"Today, the Lutheran World Federation REJECTED a definition of marriage as between one man and one woman?" Didn't they finish their Assembly on July 31?
Here is the press release information:
The (Assembly) Message commits LWF members to remove barriers that exclude people from "participating fully in the life that God envisions for all." These barriers include gender, race, ethnicity, class, nationality, caste, sexual orientation, age and physical/mental condition. The Assembly also committed itself to supporting basic human rights for indigenous peoples. In reference to the visa issue, the Assembly singled out the Dalit people of India, who were among those denied entry to Canada.
The Message pledges members to enrich the church’s healing ministries by addressing HIV/AIDS, violence and poverty. "Diakonia," or the servant ministries of the church, are put forth as a fundamental dimension of the church’s life and part of its holistic healing ministry.
Justice and healing in families is addressed in the Assembly Message and provoked lively discussion on the floor of the Assembly on the language around issues of human sexuality and the definition of "family."
The Message encourages respectful dialogue on marriage, family and human sexuality "in a manner appropriate to the needs of each member church." It also addresses the experience of "spiritual poverty" within families and encourages resources for addressing these needs.
From:
http://www.lwf-assembly.org/News-038-EN.html The actual report is here (in pdf form):
http://www.lwf-assembly.org/PDFs/LWF_Assembly_Message.pdf
Yes, it does look like their "path of pacifism" has put them at the top of the proverbial slippery slope.
