Posted on 08/11/2005 8:16:24 PM PDT by Arnold Zephel
By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion WriterThu Aug 11, 6:25 PM ET
With gays pleading for acceptance, delegates to a national meeting of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America debated Thursday whether to approve ordination for partnered gays and to give pastors leeway in ministering to same-sex couples. Conservatives warned a change would irreparably damage the church.
The major proposals on the floor were meant as a compromise, aiming to uphold Lutheran restrictions on gays and lesbians who are not celibate, while allowing congregations and bishops to make exceptions in some cases without risking discipline.
During the debate, several delegates worried that ordaining gays would strain relations with other Christian denominations and with the many conservative Lutherans overseas. A vote could come as soon as Friday.
"We would be granting exceptions to biblical, moral standards that have seen approval for 2000 years," said David Glesne of the Minneapolis Area Synod.
The Rev. Sara Gausmann of the Lower Susquehanna Synod in Pennsylvania said easing the rules would make it impossible for her to teach children to follow Christian sexual ethics. Many delegates said the truly Christian approach would be to convince homosexuals to change their sexual orientation.
"This debate is not about emotional pleas for love and acceptance," said Kara Felde of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod. "It's about what Scripture says."
Advocates for full inclusion of gay clerics attempted to counter these arguments by expressing the pain of what they called rejection by their own church.
His voice cracking with emotion, Timothy Mumm of the South-Central Wisconsin Synod said he became suicidal after years in therapy trying to rid himself of his attraction to men. He said a "faithful, caring pastor" helped him accept his homosexuality.
James Boline of the Southwest California Synod said he has been with his partner for eight years and is the third-generation of his family to feel a call to ministry.
"I ask your prayers for me refusing to be banished from this church," he said.
Frank Petrovic of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod said he was gay and felt called to become a minister when he was in eighth grade. He questioned traditional claims that the Bible condemns gay sex, saying that those opposed to gay ordination were selectively picking scriptural verses to justify their position.
"I'm told I'm a member of the body of Christ, welcome to full participation," he said. "So which human being has the right to tell me that because of who I love my call from God is not valid?"
Many delegates said they were concerned about the impact of any changes on the church itself. One man who said he supported gay relationships, but believed the church wasn't ready for change, so he would vote against the proposals "with a heavy heart."
The key measures would:
1. Affirm the church ban on ordaining sexually active gays and lesbians, but allow bishops and church districts called synods to seek an exception for a particular candidate if that person is in a committed relationship and meets other conditions.
2. Uphold the denomination's prohibition against blessing of same-sex unions, but give bishops and pastors discretion in deciding how to minister to gay couples.
3. Call for unity, even though congregants disagree on the issue.
Before the debate began, advocates for full inclusion of gays donned clergy stoles bearing the names of gays and lesbians who had been barred from serving as ministers, and stood silently along the hallway where delegates were filing into the meeting hall.
Conservatives wore stickers of a symbol called the Luther Rose — a black cross over a red heart inside a white flower. They were scrambling to sway undecided voters, bringing in nightly speakers, including the leader of a ministry that counsels gays on becoming heterosexual.
In other business, delegates overwhelmingly approved "interim eucharistic sharing" with the United Methodist Church, which means churches in both denominations will be encouraged to share Holy Communion and ministries, in a step toward full communion.
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On the Net:
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: http://www.elca.org
I imagine old Martin Luther is spinning in his grave about now.
No fun though.
another church ready to mount the whore of homosexuality and ride it into hell?
Evidently and well put......the gate IS narrow
Not only contradictory, but also paving the way for requiring some church rite for "solemnizing" such unions so that they can in fact be documented as being "committed."
The other wolf in cleric's clothing is the notion that these are "exceptions". It is not as though there will be two seperate rosters of clergy eligible to be called and serve ANYWHERE; one roster of the straight and/or celibate and another of the "committed" GLBT; no, there will be ONE and only ONE roster, and these folks, once admitted, could be coming to a parish near you.
Wonderful to be LCMS.
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