The Church of Sweden - a sister church to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - has elected Eva Brunne, 55 (pictured at left), as the world's first openly lesbian bishop this past week thereby demonstrating that some within the Lutheran Church have embraced modern knowledge on sexual orientation and grasp that LGBT individuals are fully human and entitled to full membership in the Church. Here are some highlights from Metro.US:*
Yesterday was a historic one for the church: Eva Brunne, 55, became the world’s first openly lesbian bishop. Only two weeks ago the Lutheran Church of Sweden — the country’s largest — said yes to same-sex marriages. Metro spoke to Eva Brunne before her ordination in Stockholm.
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You’ll be the world’s first openly lesbian bishop. How does it feel to have so much public and media attention devoted to your sexual orientation?
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I don’t think a heterosexual bishop would ever be asked about his wife or marriage, but I am happy if I, to some degree, can be a symbolic figure. Of course there are other things in my life that qualify me as a bishop.
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Sadly, some parishes within the ELCA here in the USA are a different story from the Church of Sweden - such as the Roanoke, Virginia, parish that I discussed in a prior post that has generated comments from some of the church's members, including one that I received yesterday (I chose not to publish it in its entirety). I do not intend to be cruel to the writer of the most recent comment, but the intellectual dishonesty and contortions used to justify clinging to a few arguably anti-gay passages in the Bible, while basically ignoring prohibitions against divorce are unbelievable. Indeed, after indicating that no variance should be allowed vis-a-vis anti-gay passages, the writer said:
Yesterday was a historic one for the church: Eva Brunne, 55, became the world’s first openly lesbian bishop. Only two weeks ago the Lutheran Church of Sweden — the country’s largest — said yes to same-sex marriages. Metro spoke to Eva Brunne before her ordination in Stockholm.
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You’ll be the world’s first openly lesbian bishop. How does it feel to have so much public and media attention devoted to your sexual orientation?
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I don’t think a heterosexual bishop would ever be asked about his wife or marriage, but I am happy if I, to some degree, can be a symbolic figure. Of course there are other things in my life that qualify me as a bishop.
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Sadly, some parishes within the ELCA here in the USA are a different story from the Church of Sweden - such as the Roanoke, Virginia, parish that I discussed in a prior post that has generated comments from some of the church's members, including one that I received yesterday (I chose not to publish it in its entirety). I do not intend to be cruel to the writer of the most recent comment, but the intellectual dishonesty and contortions used to justify clinging to a few arguably anti-gay passages in the Bible, while basically ignoring prohibitions against divorce are unbelievable. Indeed, after indicating that no variance should be allowed vis-a-vis anti-gay passages, the writer said:
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God does not like divorce but accepts it when unbelievers are involved (1Corin 7:10-15). In the same context, if a church leader is experiencing emotional difficulty because of a messy divorce it would be advised that he/she take an absence from their leadership duties until such problems are dealt with. . . . What is really sad in this whole situation, is the fact that only a small number of ELCA churches are taking the correct stance.
God does not like divorce but accepts it when unbelievers are involved (1Corin 7:10-15). In the same context, if a church leader is experiencing emotional difficulty because of a messy divorce it would be advised that he/she take an absence from their leadership duties until such problems are dealt with. . . . What is really sad in this whole situation, is the fact that only a small number of ELCA churches are taking the correct stance.
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To the writer apparently these passages are to be ignored while passages purportedly against homosexuality are inviolate:
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Mark 10:11 He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
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Mark 10:12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."
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Mark 10:11 He answered, "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her.
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Mark 10:12 And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery."
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To me, these passages are pretty clear and I see no way that the writer can find ways around them yet mindlessly cling to the literal application of passages that do not effect her. The truth is that the Bible CANNOT be applied literally. When it is applied literally, all kinds of horrors can be justified, ranging from slavery, the murder of women and children, the subjugation of women, racial segregation, etc. The list goes on and on. Why is it so difficult to understand that the Bible was written over 2000 years ago by people who lacked modern knowledge - indeed, they believed the universe revolved around the earth - and knew nothing about modern mental health knowledge? Yet only when it comes to condemning gays, is a literal application acceptable to some.
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And as for the writer's comment that "all people are welcome in her church," she has a strange view of what being "welcome" means. Being told your relationships are sinful and that you cannot be a member of the clergy is not my idea of being welcome. I guess this woman believes blacks found segregation to be a welcome experience as well. It boggles my mind how people can be so mindlessly bigoted. My relationship with the boyfriend in no way affects her and were we to marry, her marriage would not be impacted one iota.
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