There is a difference IMHO, in loving the sinner, and knowing that God will forgive a repentent sinner, and actively supporting sinful conduct. It is more difficult to show no support for sinful conduct, but choose to be passive as it continues.
Does this policy promote the sin, or simply permit it, and does that distinction really matter when those whom it affects are all of us?
This is, in my opinion, a big mistake for the ELCA. What other sins are now so socially acceptable in our society that they can now be ignored? Since when is something other than the Bible the source of God’s laws?
I’ve been Lutheran all of my life, probably because my dad’s a pastor. I’ve been a member of ELCA churches since the ELCA was formed in 1989.
Last week, I e-mailed both of my pastors (a married couple) and my church’s president, and I asked them whether they think that the ELCA should allow gays to become pastors. The lady pastor and the president responded. Both of them said that we should let gays be pastors, because they think that homosexuality isn’t a sin. The pastor said that it’s okay, if the pastors promise to be celibate. I want to debate her, so I used google to look for Bible verses which state that homosexuality is a sin. I found several verses which state that homosexual behavior is a sin. Which verses state that being a homosexual is a sin?