MARQUETTE — The Northern Great Lakes Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America released a statement in partnership with the Wisconsin Council of Churches, “For Religious Liberty and Against Christian Nationalism.”

Originally signed by 27 Christian leaders in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula and with a growing number of signatures, this statement was issued in response to the Trump Administration’s “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias” Executive Order that aligns the government with Christian nationalism, an ideology that demands a particular brand of Christianity be privileged by the state.

In the statement, the authors write, “Christian Nationalism… distorts the Gospel and turns Jesus and Christianity into a weapon for power and division instead of a movement toward love and justice.”

For Religious Liberty and Against Christian Nationalism originated with the six bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America serving synods — regional church bodies — in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

The statement can be read in full at https://nglsynod.org/. Christian leaders and interfaith partners can add their names as co-signers at the website of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, wichurches.org.