Lutheran (EL
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Posted on 04/07/2010 12:49:51 PM PDT by lightman
ELCA NEWS SERVICE April 7, 2010
Tanzanian Bishop, African Churches Comment on ELCA Assembly Decisions
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) said in an Easter sermon that the ELCT does not support certain decisions of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) nor the Church of Sweden's decision to allow its clergy to conduct same-gender marriages.
The ELCA assembly, held this past August in Minneapolis, approved proposals that would create the possibility for Lutherans in committed, publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships to serve as ELCA clergy and professional lay leaders. It also adopted a social statement on human sexuality which refers to several topics, including same-gender relationships and marriage.
The Rev. Alex G. Malasusa, ELCT presiding bishop, commented on "same-sex marriages" in his Easter sermon at the Azania Front Church, Dar es Salaam. Malasusa said the local church did not support the decisions of the ELCA and the Church of Sweden because "it was against God's word," according to The Citizen, a newspaper in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The newspaper reported that Malasusa said, "Lutheran churches in the U.S. and Sweden had strayed from the Scriptures, and it was up to Africa to bring them back into line."
"ELCT has refused to recognize the decision to allow same-sex marriages because it is against the Holy Bible. It is in direct contravention of God's word, which has not changed," Malasusa was quoted as saying.
"It's time Africa preached to the rest of the world and remind them of God's word because it seems they have forgotten what the Bible says," Malasusa said. The newspaper said that comment brought cheers from worshippers.
Malasusa also urged the church in Tanzania and across Africa to strive for financial and economic independence. "We should be independent so that they don't use their money and wealth to threaten us … we should leave them with their money and stick to the word of God," the newspaper reported.
In addition member churches of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Africa met March 24-28 in Abuja, Nigeria, in an Africa Pre-assembly and Church Leadership Consultation. The consultation was one of several held throughout the world in advance of this summer's LWF Assembly in Germany.
In their final message after the consultation, the LWF churches in Africa commented on the topic of marriage, family and human sexuality.
"We strongly affirm our decision taken in Lund in 2007 that 'marriage is holy, ordained by God and is a relationship between a man and woman.' Therefore, the majority of African member churches say "NO" to homosexual acts and regard it to be sinful," the message said.
"Further to this affirmation of our position on this matter, we are extremely disturbed and deeply regret the recent developments taking place in some member churches of the communion who have taken unilateral decision on same-sex marriages, disregarding the strong sentiments expressed by other members of the communion. This unilateral action has negatively impacted our life together as a communion, something which could have been avoided," the message said.
"We pray for the Spirit of discernment and for the grace of God to abound as we seek to resolve these issues," the African churches' message stated.
The text of the LWF African churches' message is at http://www.lwf-assembly.org/uploads/media/Africa_Pre-Assembly_Message.pdf on the Web.
For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news Twitter: http://twitter.com/elcanews
One wonders if the ELCA will ever be willing to stand with Africa defending the unchanging truth of the Word of God?
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
The ELCA doesn’t care what any of us think. They have an agenda that they pretend is religion.
They didn’t exactly stand with the Oromo Lutheran Church, did they? After touting the Oromo at their convention as models of ELCA “diversity,” ELCA poobahs were not a little chagrined when the Oromo spent the rest of the convention fasting and praying for the ELCA to repent of its apostasy.
The Presiding Bishop describes it as "two competing hermeneutics".
St. Paul describes it as a "different Gospel."
They actually did their best to bar Oromo members from being near the Voting Members by requiring them to purchase "Visitor" credentials. That requirement, I am told, was not evenly applied to certain other groups.
Acquiescent ELCA apostates?
They'll probably be shouting big huzzahs about Obama's "we'd never, ever, ever use a nasty old nuke" pronouncement.
[Family Research Council ] Nukes of Hazard?
With the announcement of a new nuclear doctrine by the Obama administration, some on the Evangelical Left are hailing this move as a step toward peace and a nuclear-free world. If only that were true. I don't want reflexively to endorse any excessive response to threats against the U.S., but I do want to raise some pointed objections to the flawed theology and failed policy of pacifism embraced by the Left. Paul's letter to the Romans tells us that government does not bear the sword for nothing, and that it is God's instrument to deal with wrongdoers. We have vast experience with making peace in this country. Thomas Jefferson refused to pay tribute to Muslim hostage takers, instead sending the Marines "to the shores of Tripoli " to fight for our rights. Theodore Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet around the world to demonstrate to potentially hostile powers that America was not to be trifled with. Ronald Reagan deterred aggression by building up U.S. defenses so that he could safely sign the greatest arms reduction treaty in world history. Reagan said "none of the wars of my lifetime occurred because the United States was too strong."
Deterrence only works if your enemy is sure you’ll use your weapons if he uses his.
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