Posted on 04/19/2005 1:13:48 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
(AgapePress) - A conservative minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) is denouncing a proposal that would allow homosexuals to become pastors in the denomination if they prove they are in a so-called "lifelong, committed, and faithful same-sex relationship."
Dr. Roy Harrisville III, executive director of the conservative group called Solid Rock Lutherans, says the Church Council's pro-homosexual resolution is not only unbiblical but also "creates unlimited exceptions to the policy and in effect repudiates marriage." The resolution does this, he maintains, "by allowing exceptions across the board."
Harrisville says this means that "such things will be granted on an unlimited basis, I expect." And that lack of defined limitations, he argues, sets up a double standard, since the Church Council failed to consider whether the exceptions would also be extended to heterosexuals in common law marriages.
In any case, the Solid Rock Lutherans spokesman feels these pro-homosexual leaders in his denomination want to follow the example of the Episcopal Church USA in ordaining practicing homosexuals; but he insists, "the people in the pews do not." While the Church Council may consider its proposal progressive, the conservative minister says what is unfortunate "is that they have misunderstood that the gospel cannot be equated with popular American ideology."
The conservative minister asserts that the Church Council's apparent equation of contemporary thinking with eternal biblical truth is "the fundamental mistake that they've made, and we're hoping to point that out to them." Unfortunately, he notes, the individuals who want to change standards within the church tend to be more politically active than those who want to preserve things as they are.
Nevertheless, Harrisville says the homosexual ordination proposal defies the will of the majority of ELCA lay members and essentially says that marriage does not matter. He contends that the denominational leaders have demonstrated they are out of touch with the people in the pews by taking their minority view and elevating it to the status of policy.
Another Church choosing the temptations and sin of this world over the truth of the gospel. So sad.
The only Biblical Lutheran denominations that have existed for the last 20 years are the Wisconsin Synod (last I heard), and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. The ELCA/LCA/ALC and other off-shoots tossed the Bible into the trash can over 30 years ago when they modified their theological doctrine to state, in effect, the Bible "contains the word of God", rather than the Bible being the literal Word of God.
If the Bible contains some words of God, then it can also contains some (errant, or culturally biased) words of man, and it's up to a really sharp Liberal Theologian to explain the ignorant masses the difference. The Bible can be twisted to match any particular theological leaning. Women can be pastors, Gay's can be Christians, right can be wrong and wrong can be made right in "enlighted" eyes.
For the secularists out there, it's a lot like what judges are doing to the U.S. Constitution. We have the plain words. We have a reasonably good idea of the intentions of the author(s) of those words, and Judges almost daily manage to construe those words to mean just the opposite of what the original authors intended, and find "new meaning" where no such intent ever existed.
SFS
/ACLU and it's 'Religious' $$$$ Sewer Systems
The ELCA Church Council and Task Force on Sexuality not only ignore laity, I've come to believe they consider them simpletons (56.2% of whom oppose blessing and rostering gays, per the ELCA's own JTF study-related survey). I guess the faith of a child is passe'.
The liberal remnants of the ELCA and ECUSA will join together as a new church. I don't think, though, that liberal, new-ager offerings will be adequate to keep and maintain much property. But then, priestess-led Mother worship in the woods shouldn't cost that much.
The Task Force had lay people on it, and I think they were in a passive obedient mode, easily misled by the clerics. As for the Council, no doubt that the einsteins of the church's corporate hiearchy consider the laity to be boob-oisee.
Even the transparent and insulting inclusions in the statement on the Pope's election reveals how stupid they think the rest of the world is.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.