Showing "wholeness" by breaking rules!!!!

Shrimp here: You human people funny. Why you not see the great distance between Liberal theology and traditionalist faith? Why no one has raised the alarm that leadership of ELCA has been preaching and teaching something other? Why has leadership not challenged the far left? Why has far left not been asked to give a defense of their faith?

Traditionalist faith says we come to Jesus as broken people; Goodsoil.org preaches "Show the Church your wholeness." Read the following from them:

"Goodsoil at Churchwide in Orlando"

"The ELCA 2005 Churchwide Assembly begins Monday, August 8, and concludes Sunday, August 14. Opening Worship is at 4:30 p.m. and the first Plenary Session at 7:30 p.m.

goodsoil will be present throughout the Assembly. We will be present not only to participate in the business of our Church but to proclaim and bear witness to our wholeness, our authenticity and our oneness in the Body of Christ. We hope you'll join us.

Friends of goodsoil will stand in vigil during all the Assembly's Plenary sessions. If you're coming to Orlando we hope you'll consider participating in the vigil. All those standing in vigil are asked to pledge non-violence. Non-violence Training led by Soulforce is available for those who desire it.

Monday
2:30 - 4:00 p.m.
nonviolence training

Tuesday,
8:00 p.m.
nonviolence training

Wednesday,
7:30 p.m.
goodsoil reception

Thursday,
7:30 p.m.

Celebrate the Promise, Pour Out the Spirit, a goodsoil festival worship service. Celebrate the Promise, Pour Out the Spirit will feature a renewal of sacred vows: baptismal vows, ordination vows, and the vows of covenanted relationships, including marriage.

The Rev. Ruth Frost will preach. The Rev. Jen Nagel and the Rev. Jay Wiesner (Bethany Lutheran, Minneapolis, MN) will co-preside. Bread for the Journey will provide music.

Come to Orlando for as many days as possible to bear witness, to be enriched and to celebrate your wholeness."

You got that. They are going to show their wholeness by breaking our rules!

Will they be called on this by Hanson? Or was he in on it?

Read the following from Wingspan. Doesn't it seem like they are doing the leadership in this issue?


"ELCA Church Council—Sexuality Task Force Recommendations"
Todd Roos


"I represented Wingspan Ministry as a visitor to the Church Council meeting April 8-11, 2005 at the ELCA churchwide offices in Chicago. Also attending were nine other members of the Lutheran Alliance for Full Participation (“The Alliance”, see www.goodsoil.org) and two officials from Soulforce (www.soulforce.org). The Church Council had the power to modify or amend the three recommendations of the Sexuality Task Force (before they are put forward for a vote at the August 2005 Churchwide Assembly). They chose not to do so but instead actively promoted the notion that ambiguity is a very good thing while clarity is not. This leaves them plenty of wiggle room to equivocate on GLBT rights out of a desire to maintain unity in the church. This desired ambiguity had already been made painfully clear in the Task Force’s recommendation 3 in which the church’s own policy is both stated and violated. The end result is the council’s resolutions on sexuality match the Task Force recommendations. The Assembly can approve resolutions one and two with a simple majority vote while resolution 3 will require a 2/3 majority to win approval.

For the last six years, Ellen Maxon (the only openly gay person on the 35-member council) has been our champion. Ellen courageously and repeatedly suggested amendments to the study recommendations. Her calmly delivered but fervent pleas for our rights deeply moved me. Ellen and one or two allies on the council were the only members who spoke publicly of us as human beings who’ve been deeply hurt by the church, rather than mere objects of the legislative process. Through much of the meeting, I felt rejected as a valued child of God.

There were positive signs at the meeting that gave us an unfulfilled hope for a more positive outcome. Early on, a council ally asked that The Alliance co-chairs be allowed to address the council for 3 minutes. This was granted and Jeff and Janine delivered a powerful statement that was an emotional high point of the weekend. It was the first time in the 18-year history of the ELCA that visitors have been allowed to speak. The Sunday sermon, “Them”, described how we all tend to label those unlike us as Them and thus outsiders. The pastor pleaded for a church that was inclusive of all people.

It’s clear that Task Force members worked long and hard on their recommendations but remained divided just as the council was this weekend. They truly feel they are working toward a positive outcome. Clear leadership and vision were lacking. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and council members repeatedly emphasized how they were trying to provide space for the inclusion of GLBT pastors and the blessings of relationships of GLBT persons. It remains to be seen how effectively space will be provided and how widespread it will be. The process for GLBT pastors, in committed relationships, to be approved is much more arduous than that for other candidates. Both GLBT ordinations and blessings are totally dependent on the willingness of the individual’s church and synod and ordinations require approval of the Council of Bishops. This last step is demanded of no other candidates for ordination and effectively creates two parallel tracks for ministers.

I felt privileged to represent Wingspan Ministry at the Church Council meeting and honored to work with the passionate, dedicated members of The Alliance and Soulforce. We all agreed that we must continue the fight for full rights for GLBT persons. Our attendance at the meeting gave us much clearer and realistic ideas on how to accomplish that."

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