As a member of the ELCA, I truly had hoped that the Churchwide Assembly meeting in Chicago this week would finally take action to address the role of gay clergy and end the second class status of gays within the Church. Sadly, the Assembly took the easy way out and deferred any decision until 2009. Here's a portion of the news release from the ELCA web site:CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The 2007 Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA voted 733-278 to refer memorials on the blessing of same-sex relationships to the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality. The Task Force is engaged in developing a social statement on human sexuality to be presented to the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.
It was a gutless cop out by those unwilling to take on the reactionary bigot element within the Church for the sake of "unity," even if that means being united in wrong decisions. My local pastor continues to be supportive and displeased with the result. My fear is that even if a decision is deferred for two years, unless and until some assembly members grow spines, nothing will change and an opportunity to minister to the LGBT community will be lost. How many individuals must be driven from faith and involvement in the Church, merely for the sake of placating closed minded, loveless, self-righteous, homophobic bigots?? In my view, the loss of the element would be a huge gain for the ELCA.
3 comments:
Sorry to hear that. You're right: They're just sidestepping the issue hoping that it will cool down a bit in a couple of years.
Michael, I am one of your "reactionary bigots" who, I am sure you are pleased to know, left the ELCA earlier this year. The ELCA is lost to the gospel. Soon enough it will be yours to do what you will to it and with it. Patience will always cause hand-wringing liberals to fold in the face of conviction and the exercise of power.
The Gospel or Leviticus? The Gospels have no anti-homosexual language in them and focus on loving one's neighbor and contain many passages condemning self-righteous hypocrites. I would argue that by "liberalizing," the ELCA is more closely following the true Gospels and leaving behind the legalism of Leviticus, etc., that is used only to divide and diminish others for the benefit of the self-satisfied few.
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