you to in life.

ELCA.org

Who are we? One of the things about being a large denomination is that we don’t all agree on everything. In fact, the congregation I serve tends to lean toward the progressive side of most issues. Not all ELCA congregation are like this. Some are more conservative. Recently, I had a brunch with a group of members of my congregation so we could talk about how we talk to other Christians who have “defined us” in their own minds and in their own talking points.

Some of the things we talked about start with the reality that Christians seemed to have been able to disagree about things more agreeably in years past. All over the country, communities could have a Thanksgiving service with Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, and so forth, quite easily. We all believed in Jesus. It didn’t matter so much whether we chose to have grape juice or wine for communion. It didn’t matter so much whether we baptized infants, or only older believers. We believed in Jesus, worshiped God together, and set aside some of our differences.

Today, Christians seem to be more polarized. The difference is that some of these things are not just about opinions or doctrines. The places where I believe the lines are crossed are when individuals or whole groups of people are, 1. Dehumanized, 2. experiencing existential oppression, or 3. experiencing existential erasure. These things are all above and beyond the scope of difference of opinion, or even scholarly doctrine. They cross the line of experiencing “other” within the scope of humanity.

To Dehumanize another is to speak or act in such a way that people, whom we all consider to be made in the image of God, are less than human. Throughout history, dehumanizing metaphors have played a key role in the propaganda of genocidal regimes. Dehumanization always starts with language

Dehumanizing always starts with language, often followed by images. We see this throughout history. During the Holocaust, Nazis described Jews as Untermenschen—subhuman. They called Jews rats and depicted them as disease-carrying rodents in everything from military pamphlets to children’s books. Hutus involved in the Rwanda genocide called Tutsis cockroaches. Indigenous people are often referred to as savages. Serbs called Bosnians aliens. Slave owners throughout history considered slaves subhuman animals.

https://brenebrown.com/articles/2018/05/17/dehumanizing-always-starts-with-language/

We can all imagine more references. What comes to mind when you see/hear the word “illegals?”

When a country is at war with another country, the enemy is usually referred to by euphemisms that dehumanizes them. When immigrants are fleeing from a dangerous place, seeking refuge, they are often referred to in derogatory, and less than human terms to keep them out of a potential host country. Are they less than human, of course not. But some people have a stake in keeping them out. “Antifa” is a relatively new term. At it’s root, it means to encompass those who are against fascism, as if it were a bad thing and we didn’t fight at least one World War over this. But it is a derogatory word meant to be spewed at or about the “other.” Using dehumanizing words is intended to makes the user sound or seem less cruel in “othering the other.”

Using words or phrases that do not mean what they generally mean, is also a language usage intended to draw allies and detract opposition. The “pro-life” movement seems to have Christian roots, but when they start dehumanizing the very human mother carrying zygote or fetus a line is being crossed. There is a strong correlation between those who expess “pro-life” opions, and those who favor the death penalty.

Existential Oppression overlaps dehumanization. This term literally means that some people find it acceptable to oppress the very existence of other people. Slavery is perhaps the example we can look to with the most clarity. In its day, and for many years after, it was common practice to take people from their home countries, communities, professions, and families, put them on slave ships, and create slaves out of human beings. It was a cultural norm to buy and sell human beings (because of their skin color) and treat them with cruelty, poverty, and hardship. In the United States today, human trafficing is still a major issue. Were they doctors, lawyers, educators? Did they have family, community, loved ones? That form of their existence was unimportant to those who stood to gain by their oppression.

Existential Erasure is from a similar mindset. Most often, it happens on a systemic level. (i.e. mob mentality). When American Indians were dehumanized by calling them savages (dehumanize), it became no more than sport to kill these human beings, and take all that they had. This and colonialism all over the world was supported and encouraged by Church Doctrine from the 15th century. (The Doctrine of Discover.) Hitler’s drive to erase the Jews from history is well documented. There are other forms of existential erasure that are less understood, but becoming far to culturally commonplace. Consider recent movements to ban books and ban black history from being taught. There are many excuses being used, but the end goal is the same – “do not let anyone know that this happened or that they existed.”

Do yourself a favor and visit a holocaust museum. At the very least, visit a holocaust museum website. Dehumanizing, Existential Oppression, and Existential Erasure all start with words. But they can have horrific consequences when the ball starts rolling and no one is there to stop it. Luke 18 gives us an idea how Jesus handled it when a self-righteous person “othered” another.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other, for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18