Lutheran Ping!
Posted on 08/21/2009 8:09:58 PM PDT by lightman
Aug. 21, 2009 WELS president expresses regret at ELCA decision on gay clergy
Milwaukee, Wis.—Rev. Mark Schroeder, president of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), is expressing regret at the vote of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) convention regarding homosexual clergy. Friday, delegates approved a resolution committing the church to find a way for “people in such publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships” to serve as professional leaders of the church.
“To view same-sex relationships as acceptable to God is to place cultural viewpoint and human opinions above the clear Word of God,” says Schroeder. “The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, along with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and other smaller Lutheran synods, maintains and upholds the clear teaching of the Bible that homosexuality is not in keeping with God’s design and is sinful in God’s eyes.”
At the same time, Schroeder says WELS congregations stand ready to support those struggling with same-sex attractions. “As with any sin, it is the church’s responsibility to show love and compassion to sinners, not by condoning or justifying the sin, but by calling the sinner to repent and by assuring the sinner that there is full forgiveness in Jesus Christ,” Schroeder says.
WELS, with about 390,000 members and nearly 1,300 congregations nationwide, is the third largest Lutheran church body in the United States. In Wisconsin alone, there are more than 201,000 members and 417 congregations. “It’s unfortunate that many headlines have referred to the recent decisions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as something ‘Lutherans’ have decided,” Schroeder says. “In fact, the ELCA is only one of many Lutheran denominations. We are saddened that a group with the name Lutheran would take another decisive step away from the clear teaching of the Bible, which was the foundation of the Lutheran Reformation.”
Schroeder says that WELS is firmly committed to upholding God’s design for marriage as outlined in Scripture—a design intended for one man and one woman. “We believe, and the Bible teaches, that God designed this relationship to be a blessing for men and women and for society. Any departure from what God himself has designed does two things: it denies the clear teachings of Scriptures and it undermines God’s desire that the man/woman relationship in marriage be a blessing.” http://www.wels.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?2617&collectionID=1651&contentID=95806&shortcutID=31623
2009-08-21 07:12 PM Evangelical Lutheran Synod disagrees with homosexual clergy resolution adopted by ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
MANKATO, MINNESOTA—Officials of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), a church body based in Mankato, noted with concern and disappointment the decision of the national convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), held in Minneapolis August 17-23, to allow the ordination of practicing homosexuals and lesbians as pastors of the church.
The smaller ELS is not affiliated with the larger ELCA, even though the names of the two churches are very similar.
ELS President, Rev. John A. Moldstad, said: “Ordaining practicing homosexuals and lesbians to the ministry is a serious departure from the biblical standards of morality to which Lutherans and Lutheran pastors have historically been held.” Moldstad clarified that, in contrast to the newly-adopted position of the ELCA, the position of the ELS on the matter of homosexuality and marriage is as follows:
We confess that Scripture condemns homosexuality and extra-marital relations (fornication and adultery) as sin. Nevertheless, when an individual caught up in such sins truly repents, the forgiveness of the Gospel is to be fully applied. We confess that the divine institution of marriage is to be heterosexual, in which, according to God’s design, a man and a woman may enjoy a life-long companionship in mutual love. We teach on the basis of Holy Scripture that marriage is the only proper context for the expression of sexual intimacy and for the procreation of children. See Rom. 1:26-27, 1 Cor. 6:9, 18 and 7:2-9, John 4:17-18, 1 John 1:9, Gen. 1:27-28 and 2:18-24, Matt. 19:4-6. (From We Believe, Teach, and Confess, adopted by the ELS in 1992)
Moldstad explained that ELS churches welcome into their midst those who may struggle with temptation toward a same-sex attraction, but who know in their conscience that this is wrong, and who seek God’s help in their struggle. Said Moldstad, “The ELS believes that in this world it is the duty of the church – as the body of Christ – to be a community of healing and reconciliation in the Gospel, and a beacon of hope to all humanity. And so, while the church is indeed called by the Lord to condemn as sin that which God condemns as sin, it is the church’s privilege also to offer and apply the grace, forgiveness, and acceptance of God, in Jesus Christ, to all who repent of their sins – whatever those sins may be.”
In addition to the similarity in names, the ELS shares a common heritage with some segments of the ELCA. The Mankato-based group was organized in 1918 by pastors and congregations that had declined to enter a merger that formed one of the predecessor bodies of the ELCA. The ELS has not participated in subsequent Lutheran mergers either – including the one that formed the ELCA in 1988 – because of what it saw as doctrinal compromises that these mergers represented. http://www.evangelicallutheransynod.org/President/news/announcements/elca-homosexuality-pr-20080821
[The ELS and the WELS are in church fellowship while both broke fellowship with the LCMS over doctrinal changes within the LCMS. One can hope that tomorrow morning scheduled greeting from the LCMS will express the same regret and disappointment to the ELCA Church-wide Assembly.]
Tonight many faithful ECLA Clergy and laity are beginning to feel like resident aliens and to ponder their future given that on many issues--including abortion--they are more attuned to WELS and LCMS doctrine than their own.
Pray for them.
Pray for me. Tonight
Wait until a couple Islamic mullahs demand that they also be allowed to act as gay clergy in the church. The church won’t be able to say no without catching hell in the courts.
I’m living thru this w/ the PC-USA, and before that, as a United Methodist clergy.
The sad thing is the paucity of theological reflection in this process. The “reasoning” that passes for theological reflection are:
1. We know better now.
2. It felt good, therefore it is good.
3. People are born this way.
The last one is obviously not supported by science, but that doesn’t stop anyone from believing it. Sadly, ignoring science is only a momentary lapse, since argument #1 depends on some quotations of questionable science.
And, obviously, you can’t argue with that second one...
ELCA seems to be going to hades in a handcart.
This has stopped being the church that Martin Luther rediscovered.
I don’t think any self proclaimed Muslim would be caught dead being gay — at least not in public.
It seems as though the “Wesleyan Quadrilateral” has infiltrated ELCA Lutheran theology.
“Reason” and “Experience” trump Tradition and Scripture.
I will pray for you. Please pray for me. The have taken our Church from us.
It would be interesting to find out if there are ANY gay clergy who can truthfully claim that they have had only a single binding monogamous life-long homosexual relationship.
I note that they are also talking about lesbians. That means they are talking about female clergy. That is another problem in an of itself.
There have been ministering couples (husband and wife) but that’s a whole different affair.
From a religious perspective, it makes no difference if you are “born this way”. Most men seem to be born with the desire to have sex with as many women as possible, and as Paul said, we struggle throughout our lives to stick to a single committed monogamous relationship.
By the reasoning of the ELCA, clergy should be allowed to have multiple sex partners, because that is how they are “born”.
If they are throwing out the part of the Bible that says “man and woman”, they can certainly throw out the part that says “one”.
Other people are born with a desire to have sex with children or animals, maybe we should let them be clergy as well.
In fact, all men are born sinners. And we are supposed to fight the urge to sin, not accept it since we are “born that way” and appoint people as clergy who openly and repeatedly sin because it feels good.
No, but a self-proclaimed Muslim being caught Gay would be dead.
I guess it isn’t a surprise that they overwhelmingly voted to commune with the Methodists.
Back when I was a Methodist and a Sunday School trustee, I had a talk with my (closeted gay) pastors about the creeping gay promotion and hetero-bashing in our church. They righteously remonstrated about "how these people love one another." I said, "My married boss really, really loves his secretary, and she is mad about him. Is that also right?" They were p'o'ed. I soon got "the letter" -- a list of sins, with mine highlighted in yellow.
Well said.
You are in my prayers. I grieve for the church of my youth. I am now in the Evangelical Covenant and am very happy with my church.
Born and raised Lutheran here, however, in the the interest of family harmony joined my spouse in the Episcopal Church. We all know what happened there, consequently, I have been ‘at sea’ in the sense of a religious/church home for years now. Your confusion and frustrations are understood. Yes, a prayer goes up for you and for all of us who feel that we have been driven out of our church home by those who ‘think’ they know better.
The actual first step that leads to the others is a decision to reject the Gospel. Once you do that, you can justify almost anything.
Accept multiple marriages, accept adultery, accept women pastors, accept abortion. After one has done all that, accepting homosexual activity is nothing.
Any church willing to even consider accepting homosexuality as acceptable behavior makes a mockery of God's Word which is not, and never shall be, consensus-driven.
Pray for them.
Pray for me. Tonight
Dear Lightman,
Consider your request acted upon.
As one who has served in the ministry for half my lifetime in a smaller Lutheran synod whose roots go back to one of the ELCA parent bodies many years ago (you’ll be able to figure out which), I’ll say that there is a wonderful freedom in serving God and God’s people. It doesn’t always pay too well, but I sleep peacefully. I can also stand before the dear people committed to my pastoral care and say, as I often do, that if they hear anything from me that does not square with the Scriptures or the Lutheran Confessions to please, please, come to me and make it known, because it is not simply their right to do so, it is their obligation before God. They should support only that which is right and true, only that ministry in which the Law and the Gospel are truly preached and clearly distinguished one from the other. I also have, in my inaugural sermon at every place I have ever served, instructed the people in these rights and obligations and taught them how to get rid of me. I have never regretted doing so. God’s people can be trusted. That trust has never been betrayed in my time.
Finally, I have no doubt that you and others still in the ELCA feel like resident aliens. In a certain sense any Christian will always feel that way in this world. But when you are tied to a church body that confesses what you know to be wrong, and there is no chance of changing that confession by your staying ... well, the way is clear. Fear not, God is faithful. Shepherd your people out of the danger they clearly are in.
God bless your struggles this night.
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