Lutherans ordain gay pastor

Star Tribine ^ | 7-26-04 | Chao Xiong

[Rakkasan1]

Swathed in a white robe with a rope cinched about his waist, Jay Wiesner stood in silence Sunday afternoon as parishioners clustered around, laying their hands on his shoulders while scores more stretched out their hands in his direction.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

LOL

[governsleastgovernsbest]

I stand corrected. I think it was the "Jay" that pushed it over the top for me.

[KC Burke]

Some must stand to "redeem the time." Russell Kirk popularized that phrase from T. S. Elliot. You might have use for the original quote, so here it is:

The world is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time; so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and to save the world from suicide."
T.S. Eliot, Christianity and Culture

[Honorary Serb]

TonyRo76 is in charge of the Lutheran ping list--send a message to him if you want to be on it (if he doesn't do it automatically anyway because of this message of mine).

The Missouri Synod is troubled in part because it fights over much smaller differences than those we fight over in the ELCA, which I do not fully understand--LCMS Freepers, please help me out! They just had a very divisive presidential election, for example. The LCMS also is in trouble because of its large anti-liturgical "church growth movement" faction that dilutes and de-empasizes the sacramental life that is central to most orthodox Lutherans, especially an evangelical catholic/Evangelical Orthodox Lutheran like me. (There are "growthers" in the ELCA, too. And there are evanglical catholics in the LCMS--it's all very complicated for an outsider--and many insiders--to understand. There are even "ELCA wanabe" liberals in the LCMS, although I can't understand why.)

To The Pastor--thank you for continuing the good fight. I hope that you are a member of the Society of the Holy Trinity, or are at least familiar with the Evangelical Lutheran Confessing Fellowship, so that you do not have to fight alone. For your information, I am a layman who subscribes to "Lutheran Forum", and attend a Serbian Orthodox congregation in addition to my ELCA congregation. God bless you!

[Indie]

Good point. Never say never!

[ItsBacon]

I think Pr. Henrickson can shed some light on the LCMS's troubles.

[Nowhere Man]

Nearly all Western (i.e., non-Eastern Orthodox) mainline churches are in trouble in North America and in Europe. Look at the Roman Catholics (sex scandal, lawsuits, churches closing, etc.) and the Episcopal church (gay bishop, churches leaving and forming a conservative "province") for the biggest examples. Churches in trouble include BOTH the ELCA and the Missouri Synod, for different reasons.

It's time to pray, to ask the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to get togehter with other conservative Christians. Joining the FR Lutheran ping list may be part of doing that, especially for FR Lutherans who have not already done so.

I agree with you there, I'm planning on going back to church once I get my career ducks in a row, long story there, but the Lutheran Church I was bapitized in and attended long ago is a member of the ELCA. I guess I will have to fish around to see if the Church follows the Conservative or Liberal wing of the ELCA. Are there any pointers in going about this or should I just ask the pastor and make up my own mind?

BTW, I'm German and Swedish on Mom's side and Serbian, Russian, and Russian Jew on Dad's side and my last name is Serbian although it is more of an English corruption of the original Serbian name. I consider myself pro-Serb too, I think in Kosovo, we put our money on the wrong dog in that fight.

If there is a Lutheran ping list, count me in too.

[aberaussie]

It was the third calling of an openly gay pastor by a Twin Cities congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Wonder if Bishop Hansen will continue to look the other way....

[OKSooner]

Yes, thank you. I was raised in a different church, and recently married into the Lutheran church. There's so much that I just don't understand. Lutherans comport themselves much differently than I'm accustomed to...

[Softballmom]

Please put me on the ping list....

[Honorary Serb]

Please send this thread to the entire Lutheran Ping list, so that other Lutheran Freepers can see the latest assault of the revisionists upon us.

I am convinced that the revsionist/gay strategy is to wear us down with acts such as this one, so that no matter what the vote is in 2005 (or whether there is a vote at all), they win. And it will make it that much harder for us to decide what to do in 2005 and beyond, i.e., whether to stay in the ELCA or to leave.

[msdrby]

LOL

[RebelBanker]

Pastor,

I am a member of an ELCA-affiliated church just a few miles south of the Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg. There are not less than six ELCA-affiliated churches within a couple of miles of my home, but no other Lutheran churches. I am not sure exactly what my church will do if the ELCA decides to embrace an abomination that is clearly condemned by Scripture. However, I do know that my family as well as a number of our friends will not attend a church that has turned its back on the Word in such a manner.

Perhaps at least one of the Lutheran churches in town will continue to follow the teachings of Christ, even if it means leaving the ELCA.