Posted on 09/08/2007 10:18:04 AM PDT by SmithL
Vicki Curtis has been a member of St. Benjamin's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Westminster since 1981, but when her denomination appeared to be softening its stance on homosexuality, she didn't hesitate to act.
She left her church.
Now she's doing what she calls "search the church Sundays" by visiting congregations with convictions closer to her own."The Bible says in Leviticus 18:22 that homosexuality is a sin and its penalty is death. My faith is built on what the Bible teaches, and I will not go where it isn't being followed," she wrote in an e-mail.
She was responding to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's adoption of a resolution at its 10th Biennial Churchwide Assembly in Chicago on Aug. 11 recommending that bishops and synods not discipline clergy or lay professionals in committed same-sex relationships.
This decision left the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, a conservative Lutheran denomination of 2.6 million members, equally perplexed about the actions of its larger relative, according to its president, Gerald Kieschnick.
"News of this action troubles me greatly," he wrote in a statement last month. "We are deeply disappointed that the ELCA, by its decision, has failed to act in keeping with the historic and universal understanding of the Christian church regarding what the Holy Scripture teaches about homosexual behavior as contrary to God's will and about the biblical qualifications for holding the pastoral office."
In passing this resolution, ELCA seems to be following a path already forged by The Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ, both of which affirm openly homosexual clergy.
But people are overreacting, said ELCA spokesman John Brooks.
"We haven't changed any policy," he said.
Brooks stressed that the resolution only recommended leniency and that bishops who felt moved to do so are not prohibited from disciplining gay clergy.
Brooks characterized the resolution as a cease-fire, a way of maintaining peace between factions who either support full acceptance of gay clergy now and those who oppose acceptance.
The denomination will further consider the subject in 2009.
At that time, a task force working on a social statement on human sexuality will present what it has prepared at the next church-wide assembly in Minneapolis.
The task force has been specifically charged with addressing current denomination policy that precludes lesbians or gays from working in clerical or professional lay positions in the church.
The recommendation is a way to keep people in same-sex relationships in the church, Brooks said.
He said the denomination is trying hard to stay together despite differences.
"Every 20 minutes during the discussion, all the voting members stopped, held hands and prayed together," he said.
The assembly passed the resolution by a vote of 538-431.
As for people like Curtis who are leaving the church, Brooks said he is not surprised but he also noted that most people thus far are staying with the denomination. Curtis, however, questioned how a few hundred people could make such a decision for a church with 4.8 million members.
"Nobody sent me a ballot and said, 'What do you think?'" she said. "I don't need a sexuality statement. I read the Bible."
BINGO!
**Vicki Curtis **
Vicki, you can always come home to the Catholic Church.
This decision left the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, a conservative Lutheran denomination of 2.6 million members, equally perplexed about the actions of its larger relative,
Is "perplexed" the right word?
“Puking on their shoes” was deemed insufficiently genteel for the mainstream media.
I wish that email had been written by my mother and my in-laws...
You must have missed this part...
My faith is built on what the Bible teaches, and I will not go where it isn't being followed," she wrote in an e-mail.
The fact is of course that the 'resolution' is a de facto change in policy. ELCA bishops are not known for wanting to be martyrs, or even wanting to stick their necks out. So what bishop will go against the church's "recommendation of restraint" and charge a sodomite pastor with offending behavior?
The case in Atlanta this summer will in all likelihood be the last such case brought in the ELCA, ever. The "social statement" for 2009 is largely predetermined and already virtually in the can, despite the charade of the "study process."
Basically it's all over but the shouting for the ELCA Lutherans. A dead church walking. Watch the exits after the 2009 Assembly, and stand back if you're close to one.
I doubt that you are right. Those exiting will be a slow trickle--never a stampede. We can only pray they wake up and do the right thing. It is hard to believe the church in which I grew up eventually became the ELCA.
I doubt that you are right. Those exiting will be a slow trickle--never a stampede. We can only pray they wake up and do the right thing. It is hard to believe the church in which I grew up eventually became the ELCA.
I am considering leaving also. I have talked with my pastor about this departure of the ELCA from God’s commandments. My pastor says he is hanging in there until the next convention to see what direction they will follow. But I don’t want to be connected to an apostate denomination. I came to our church when I moved to this small town and became friends with pastor and his family. Previously, I had worshipped at various other churches, but won’t mention them here. I joined the Lutheran denomination and then began to read and learn what they espose. I found that they think Allah is the same God the Christians worship... huh? They don’t support Israel and are going to divest from Israel... huh? They support the palestinians and not the jewish people. They are a preterist denomination, believing prophecy has been fulfilled. I have discovered one thing after the next and am extremely disturbed by what I have discovered. The people there are lovely but seem to be really ignorant of scripture. Lesson: check out a denomination before you become a member. This one isn’t one after God’s heart.
Being a refugee from the ELCA myself, I think their sentiment will be, “one less troublemaker”.
Actually more like where Martin Luther is not followed. Luther is rolling over in his grave. If that is Wittenberg, then a small earthquake is to be looked for with its epicenter in central Germany.
Stay away from any "church" on this list of National Council of Churches members. They are nothing but left-wing/Democrat/Socialist/Communist political groups. If you doubt me, start googling.
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Alliance of Baptists
American Baptist Churches in the USA
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Church of the Brethren
The Coptic Orthodox Church in North America
The Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Friends United Meeting
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Hungarian Reformed Church in America
International Council of Community Churches
Korean Presbyterian Church in America
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
Mar Thoma Church
Moravian Church in America Northern Province and Southern Province
National Baptist Convention of America
National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.
National Missionary Baptist Convention of America
Orthodox Church in America
Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Polish National Catholic Church of America
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
Reformed Church in America
Serbian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. and Canada
The Swedenborgian Church
Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America
United Church of Christ
The United Methodist Church
It's very helpful.
Glad to oblige. Killing the NCC is a passion of mine. They are in trouble financially and Soros is helping prop them up. What more does any Republican need to know. Just by dropping our pennies in the collection plate of one of these “churches” helps them in their political activities that is counter to all we believe.
Thanks for the list. I am going to attend a Messianic congregation that worships the way Jesus did. What was good enough for Jesus is good enough for me. I want to worship like the first christians did... without all the manmade institutions and rituals.
“The Bible says in Leviticus 18:22 that homosexuality is a sin and its penalty is death. My faith is built on what the Bible teaches, and I will not go where it isn’t being followed,”
Try the middle east...
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