Lutheran (ELCA) Ping!
Posted on 02/04/2008 4:27:56 PM PST by lightman
Draft of Proposed ELCA Social Statement on Sexuality Available March 13 08-008-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The draft of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) proposed social statement on human sexuality will be available March 13. The Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality met here Jan. 25-26 to complete its work on the draft and give final instructions to its writing team.
The task force received a final report on responses for "Free in Christ to Serve the Neighbor: Lutherans Talk about Human Sexuality" -- part three of the "Journey Together Faithfully" study materials for members of the ELCA -- and the group spent eight sessions reviewing draft material of the social statement in closed, off-the-record sessions.
"When social statements are in the actual process of being written, things are very fluid," said the Rev. Peter Strommen, bishop, ELCA Northeastern Minnesota Synod, Duluth, and task force chair. "This is our last meeting before the draft is released. The task force continues to work very hard, securing participation from the entire group," he said.
Members of the church can expect a draft document that is theological and examines human sexuality from a "deep Lutheran perspective," said Strommen. He said the task force hopes the social statement will serve to benefit the church's discussion on the topic of human sexuality.
"A social statement needs to build a theological foundation that engages the social context. On something as broad and complex as human sexuality, specific topics cannot be addressed comprehensively. The social statement's implementing resolutions will lift up the areas that need greater attention from this church," said Strommen.
"One way of picturing the social statement is a bridge. We seek to fashion a theological bridge that can handle the heavy traffic of human sexuality issues of our times and (to) do so without losing our evangelical focus," said Strommen.
The draft of the proposed social statement on human sexuality will be posted at http://www.ELCA.org/faithfuljourney and sent to clergy and other professional leaders of the ELCA. Between March and November, a series of hearings on the draft document will be held across the church. Members of the task force will participate in the hearings and gather feedback on the draft until Nov. 1.
A proposed social statement on human sexuality is due in early 2009. The final proposed statement will be given to the ELCA Church Council with a request to place the document on the agenda of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly for action. The assembly will be held Aug. 7-13, 2009, in Minneapolis.
- - - Information about the ELCA Studies on Sexuality is at http://www.ELCA.org/faithfuljourney on the ELCA Web site.
For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
The news media will have little interest in the proclamation of Jesus Christ, Crucified and Risen; but great interest in this latest chapter in the relentless march toward paganistic sexual license.
Would that the leaders at Higgins Road hear and heed the Easter Epistle:
If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
The First Draft of the proposed 2009 ELCA Social Statement on Human Sexuality, which was completed earlier this week by the ELCA Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality is scheduled to be publicly released on Thursday, March 13, at Noon (Central Daylight Time). While ELCA rostered leaders will be able to download it beginning 24 hours earlier, a quick look at the calendar reveals that most of us will have something a bit more serious in mind at that time -- Holy Week, which begins 2 1/2 days later on Sunday, March 16.
Okay, the timing may not be quite as mind-bogglingly dumb as when the ELCA promoted "Central American Week 1989" and encouraged pastors and congregations to focus on the death of the martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero while the Church Calendar was directing us to observe Holy Week and Easter. Unless, of course, there turns out to be something interesting in this First Draft and local reporters start contacting nearby ELCA pastors for comments.
A seminary classmate serving as an ELCA pastor in Southern California has an interesting idea. He writes: I am ridiculously trying to see if we can get the ELCA to postpone the release of the new sexuality draft to AFTER Easter. This is an action that has NO concern for the content. Right now the new draft is scheduled for release to the media the Wednesday before Holy Week. I wrote Rebecca Larson who is the director of Church and Society and got the following email (see below). If you concur that it would be better to release this AFTER Easter I invite you to send and email to Pastor Larson, Bishop Hanson and your local Bishop. Here are the points I have.
---Easter is one of the biggest evangelism days for many of our congregations; we work hard to be especially inviting and centered on the good news for our many guests and seekers. I can tell you without doubt that negative media exploitation of this study will in my context turn people away from our parish.
---Parish pastors work extremely hard during Holy Week and the weeks before in preparation. If there is negative media exploitation upon the release of this study and this adds to the stress, hours and work load of clergy, it will be received as as big a blunder as the October '93 incident.
---I realize there can be no way to anticipate how the media will respond to the release of this draft. However, we all know the possibility of headlines taken out of context and small portions of a document used for sensationalism. Why would we risk alienating our own people the week before the holiest time of the year? I have to say in my context 'brand' loyalty is not strong, and such potential negative publicity would impact our parish tremendously.
If you think the above points are worthy of postponing the release of this document to the press by a week and a half, please add your email voice to mine. Also please feel free to pass this on to any ELCA clergy that you think might be interested.And then he gives the public e-mail addresses for Dr. Larson, the ELCA's Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, and an assistant to Bishop Hanson. I won't quote Dr. Larson's full letter to my friend. She assures him that
...the decision for the timing of the release was very carefully considered and had to take into consideration many factors including the ones that you raise. ... I do now need to say that, while it may not be ideal, the timeline that we have is the one that we will be using. At the same time I am confident that pastors and congregations will use the theological and liturgical context of Holy Week to assist this church to engage in whatever comes before us that week, including this draft on human sexuality. Yeah, Jesus died so I can comment on what the ELCA Task Force thinks this church ought to say about sexuality.
I think my friend is on to something. What could possibly be lost by delaying the release a couple of weeks until after Easter?
One sip at a time......and those in the pews think they are drinking God’s tonic. I can’t think of anyone I loathe more than these false teachers trying to serve liberalism behind the shield of religion.
Amen.
Never has the ultimate allegience and priority of many of these mis-leaders been so blatantly obvious.
If their first love and loyalty is writing liberal social policy why don’t they get a job working for the Democratic National Committee or the National Education Association?
The churches under the NAtional Council of Churches are aligned with those two organizations 100%
With all due respect...
“By “Contentions,” he means, with heretics, in which he would not have us labor to no purpose, where nothing is to be gained, for they end in nothing. For when a man is perverted and predetermined not to change his mind, whatever may happen, why shouldest thou labor in vain, sowing upon a rock, when thou shouldest spend thy honorable toil upon thy own people, in discoursing with them upon almsgiving and every other virtue?
How then does he elsewhere say, “If God peradventure will give them repentance” (2 Tim. ii.25); but here, “A man that is an heretic after the first and second admonition reject, knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth, being condemned of himself”? In the former passage he speaks of the correction of those of whom he had hope, and who had simply made opposition. But when he is known and manifest to all, why dost thou contend in vain? why dost thou beat the air? What means, “being condemned of himself”? Because he cannot say that no one has told him, no one admonished him; since therefore after admonition he continues the same, he is self-condemned. +John Chrysostomos Homily VI on Titus
Rev. 2:7!
I find the reply to the concerns of pastors to be very arrogant. Basically, we have our reasons and we are going to do it our way. There is no concern for how this will affect the local church.
I fear it runs far deeper: "We have our priorities and proclamation, and so what if it distracts or detracts from proclaming Christ Crucified and Risen".
It was such as these that St. Paul had in mind--with tears in his eyes--when he described those who are "enemies of the cross of Christ, whose god is the belly, who glory in their shame."
Can I assume this will be along the lines of “the Holy Spirit doing a new thing” sexual theology of The Episcopal Church? The Bible and Christian tradition make it clear what the Christian teaching on sexual morality is — it shouldn’t be done outside of marriage between a man and a woman. Why is a “task group” necessary to come up with a new teaching?
In fact, it appears that is the intent.
That is certainly the way that the gaysbian lobby is hoping and tirelessly advocating. In fact, at the AD 2007 Churchwide Assembly there was a completely illict "eucharist" celebrating the "new pentecost" at which the defrocked, non-celibate gay former Pastor Bradley Schmeling was the preacher. The presider was Bishop Margaret Payne of the New England Synod--the former chair of the supposedly neutral and "open to all voices" Task Force!
The hermeneutic of suspicion (a la "Jesus Seminar") has been applied to both the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. Everything is pure Zeitgeist.
Therefore, the best thing to do is to not even read the "sexuality statement", let alone study it or comment upon it, until a decent interval after Pascha.
If one is a pastor, that would mean telling anyone who asks your opinion on the statment that you have not read the document, and exactly why you have not done so. It would also mean advising your flock of the great importance of focusing on Holy Week and Pascha, and eliminating ALL distractions as much as possible.
There wull be plently of time to read, reflect on, and comment on the statement, after the Feast, and after the usual pastor's post-Paschal rest period or vacation. And observing that decent interval will show the ELCA mis-leaders what it is like to focus on what is REALLY important.
Excellent advice.
Because lying and misrepresenting their beliefs has proven to be more effectively subversive.
US: Can I assume this will be along the lines of “the Holy Spirit doing a new thing” sexual theology of The Episcopal Church?
That would be a safe bet, as TEC and ELCA are in full communion.
The Bible and Christian tradition make it clear what the Christian teaching on sexual morality is — it shouldn’t be done outside of marriage between a man and a woman. Why is a “task group” necessary to come up with a new teaching?
To give it the veneer of being a consensus of opinion on a carefully argued and prayerfully well-thought position; as opposed to the liberal, elitist, pre-determined conclusion that it is.
Any more questions?
LM: Everything is pure Zeitgeist.
See? You DO get it!
In view of Honorary Serb’s truly excellent advice about avoiding distraction during Holy Week (Pascha) there shall be no Lutheran Ping coming from me on March 13; nor shall I post any ELCA News Service releases concerning this report.
Bookmark this link http://www.elca.org/scriptlib/CO/ELCA_News/encArticleList.asp to access the latest news.
Excellent advice lightman and HS. It could be part of our Lenten discipline to not focus on this sort of foolishness the entire Lenten season!
• African Methodist Episcopal Church
• The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
• Alliance of Baptists
• American Baptist Churches in the USA
• Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
• Church of the Brethren
• The Coptic Orthodox Church in North America
• The Episcopal Church
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Friends United Meeting
• Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
• Hungarian Reformed Church in America
• International Council of Community Churches
• Korean Presbyterian Church in America
• Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
• Mar Thoma Church
• Moravian Church in America Northern Province and Southern Province
• National Baptist Convention of America
• National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.
• National Missionary Baptist Convention of America
• Orthodox Church in America
• Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA
• Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
• Polish National Catholic Church of America
• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
• Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
• Reformed Church in America
• Serbian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. and Canada
• The Swedenborgian Church
• Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch
• Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America
• United Church of Christ
• The United Methodist Church •
Good!!!!
Pastors and lay leaders might also inform their bishops (or “bishops”, if you have an unapostolic pseudo-bishop), the presiding “bishop”, and the committee why you are neither reading nor commenting on the “statement” until well after Pascha. One might also post on this issue on ALPB and other Lutheran forums, and/or on blogs.
Everyone should realize that the “sexuality statement” is meant to be an ELCA “social statement”, to guide the church body on dealings in the public sphere. It is NOT meant to deal with church disciplinary matters, such as “partnered” gaysbian pastors or “blessings” of same-sex “unions” or “marriages”. However, the last CWA asked the committee to draft a guidance statement on these matters as well.
This whole issue just goes on and on and refuses to die—until Lutheran Christians realize that God is telling them that it is time to go home.
So when (not if) this report goes for full abandonment of Christian morals, what shall you do?
I do not envy you. I have friends in a similar situation who are trying to be a good Christian pastor in a denomination that is quickly becoming anti Christian.
For those in the ELCA, it is probably past time to go. The big question is where? I really fear that those who leave will soon disrupt their new congregations. Seen it to many times.
What is your experience of ex-ELCAers disrupting their new congregations? Is this mainly in the LCMS? Are the former ELCA members bringing bad-habits and/or heresies learned from the ELCA with them, or are they the most adamant conservatives in their new congregations (and against any change, even beneficial change)?
I guess I would love to hear more about this issue - what kind of members former ELCA’ers are in an LCMS church. We are in the process of changing and I am so happy to hear solid law and gospel sermons I don’t quite know what to do with myself. I am not interested in campaigning for women’s ordination...I can’t imagine joining a new church and then trying to change it. Of course, LCMS in FL tends to be somewhat less conservative than it is farther north, so it feels a lot like the predecessor churches to the ELCA were years ago.
The LCMS also has "closed" communion. The more I know, the more I realize the LCMS position is the compassionate position. If we believe I Corinthians 11:27-29 which says: "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread, and drink that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."
The LCMS wants to make sure that anyone communing knows what they're doing. They are not trying to be excusionary.
The photos of those homosexuals dressed as nuns and taking communion drove home what I Corinthians 11:27-29 was really about.
I have known some wonderful, orthodox women pastors. And I have known some doctrinare feminazi, lesbian, "gay"-enabling, and dhimmi women pastors, as well as male pastors who fit the same description (except of course for "lesbian").
However, the REAL iussue is that as soon as ANY church body ordains women, the demands for "inclusive language" liturgies and theological language and for gaysbian pastors arise, until they overwhelm the church body and dominate it!!!! Then come other heresies, such as "many paths to God", which is considered "softer and more feminine", as opposed to the "judgmental" and "patriarchal" Scriptural view of Christ as the only way of salvation.
There is an Antiochian Orthodox theologian who has written about this at length (available online), including the view that God never meant for women to be ordained priests or deacons, but that they can serve and are serving in any other leadership position in the Church.
Anyone who joins the LCMS (let alone Orthodoxy or Roman Catholicism) and advacates women's ordination advocates the destruction of their new church body. And any who start a new orthodox Lutheran church body that keeps women's ordination will see their new denomination crumble and fall within one generation.
I was baptized and confirmed LCMS, so I am familiar with their teachings. I guess I am wondering if there are actually examples of people moving to the LCMS and then agitating to change it to ordain women, change communion practices, etc.
I think that there will be a significant number of people switching from ELCA to LCMS. I hope that we will be welcomed and not viewed with suspicion.
Which is precisely why Lower Susquehanna was so blessed to have had the leadership of Bp. Carol Hendrix, and why our White Rose Cluster is so blessed to have Pr. Judy McKee, Pr. Sara ("Sally") Gausmann--twice a CWA voting member--and Pr. Amy Schifrin. They meet your/our definition of orthodox women...they each take their turn at our Matins and none would dare think of using anything but the proper language for the little Glorias. BUT...as you say...that is the real problem. The only solution/way out that I can see is to close the door for future candidacy/ordination; and we know how likely that would be.
It’s got my curiosity... What sexuality is the ELCA going to make available on March 13? (That they haven’t already...)
"Fluid," huh? Is that anything like an "evolving paradigm"? (For those of you fortunate enough to have missed it, that phrase is from the infamous Massachusetts SJC's decision mandating gay marriage.)
I'm sure it has happened and is happening but I don't see anything on the horizon of a serious nature. Seems to me that if someone wants women ordained, there is a place for them and it's the ELCA.
I think that there will be a significant number of people switching from ELCA to LCMS. I hope that we will be welcomed and not viewed with suspicion.
With open arms. I want you to know the joy we've experienced. "There is more rejoicing............" Welcome home!!
Has it been posted here on FR in the past? I think I read it and it is excellent.
Anyone who joins the LCMS (let alone Orthodoxy or Roman Catholicism) and advacates women's ordination advocates the destruction of their new church body. And any who start a new orthodox Lutheran church body that keeps women's ordination will see their new denomination crumble and fall within one generation.
Excellent, excellent post. Amazing isn't it, how when we violate God's word, there are consequences.
Here is the link to the (heirarch-approved) Antiochian Orthodox article on women’s ordination, by Fr. John Morris:
http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles4/MorrisFeminism.php
It was written in reaction to the small band of women theologians in the Orthodox Church (centered in Boston College, a Jesuit organization) who have been pushing for women’s ordination and “gay”/lesbian rights. However, the numbers of such advocates is much smaller than even in the Roman Catholic Church (Boston College has been a hotbed of RC radical feminism), and they have much less influence.
Given the ministries of orthodox women pastors/priests and bishops in the ELCA and Episcopal/Anglican churches, the situation with women’s ordination is tragic. As we enter into (or prepare for) Lent, it is good to acknowledge that our understanding and wisdom is limited, and undermined by both personal and societal sin. Lord have mercy!
I would like to point out that many of the women of my generation who were active in ministry in the LCA were pushed toward going to seminary. I was, my best friend was. We both agreed recently that we are very thankful that we did not pursue that path. Yet we both have been very acitve in ministry during our adult lives, without being ordained.
I have a friend who is ordained in the ELCA, who is a marvelous, compassionate, orthodox, female pastor (her husband is a pastor as well). While working with Word Alone and Lutheran CORE at the last two national conventions, I have met several other orthodox women pastors for whom I have great respect. This is a difficult situation...I realize the mere fact that these women are ordained means for some people that they cannot be considered orthodox. Yet there they are. Please keep them in prayer, that God will show them and us the way on this issue. The ELCA is becoming a difficult place for them to be.
As I have said previously, I don't and won't advocate LCMS changing their position. I have had many other experiences with women pastors that have emphasized feminism over orthodoxy.
Thank you. It is good to come home. ;-)
Over the last ten years or so we have had the opportunity to visit LCMS churches on occasion, even though we were not considering leaving our present church. I always had that sense of "coming home" whenever we visited. Until recently, our ELCA church was of the more orthodox variety, but that has changed in the last four years because of a new, very revisionist senior pastor. Leaving our current church was not even a consideration five years ago, but in the last two years we have known that we were going to have to make that choice. We have visited five different LCMS churches in the last year or so. Many of our friends have joined different ones in the area. They have all been gracious and welcoming. What a blessing.
You will be a blessing to whatever congregation you choose. I wish you lived near us.
This is exactly what will happen. As the older, more orthodox pastors retire and are replaced by the younger ones going through the extremely liberal seminaries, the ELCA will continue their leftward drift. It will continue to get worse.
This is exactly what will happen. As the older, more orthodox pastors retire and are replaced by the younger ones going through the extremely liberal seminaries, the ELCA will continue their leftward drift. It will continue to get worse.
This is exactly what will happen. As the older, more orthodox pastors retire and are replaced by the younger ones going through the extremely liberal seminaries, the ELCA will continue their leftward drift. It will continue to get worse.
They aren’t just from the ELCA also. A few are ECUSA converts.
There are places for women to serve out a vocation in the LCMS. Deaconeses (sp), teachers, etc. But I shudder whenever I see a denomintation go to women’s ordination.
I have yet to see one keep on the tracks after that.
I am a man, and also strongly considered going to seminary when I was young. Most Lutheran young men considered it at the time. In the then-LCA, there would have been little or no problem with heterodoxy (depite the presence of a few women candidates and the rare feminist or two), and one would have come out a good evangelical catholic Lutheran pastor if that was your inclination.
However, if I were a pastor now, I would be stuck in the ELCA (unless I possessed the tremendous amount of raw nerve and grace that it would take to lead my flock into Orthodoxy), and would be even more marginalized than I am now. I know several pastors (including younger ones) in that situation. And I know one second-career orthodox man who has just been ordained in our ultra-liberal synod with its tyrannical “bishop” despite my not-so-subtle warnings.
They all need our prayers, too.
Some who flee from evil in the ELCA will go to LCMS. But far more, I'm guessing, will go to Rome.
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