Posted on 02/19/2009 12:21:58 PM PST by Steelfish
Lutherans weigh making gay clergy a local decision
ERIC GORSKI
Feb. 19, 2009.
The nation's largest Lutheran denomination will consider allowing individual congregations to choose whether to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy, an attempt to avoid the sort of infighting that has threatened to tear other churches apart.
A task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommended that course Thursday in a long-awaited report on ministry standards. The panel, however, said the church needs to clarify a number of questions before overhauling its gay clergy policy.
The report, issued at the same time as a broader church social statement on human sexuality, seeks balance on an issue dividing many Protestant churches. Both documents will be considered in August in Minneapolis at the biannual convention of the 4.7-million member denomination.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Another dying denomination.
Come to the WELS...
AW sheeezech, dammit! Why can’t the Lutherans learn from the Episcopalian disaster and take a clue?
How do these people claim to be followers of the WORD?
Making a acting sinner a person of the clergy without that person repenting that sin is so moronic that it surpasses understanding
Sure. Why not? Why not just come out and say:
“Lutheran church surrenders, admits there are no immutable truths”
- or -
“Lutheran church admits it was wrong, sin is a matter of opinion to be determined individually”
- or -
“Abortion to be decided locally - no right or wrong.”
- or -
“Pre-marital sex a personal matter, Lutherans okay with it if it suits you.”
The devil takes another one.
What is funny is that these denominations are doing this in order to get more people in the door, which in fact it goes to only hurt them. There was a mass exodus of right-minded Episcopalians when they pulled this crap, and now some Lutherans will be doing the same.
Stick to the Word of God, not the words of men.
I agree with you. I’m a member of an ELCA church, and I’ll email some of the national ELCA leaders, to try to persuade them to obey the Bible. I’ll look for Lutheran websites and ask many other people to email our leaders.
I know someone who is pro-gay who said churches should change, to conform with society, and I told her that society should change, to obey the Bible.
Part of the Great Apostasy.
Your reply was really harsh. It is also true, thanks for speaking up. We are called to be compassionate, we are also called to be truthful. Sometimes compassion is being straight forward and harsh.
Church politics has always been local.
Apparently, now the definition of sin is also local.
(If everyone is doing it, it can’t be a sin, after all...)
And that is why I left the Lutheran church years ago. How can a religion call itself Christian when they don’t follow the Word of God?
Bump
I am sure those who are normally against immutable truths make exceptions for the “Truth Commission” being suggested for the Bush administration and also for the Truth that whites are all racists and any objection to anal intercourse is a sign of homophobia rather than belief in biblical morality.
If this is approved, a whole bunch of gays with seminary educations who can’t be ordained in other denominations will be knocking down the doors of the ELCA looking to be made righteous-appearing, and the ELCA will soon be totally dominated by gay clergy. Of course, a good many congregations and many individuals will decide to affiliate elsewhere if that happens, and let the devil have the ELCA. God works in mysterious ways, however, and maybe the rejection of the ELCA and its ridicule if it goes the gay clergy route will keep other denominations straight.
Fine analysis. Belief is now a matter of choice. There are no immutable truths.
ELCA is a super liberal denomination.
MCLS and WELS are super conservative (ie follow the Bible) denominations.
ELCA is to Lutherans as Madonna is to Catholics.
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Sounds like they are Christians in name only.
What is the MCLS? Did you mean the LCMS the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod or perhaps MLCS which is a good supplier of router bits?
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