 The National Board & Staff of More Light
Presbyterians invite you to join us in holding our sisters and brothers
in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) in prayer
as they begin their Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis on Monday, August
17.
Lutherans Concerned North America, a
sister organization to More Light Presbyterians, is in a collaborative
partnership called Good Soil: Where Justice Takes Root that
works for the full participation for persons of all sexual orientations and
gender identities within the ELCA.
To stay informed about LGBT initiatives and decisions at
the upcoming ELCA's Churchwide Assembly you can go to www.lcna.org and www.goodsoil.org
An essay from NPR's "All Things Considered"
today about the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly follows this call for prayer
and solidarity.
with hope and grace,
Michael
Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., Executive
Director & Field Organizer
God's Whole Family!
PS -- Don't miss the Pro-LGBT Event of the
year ... you still have time to register and join us for "God's
Whole Family!" September 4 - 6, The National Welcoming & Affirming
Presbyterian Conference, hosted by Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN and
produced by MLP. For more information and to register go to www.mlp.org
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Lutherans Prepare To Vote On Accepting Gay
Clergy
All Things Considered
by Barbara Bradley
Hagerty
National Public Radio, August 15, 2009
First it was the
Episcopalians, now it's the Lutherans. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America -- one of the largest Christian churches -- is on the brink of
sanctioning gay clergy members.
When more than 1,000 members of the
clergy and lay people begin a weeklong meeting in Minneapolis on Monday, they
will be asked to decide whether to change their policy and allow pastors in gay
relationships to serve in the ministry.
What's remarkable is that this
once incendiary issue has become humdrum. And humdrum with breathtaking speed,
at least for the 4.6 million baptized members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America.
Consider the story of Bradley Schmeling, pastor at St. John's
Lutheran Church in Atlanta. Early on, he told his bishop that he was gay, but
that he was not in a relationship, which was OK by church rules.
"In
2004, I met Darin Easler -- at church, just like your mother wants you to do,"
Schmeling says, laughing. "And our relationship progressed, and it became clear
that this was a relationship for life, so I did go tell and the
bishop."
The bishop asked Schmeling to resign. Schmeling's church reacted
differently.
"They all clapped," he recalls. "And their immediate
interests were: What was he like? Where's he from? I had to kind of remind them
that there would be consequences for the relationship."
Consequences not
just for Schmeling's job, but perhaps for St. John's as well. Soon after, the
bishop filed charges against Schmeling in a church court. In February 2007, the
jury said that the policy was unfair, but rules are rules, and Schmeling should
be removed from the ministry. St. John's kept him on -- a risky decision,
because if Schmeling remained in the pulpit, the church could be kicked out of
the denomination.
Schmeling's trial ignited a debate that had been
smoldering for years. At the national assembly a few months after the trial, the
Lutherans passed a resolution saying bishops did not have to enforce the rule
barring gay ministers if they didn't want to.
No one knows how many
bishops look the other way, but people on both sides believe there are at least
one or two dozen churches with these "irregular" pastors.
And now, the
pro-gay lobby is gaining momentum -- less through bomb-throwing than just
wearing the conservative opposition down.
"Most of our people are,
frankly, tired of the struggle, but we don't want to give up," says the Rev.
Paull Spring, who heads Lutheran Coalition for Reform, a group that opposes the
ordination of clergy in openly gay relationships.
"There's nothing
personal attached to this at all," he adds. "But it is a biblical concern. What
does Holy Scripture teach about marriage, what does it teach about family, what
does it teach about sexuality? It's very clear: There is no support within Holy
Scripture for this kind of relationship."
Those wanting gay ministers
disagree: They say Jesus was all about including everyone in his work and
mission.
Now that disagreement is being put to the test. And it looks as
if the liberals have a good chance of winning.
So conservatives like
Spring are already preparing to create a new church within the ELCA, with its
own constitution, education system and rules for calling ministers.
"We
intend to remain technically within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
but practically we will become a de facto synod," he says.
As for
Schmeling, he'll attend the assembly as an observer, because he is no longer
recognized as a minister. If his side wins, he says he will apply to be
readmitted to the church. And he hopes he'll move out of the spotlight as a
national symbol.
"I'm kind of looking forward to just slipping back into
obscurity and being a regular parish pastor," he laughs.
Of course, the
1,000-plus participants in the assembly can vote any way they want, and they
could dash Schmeling's hopes. But even conservatives believe that change is
inevitable -- if not this year, then at the next assembly in 2011.
####
End of NPR text
Phil Soucy
Director Communications LC/NA
communications@lcna.org |
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