Lutheran (EL
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Be rooted in Christ!
Posted on 10/28/2010 7:37:57 PM PDT by SmithL
In a video essay posted on You Tube, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) offered reassurance to young people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, saying, "You are a beloved child of God."
“Your life carries the dignity and beauty of God's creation”
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson said he wanted to speak honestly to young people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and offer hope.
"Your life carries the dignity and beauty of God's creation," Hanson said. "God has called you by name and claimed your forever. There is a place for you in this world and in this church."
Hanson recorded the video in response to numerous recent reports of gay teenagers who have been bullied, with some taking their own lives. The video can be viewed at http://www.elca.org/itgetsbetter on the ELCA website.
Hanson said he has listened "with pain and shock" to recent reports of young people who committed suicide, the result of abuse they have suffered because of their sexual orientations.
"I can only imagine what it's like to be bullied for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender," he said. "But I do know how bullying can destroy someone."
Hanson, the father of six children and four grandchildren, told a story about his daughter. He came home one day and found her curled up in a fetal position on the floor weeping uncontrollably. She was struggling to know "who she was as a biracial young woman," he said.
"She felt bruised by words people had spoken about her, words that ate away at her sense of identity and self-worth. I sat down by her on the floor holding her in my arms," Hanson said.
Words have the power to both harm and heal, he said. "Sometimes the words of my Christian brothers and sisters have hurt you," Hanson told viewers, "and I also know that our silence causes you pain."
Hanson added that as a Christian, he trusts God is working in the world for justice and peace "through you and through me."
"It gets better," he said.
Hanson's video will be submitted to recently initiated online video project, "It Gets Better," at http://www.itsgetsbetter.com on the Web. Viewers are also directed to The Trevor Project, a crisis and suicide prevention hotline.
Wow, what about the part where he says there is no such thing as sin, therefore there is no such need as a savior. That would be interesting to hear in a sermon.
“Your life carries the dignity and beauty of God's creation”
Do these people still hold to, like, original sin, and the fall of Adam?
The worst part about this article is the subtle equating of homosexuality (an act) and race (a group of persons related by common ancestry) as the same thing....
No one should be bullied. Period. The reason doesn’t matter. Bullying is wrong. I appreciate the pastor(?) reaching out to people to comfort them. Good for him. Hopefully, he is reaching out to everyone that has been bullied. Regardless of their race, religion, weight, hair color, orthodontia, limp, etc.
God still loves these people, and they are created in His image.
Just because they are a mess doesn’t mean their corporeal life (existence) does not carry the dignity and beauty of God’s creation.
Stay securely in your sin and “it gets better.” Yeah, right up until Judgment Day, and then it gets worse fast.
My dear bishop, is adultery, in this case, homosexual adultery, a sin or not? If not, is any adultery a sin? If yes, which adultery? I’m sorry for asking such simplistic questions, but it seems that I did not get the memo on the “What does this mean?” of the 6th Commandment.
Duh.
This has nothing whatever to do with bullying and everything to do with a slick sociopathic opportunist pimping to the pathetic teenage gender confused.
Nobody should be bullied obviously. But this bishop doesn’t mention once that gayness is considered a sin by his church and by all churches worth noting.
It gets better when you choose to fight those homosexual urges. Amazing how much better it is to live a normal life.
which is part of why I’m no longer ELCA.
Our congregation of 3500 voted 93% to leave ELCA last week. I am so proud of this church. WE still follow the word.
You're just saying that because it's true.
A good first step. Where are you guys headed?
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Be rooted in Christ!
So in Romans 1 where God gives them over to their sin, that’s actually...better?
It is no longer considered a sin. That is why I left.
There should have been a barf tag on this article!
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