[lightman]

"For all that, as clearly appears in St. Paul's letters, Christian liberty is never identified with license or with the freewill to do what one wants. It is carried out in conformity with Christ, and therefore, in the authentic service of man, above all, of the most needy. Because of this, Paul's report of the assembly closed by recalling the recommendation the apostles gave him: "Only, we were to be mindful of the poor, which is the very thing I was eager to do" (Galatians 2:10). "

What an excellent corrective to the misuse of Galatians in the ELCA Sexuality Study "Journey Together Faithfully".

For this reason, odd as it may seem, this weekly Audience text is worthy of a:

Lutheran (ELCA) Ping!

[narses]

Obama Doesn’t Want His Daughters Punished with a Baby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNzmly28Bmg

CNN on Obama’s Infant Born Alive Act Rejection

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPZCXcTwZPY

Jill Stanek on Obama and Born Alive Infant Protection Act (MUST SEE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdbYjmbFzo

Obama Cover-up Revealed On Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Bill

http://www.nrlc.org/ObamaBAIPA/ObamaCoverup.html

Explosive Audio Found Obama arguing against BAIPA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypDwNpgIUQc

Babies left to die!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdbYjmbFzo

[Honorary Serb]

As a new (as of five months ago now) Orthodox Christian, I am SO glad that I don’t have to discuss the ELCA “sexuality statement”.

That is because the “sexuality” issue in the ELCA has already been decided. Gaysbians are being ordained in an ever increasing number, all despite the fig-leaf of “official ELCA policy” of course, but they’re ordained neverthless. Since I am now outside the ELCA, I have no need to remember or learn their names. So they are “what’s-his-name from Atlanta”, “what’s-her-name from Texas”, etc. At the same time, “gay unions” are increasingly celebrated in ELCA congregations, openly “partnered” gaysbians are welcomed into membership with nothing said about repentance, etc. Why discuss the “statement” when it’s already been decided?

Even beyond the “gay” issue, the “sexuality statement” seems to imply that the entire Bible can be reduced to only Galatians. The authors of the “statement” are trying to out-Marcion Marcion!

It might be instructive to compare the “statement’s” take on Galatians with that of the new edition (containing Old and New Testaments) of the Orthodox Study Bible. The OSB has notes on the bottom of each page, whicb are mainly derived from the Church Fathers. Instead of taking a book like Galatians in isolation (and misinterpreting it in an ideological way), it puts it in the context of the rest of the Bible, the Fathers, and the Liturgy.