Lutheran (EL
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Christ is in our midst!
Posted on 02/13/2015 8:06:03 PM PST by lightman
Dear friends,
You are welcome in congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
We are a church that believes it is wrong to discriminate against anyone based on sexual orientation. All are welcome. We celebrate diversity.
While Lutherans in the U.S. are not of one mind about sexual orientation, the ELCA, the largest Lutheran denomination in North America, has taken a stand as an open, affirming church where all are welcome.
I recognize that some of you have been wounded by churches. On behalf of the church, I apologize for the hurtful comments, exclusion, and discrimination you have experienced. Churches are filled with hurt people who sometimes hurt people. We are not a perfect church, nor filled with perfect people. We follow Christ who forgives and calls us to be part of a new community beyond race, gender, and social status. The church is an imperfect community of hope.
When asked what was most important in life, Jesus, who never spoke a single recorded word about sexual orientation, said the greatest commandment was to love God and love neighbor. He modeled love of the neighbor and stranger. He said, “By this shall all people know you are my followers, if you love one another.”
I invite you to risk being part of an imperfect church striving to be a Christ-like community. You are welcome.
Sincerely,
Michael Rinehart
http://bishopmike.com/2015/02/10/an-open-letter-to-the-lgbt-community/#comment-14008
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Christ is in our midst!
In other words, “your cash dollars are fine with us”.
And THAT is the problem with "we celebrate diversity."
That’s one BIG Bishop!
Wow, I haven’t seen a photo that big since the early days of the net. Resizing is your (and our) friend.
He looks so gay.
its nice to show him how to use HTML. But really, it seems strange FR is so dated. It feels so 15 years ago. Why no WYSIWG posting format?
Yeah, and I should have copied the url for the lo-res version.
I had no idea that Rinehart had put the billboard size image on his blog page.
And preview is your friend...cheaper than asbestos underwear.
Kindly refrain from physical display of same-sex attraction and physical fulfillment thereof while ELCA services are underway. This may cause certain of your fellow congregants to puke their guts out and is upsetting to the children.
Do not ask to have your homosexual relationship honored in any sort of ritual by the ELCA. That is what the Unity Church is for.
Do not partake of wine from a communal cup as we have learned that homosexuals carry many diseases as a result of their sex practices that may infect other congregants.
Lord Jesus did not condemn your homosexual relationship. The Old Testament which he fulfilled, already did that.
We do not condemn you. We condemn your homosexual activities. Accept them as sinful, and let's talk.
Seeya,
Bishop Rhinehart
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| "I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense." |
In Oct. 2013, I emailed ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton, and I asked for her opinion of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly vote that allows ordaining of gays. About three months later, she sent this response: “Dear Mr. Collins,
Thank you for taking time to
write and share your question. Others have also written out of their deep concern for the church’s life and witness and its faithfulness to God. I regret that it has taken this long to reply to your letter.
The adopted ELCA social statement, Human
Sexuality: Gift and Trust, states that there is a widely held view within the ELCA that homosexual sexual relations are always described as sinful by the Scriptures. At the same time, it recognizes that other interpretations of the Scriptures are also deeply held as faith convictions in the ELCA.
My deep conviction
is that we are church first. At the heart of what we do is worship. At the heart of our worship is the crucified and risen Christ. That should be the lens through which we engage in all our work and ministry.
As members of the ELCA, we are called to love our neighbors, respect their convictions and passions, and speak well of one another, even where there is no agreement.
I also have a strong conviction that we have more work to do together in the body of Christ, work that is critical for the life of the world. I believe that we will do it most faithfully and effectively by continuing to join in humility and mutual respect for the witness and service to which God has called us.
May God
richly bless you and your family in the year ahead.
Elizabeth A. Eaton
Presiding Bishop
Office of the
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America
8765 W Higgins Rd.,
Chicago, IL 60631-4101
Phone: 800-638-3522 ext. 2600 or 773-380-2600;
Fax: 773-380-1701
bishop@elca.org
ELCA.org”
I emailed her and said that her answer is so vague that someone, on either side of that issue, could read her response and think that she agrees with them. I said, “Please answer this question by saying yes or no. Do you agree with that 2009 decision?” She said that she agrees with that vote. She also said that she agrees with allowing each church to have the right to not call a gay pastor, if they don’t want to call one.
What idiots. The LBGT community is at its core the antithesis of Christianity. When politically advantageous they merely feign an interest or an association with gullible Churches. However if they start showing up in your pews and volunteer in the youth groups.....run fast.
“Why no WYSIWG posting format?”
The site owners use their own homegrown software, instead of relying on 3rd party forum hosting stuff like most other sites. There are advantages and disadvantages to that.
Probably in another 15 years, they’ll get around to updating it to HTML 5 :)
Fixed it.
I have a childhood friend who was a member of the ELCA for years and then about 10 years ago he said "NO More".
He has since been turned off from all churches despite my encouragement to find a Christ centered Church.
These abomination "churches" are infecting a lot of Christiandom.
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