CHICAGO (June 5, 2025) — ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has responded to the Trump administration’s travel ban scheduled to go into effect June 9. The ban restricts entry into the United States from 12 countries, several of which are majority Muslim countries.
“As Lutherans, we should be concerned by these actions,” Eaton writes. “Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God has set us free from ourselves to serve our neighbor. This expanded policy separates families from loved ones already here. Further, it prevents people, especially those escaping perilous or life-threatening situations in several of these nations, from coming to safety in the U.S.
It does not enhance our safety or reflect our vocation as Christians.”
Read the full statement HERE.
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.