As a Christian who was raised in the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod till we move to the U.P. and now a ELCA Christian since 1963, I am now concerned what will become of the Lutheran Church since this past week when in the ELCA Convention in Chicago, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) passed a resolution at its annual assembly urging bishops to refrain from disciplining pastors who are in "faithful committed same-gender relationships."
This passed by a vote of 538-431, What does this mean for the church? what does it mean for my church and what does it mean for me?
At Zion Lutheran here in St.Ignace our Church council president is a gay woman living in a committed relationship with another woman. I really like both women though only one of them attend church. I suppose that this vote will mean nothing physically to Zion Lutheran. Things will continue to go on as it has before.
I Imagine after the CORE convention Sept 28 some church's will split from the ELCA, how many will remain to be seen but I wonder if it will be 431 churches.
Core http://www.commonconfession.net/index2.html
What of me? I have 1 1/2 year of Lay School , I am deeply committed in a multi-Denominational Ministry in 4 prisons and have a hunger for the word of God.
Well, I will not attend a church that has a gay minister. I will still believe that what the Bible says that Homosexuality is a sin. Not so much because of scripture says verbatim but for the fact that A homosexual relationship is all about that person, And for thousands of years millenniums upon millenniums God has made it a HARD point to say it is NOT ABOUT YOU, It is about your relationship with Yahweh. So homosexuality is in defiance of Living for God and God alone.
For that Gay Community it is not only all about me, It seems they want to jam there lifestyle down our throats.
This call for Prayer, It calls for loving our gay brothers and sisters, But it also calls to God for Faithfulness.
In Messiah
Rick
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2 comments:
by that reasoning, a heterosexual relationship is no less of a sin. it lives in defiance of "Living for God and God alone".
scripture teaches that we live our lives to God through what we do each day- not that we change our lives to somehow be missionaries and ministers to the world, but that we serve God in our daily actions and vocations: husband & wife, Mother & Father, son and daughter, student, doctor, teacher, pastor, garbage man, bartender... all of our vocations, what ever they be given to us.
"by that reasoning, a heterosexual relationship is no less of a sin. it lives in defiance of "Living for God and God alone." -- I have to agree with sean here, but I do disagree with the action taken at the assembly about encouraging bishops to exercise "restraint" in disciplining gay and lesbian pastors.
I don't think there will be radical departures from the ELCA quite yet because of this vote...at least I hope not. The social statement on human sexuality comes out in 2009 and that will be the tell tale sign. This vote about "restraint" may be shedding light on what will happen in 2009, but I want to wait and see what happens...all the while continuing to pray for the ELCA. So far policy has not changed. And the "restraint" vote is not a binding truth. It's a recommendation for action.
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