It is in the best interests of achieving full inclusion that everyone participates in this process fully, reflecting what you think about the statement.
Frankly, the draft is not what we had hoped for, but it does make incremental, if glacial, progress beyond the social statements of the predecessor bodies to the ELCA. The old ALC statement put "homosexuals" in the same category with murderers. The LCA statement on "Sex, Marriage and Family" said that homosexuals were sinners only as were all others. In contrast, the first draft of this ELCA statement admits candidly that the church does not have consensus on how to treat same-gender couples and families. This is most certainly true. The truth the document fails to mention, however, is that our church no longer has consensus on the definition of marriage. Still in only two sentences does the document actually define marriage as between a man and a woman. Rather, in the rest of the document the qualities and requirements for committed relationships for heterosexual and same-gender couples are virtually identical. As such, the draft seems an uneasy and inconsistent compromise between the opposing views on same-gender relationships delineated by the document itself.
This draft is another marker on the road to the ELCA Churchwide Assembly 2009 (CWA09) where the church will take up the final draft, implementing resolutions and whatever recommendations come from the Task Force and ELCA Church Council on rostering. From now through CWA09 the frame for our involvement in the social statement process will be one of graceful engagement from within. The results of the process of hearings, responses, and edits will rely heavily on our willingness and ability to take the time and sum up the courage to engage that process at every level. The hearings at Synod Assemblies and at other times in your synod will provide critical opportunities for LGBT Lutherans, our families, allies and advocates to speak and be heard. If we do not speak, we leave the discussion to those who would talk about us rather than with us.
Now is the time to help Peter and Cornelius meet as often as possible. When we tell our stories of family, of faith in God, of love and commitment for one another and our church, and when we listen deeply to the stories of those who oppose full inclusion, we do our part. For the rest we rely upon the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit to move the church and its members to acceptance and celebration of the full inclusion of LGBT people and their families.
For those of us with the patience and perseverance to continue, we have entered the next stage. Some of us are road weary. This year marks the 30th anniversary of my outing in seminary. Many of you have been on this particular road longer than that. Still, I see hope and movement in this draft. I firmly believe, as I have for the last 20 years that what we do and say will make a difference.
As Paul says, (Romans 8:14-17) "for all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry "Abba!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ..."And (Romans 8:38-39), "for I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus."
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Lutherans Concerned/North America calls for the recognition of LGBT families
March 13, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lutherans Concerned/North America calls for the recognition of LGBT families
Lutherans Concerned / North America (LC/NA) has both considerable agreement and substantial disagreement with the draft Social Statement on Sexuality, released for comment within the church by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on March 13, 2008.
LC/NA affirms the Christian values lifted up in this draft statement: serving the neighbor, trust and commitment, family, right relationship, and public accountability, all combined in a sexual and communal ethic that seeks to build the common good and the reign of God. LC/NA agrees that the church should work to preserve the resources needed for the survival and flourishing of family life by celebrating relationships and fostering the communal structure in which these relationships are lived out.
Emily Eastwood, Executive Director, Lutherans Concerned / North America, said, "This draft merely tolerates rather than celebrates the presence of same-gender families in the church. It is inconsistent and insufficient: it confesses with regret that its historical teachings concerning homosexuality sometimes have been used to tear apart families with gay or lesbian members. It calls for an end to discrimination, an end to violence against and persecution of sexual minorities. Yet the church continues to discriminate against same-gender couples and families by relegating them to second-class status. It is hypocritical for this church to hold society to a higher standard than itself.
"The draft purports as fact the traditional definition of marriage. But, there is no consensus within the ELCA that marriage is only between a man and a woman. In fact, some synods within the ELCA have repeatedly defeated resolutions asserting that definition of marriage. There is broad agreement on the values that are the ground and source of relational and family life. If we are going to promote those values in same-gender relationships, we should also honor those relationships.
"The document does not provide for the rites and structures of celebration, the making of promises and the call on God for blessing of same-gender relationships. If the church wishes to hold persons in same-gender relationships to the same ethical standards as heterosexual married couples, then the church must offer the same standards of support and benefit to same-gender couples. Marriage is not easy. Without the rites and protections of marriage, the frequent dissolution of relationships becomes the rule rather than the exception. The church undercuts its own values by withholding recognition of same-gender relationships and precluding the rostered service of otherwise qualified candidates in those relationships. Our church should not discriminate."
The statement says that the central issue regarding families is whether a family performs the indispensible personal and social tasks that families are intended to accomplish. Further the statement says the first response of the church toward all families should be one of welcome and support. Families with same-gender parents are included. Yet, the statement withholds public affirmation, celebration, and accountability – on the grounds that some families are more "blessed" than others.
Lutherans Concerned encourages members of the ELCA to fully participate in the hearings and studies in the coming months. It is important all voices be heard so that the resulting feedback is more representative and produces a more consistent social statement recognizing the faithful vocations of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in all aspects of the life of the church.
The draft statement will now be the subject of hearings and study throughout the ELCA during March through October 2008. While this draft neither encourages nor prohibits the rostered service of otherwise qualified ministers in committed, same-gender relationships, the task force will make its recommendations on such rostering in February 2009. A final social statement will be prepared and submitted to the ELCA Church Council in early 2009 with a request that the Social Statement be placed on the agenda of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly being held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 17–23, 2009.
About Lutherans Concerned:Lutherans Concerned / North America works for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church and congregations. Lutherans Concerned provides a place of comfort and safety. Lutherans Concerned reaches out and teaches that Christ's message, the Gospel, is for everyone equally. Lutherans Concerned calls for the blessing of committed and covenanted same-gender relationships, and for the ordination of those called to minister.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Phil SoucyDirector of Communications
Lutherans Concerned/North America
communications@lcna.org
www.lcna.org
703-980-2038
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lutherans Concerned/North America calls for the recognition of LGBT families
Lutherans Concerned / North America (LC/NA) has both considerable agreement and substantial disagreement with the draft Social Statement on Sexuality, released for comment within the church by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on March 13, 2008.
LC/NA affirms the Christian values lifted up in this draft statement: serving the neighbor, trust and commitment, family, right relationship, and public accountability, all combined in a sexual and communal ethic that seeks to build the common good and the reign of God. LC/NA agrees that the church should work to preserve the resources needed for the survival and flourishing of family life by celebrating relationships and fostering the communal structure in which these relationships are lived out.
Emily Eastwood, Executive Director, Lutherans Concerned / North America, said, "This draft merely tolerates rather than celebrates the presence of same-gender families in the church. It is inconsistent and insufficient: it confesses with regret that its historical teachings concerning homosexuality sometimes have been used to tear apart families with gay or lesbian members. It calls for an end to discrimination, an end to violence against and persecution of sexual minorities. Yet the church continues to discriminate against same-gender couples and families by relegating them to second-class status. It is hypocritical for this church to hold society to a higher standard than itself.
"The draft purports as fact the traditional definition of marriage. But, there is no consensus within the ELCA that marriage is only between a man and a woman. In fact, some synods within the ELCA have repeatedly defeated resolutions asserting that definition of marriage. There is broad agreement on the values that are the ground and source of relational and family life. If we are going to promote those values in same-gender relationships, we should also honor those relationships.
"The document does not provide for the rites and structures of celebration, the making of promises and the call on God for blessing of same-gender relationships. If the church wishes to hold persons in same-gender relationships to the same ethical standards as heterosexual married couples, then the church must offer the same standards of support and benefit to same-gender couples. Marriage is not easy. Without the rites and protections of marriage, the frequent dissolution of relationships becomes the rule rather than the exception. The church undercuts its own values by withholding recognition of same-gender relationships and precluding the rostered service of otherwise qualified candidates in those relationships. Our church should not discriminate."
The statement says that the central issue regarding families is whether a family performs the indispensible personal and social tasks that families are intended to accomplish. Further the statement says the first response of the church toward all families should be one of welcome and support. Families with same-gender parents are included. Yet, the statement withholds public affirmation, celebration, and accountability – on the grounds that some families are more "blessed" than others.
Lutherans Concerned encourages members of the ELCA to fully participate in the hearings and studies in the coming months. It is important all voices be heard so that the resulting feedback is more representative and produces a more consistent social statement recognizing the faithful vocations of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in all aspects of the life of the church.
The draft statement will now be the subject of hearings and study throughout the ELCA during March through October 2008. While this draft neither encourages nor prohibits the rostered service of otherwise qualified ministers in committed, same-gender relationships, the task force will make its recommendations on such rostering in February 2009. A final social statement will be prepared and submitted to the ELCA Church Council in early 2009 with a request that the Social Statement be placed on the agenda of the 2009 Churchwide Assembly being held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 17–23, 2009.
About Lutherans Concerned:Lutherans Concerned / North America works for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church and congregations. Lutherans Concerned provides a place of comfort and safety. Lutherans Concerned reaches out and teaches that Christ's message, the Gospel, is for everyone equally. Lutherans Concerned calls for the blessing of committed and covenanted same-gender relationships, and for the ordination of those called to minister.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Phil SoucyDirector of Communications
Lutherans Concerned/North America
communications@lcna.org
www.lcna.org
703-980-2038
Lutheran CORE News Release Regarding Draft Statement
News Release Regarding Draft Statement
NEWS RELEASE
March 13, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Chavez (717) 898-0801
info@lutherancore.org
Lutheran CORE leaders respond to release of draft ELCA sexuality statement
Leaders of Lutheran CORE responded Thursday, March 13, to the release of the “Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality” for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Lutheran CORE is a coalition of pastors, lay people, congregations and reforming groups that seeks to preserve the authority of Scripture in the ELCA.
“It is important to recognize that this is the first draft of a social statement on sexuality,” said the Rev. Paull Spring of State College, Pa., chair of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee. “We encourage ELCA members to study the draft and to take the time to submit responses to the Task Force supporting areas where the statement is strong and suggesting ways that the statement can be improved.”
“There is a lot in the statement that can be affirmed, but there are some glaring theological errors here,” said Spring, the retired bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod.
“The draft statement would change the definition of marriage by implication. This is a cause of great concern,” Spring said. “Lutherans have traditionally defined marriage as ‘a lifelong covenant of faithfulness between a man and a woman.’ The statement calls marriage a relationship of love and trust between two people. From this perspective, the statement opens the door to supporting same-gender committed relationships.”
“Lutherans have traditionally addressed sexuality biblically by starting with creation and noting that God created humans male and female. The draft statement seems to have avoided those biblical passages and that perspective of human sexuality,” Spring explained. “There is a surprising absence of procreation as a purpose of marriage,” he added.
“While I appreciate the work and the dedication of the members of the task force in writing this draft, I must express my profound disappointment at the weakness of this statement,” said the Rev. Erma Wolf, vice chair of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee. “However, I strongly encourage people across the ELCA to read this statement and to submit their responses to the task force. This statement, if passed, will be the basis for teaching and for future policies in this area. The task force needs to hear from the congregations and the baptized people of God in order to have a statement that will truly serve the mission of the church in boldly following her Lord, Jesus Christ.” Wolf is associate pastor of the Brandon-Split Rock Lutheran Parish in Brandon, S.D.
Lutheran CORE has prepared a resource to help members of ELCA congregations to participate in the process leading to an ELCA Social Statement on Sexuality and to enable them to better understand some of the questions on human sexuality that will be considered at the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The resource is available online at www.lutherancore.org.
The first draft of the social statement is available online at www.elca.org/faithfuljourney . This draft was prepared by a church task force and is the result of a seven-year study process. The draft released on Thursday is awaiting response and input from church members.
Following an eight-month period of input from members of ELCA congregations, a second draft of the statement will be prepared. The revised draft is scheduled to be released in February 2009. The Task Force will also release its recommendations on whether the ELCA should change its policy to permit persons in same-sex sexual relationships to serve as pastors and other “rostered leaders” in the ELCA in February 2009.The 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly (Aug. 17-23, 2009, in Minneapolis) will decide whether to adopt an ELCA social statement on human sexuality.
ELCA social statements are to explain what the ELCA understands to be Scripture’s teaching and faithful Christian responses to a given topic. They are intended as teaching statements addressing the members of ELCA congregations to help them in their own ethical decision-making. Social statements also shape the activities of ELCA organizations as they address social issues through church policy and efforts to influence government action.For more information on Lutheran CORE go to www.lutherancore.org.
NEWS RELEASE
March 13, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Chavez (717) 898-0801
info@lutherancore.org
Lutheran CORE leaders respond to release of draft ELCA sexuality statement
Leaders of Lutheran CORE responded Thursday, March 13, to the release of the “Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality” for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Lutheran CORE is a coalition of pastors, lay people, congregations and reforming groups that seeks to preserve the authority of Scripture in the ELCA.
“It is important to recognize that this is the first draft of a social statement on sexuality,” said the Rev. Paull Spring of State College, Pa., chair of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee. “We encourage ELCA members to study the draft and to take the time to submit responses to the Task Force supporting areas where the statement is strong and suggesting ways that the statement can be improved.”
“There is a lot in the statement that can be affirmed, but there are some glaring theological errors here,” said Spring, the retired bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod.
“The draft statement would change the definition of marriage by implication. This is a cause of great concern,” Spring said. “Lutherans have traditionally defined marriage as ‘a lifelong covenant of faithfulness between a man and a woman.’ The statement calls marriage a relationship of love and trust between two people. From this perspective, the statement opens the door to supporting same-gender committed relationships.”
“Lutherans have traditionally addressed sexuality biblically by starting with creation and noting that God created humans male and female. The draft statement seems to have avoided those biblical passages and that perspective of human sexuality,” Spring explained. “There is a surprising absence of procreation as a purpose of marriage,” he added.
“While I appreciate the work and the dedication of the members of the task force in writing this draft, I must express my profound disappointment at the weakness of this statement,” said the Rev. Erma Wolf, vice chair of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee. “However, I strongly encourage people across the ELCA to read this statement and to submit their responses to the task force. This statement, if passed, will be the basis for teaching and for future policies in this area. The task force needs to hear from the congregations and the baptized people of God in order to have a statement that will truly serve the mission of the church in boldly following her Lord, Jesus Christ.” Wolf is associate pastor of the Brandon-Split Rock Lutheran Parish in Brandon, S.D.
Lutheran CORE has prepared a resource to help members of ELCA congregations to participate in the process leading to an ELCA Social Statement on Sexuality and to enable them to better understand some of the questions on human sexuality that will be considered at the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. The resource is available online at www.lutherancore.org.
The first draft of the social statement is available online at www.elca.org/faithfuljourney . This draft was prepared by a church task force and is the result of a seven-year study process. The draft released on Thursday is awaiting response and input from church members.
Following an eight-month period of input from members of ELCA congregations, a second draft of the statement will be prepared. The revised draft is scheduled to be released in February 2009. The Task Force will also release its recommendations on whether the ELCA should change its policy to permit persons in same-sex sexual relationships to serve as pastors and other “rostered leaders” in the ELCA in February 2009.The 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly (Aug. 17-23, 2009, in Minneapolis) will decide whether to adopt an ELCA social statement on human sexuality.
ELCA social statements are to explain what the ELCA understands to be Scripture’s teaching and faithful Christian responses to a given topic. They are intended as teaching statements addressing the members of ELCA congregations to help them in their own ethical decision-making. Social statements also shape the activities of ELCA organizations as they address social issues through church policy and efforts to influence government action.For more information on Lutheran CORE go to www.lutherancore.org.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
It's Here!!!
Yes, the First Draft is available. Here's the e-mail announcement for posterity's sake:Dear leader:Before downloading, ELCA rostered leaders see this:
Please find here the link for the secured website through which you can access the confidential preview of the Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality beginning today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. That link is: [No, we're not telling. If you don't believe us, click here anyway]
Please keep in mind that this is being made available to you personally and with the understanding that you will hold this information in strictest confidence until the public release tomorrow, March 13, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
We have two requests of you:
1. Please be patient with the technology if you cannot get access immediately. If you experience difficulties downloading the document, please consult the instructions on the confidential preview Web page. If you cannot access the page itself or cannot resolve the problems yourself, please contact info@elca.org or phone 800-638-3522 for assistance.
2. Should you have questions or other needs for immediate communication on this draft, please consider contacting your synod office first.
The response period is open until November 1, 2008. Using the form at the back of the draft booklet or online at www.elca.org/faithfuljourney , or attending a synod hearing, is the best way to respond to the task force.
Thank you so very much for your pastoral leadership of our church at this time. Let us hold one another and this church in prayer during these days, confident of the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit in this process as in all things.
Kind regards,
Rebecca Larson
Executive Director
Church in Society
Confidential Preview of a
Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality
Embargo
A document labeled with the term "embargoed" or "subject to embargo" is to be kept strictly confidential until the specified release time that accompanies the document. Normally, such documents are provided to interested parties for review and preparation prior to public release.
In this case, we request that you maintain the confidentiality of both the Web links and the Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality until 1 p.m. Eastern Time, Thursday, March 13, 2008.
etc., etc., etc.
So, if anyone breaks the embargo, will they be subject to discipline by their Bishop? Or will synods, synodical bishops, and the presiding bishop to refrain from or demonstrate restraint in disciplining those persons who ignored the embargo and released the statement a few hours early?
Shrimp out.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
First Draft, Second Meaning
Shrimp here and, frankly, we're stunned. You already know, especially if you read Shellfish regularly, that tomorrow ELCA rostered leaders (that's Pastors, diaconal ministers, deaconesses, AIMs, and LMNOPs [okay, we made the last one up, but we're sure some (other) wag can use that to come up with a name for the ELCA's official lists of "ministers" who are not rostered in the ELCA]) receive that special e-mail giving instructions for downloading the First Draft of the proposed ELCA Social Statement on Human Sexuality. This way, they have 24 hours to read and digest it before it is publicly released, complete with explanatory press conference at ELCA HQ, Thursday at Noon so local religion reporters can skim for the statement's red flags and and start calling local clergy for their reactions, all so it can be published either in Friday's paper or, better yet, on Saturday's next to your Holy Week announcement.
Turns out that, even as this is a First Draft which will be studied and fine-tuned (or completely rewritten) for next year, that this is all happening just before Holy Week is likely to be a run-through for next year's Holy Week preparations, too. At least that's how it appears to Pastor Zip, who's compared the official timeline with an actual calendar:
2009 Timeline:
So, when do you think the final proposal will be released? Anyone else think the Thursday before Holy Week, once again?
Shrimp suggests flogging someone (or perhaps the whole staff) at Higgins Road with palm branches. [Oh, wait a minute, the ELCA opposes corporal punishment...]
A blessed Holy Week! Shrimp out.
Turns out that, even as this is a First Draft which will be studied and fine-tuned (or completely rewritten) for next year, that this is all happening just before Holy Week is likely to be a run-through for next year's Holy Week preparations, too. At least that's how it appears to Pastor Zip, who's compared the official timeline with an actual calendar:
2009 Timeline:
March 27 - 302009 Calendar:
ELCA Church Council reviews text of proposed social statement and acts to recommend social statement on human sexuality, implementing resolutions, and roster recommendations, and directs that these be placed on the Churchwide Assembly agenda.
April
RECOMMENDED social statement on human sexuality, implementing resolutions, and roster recommendations are available to the church for discussion and response through synod assembly actions.
April 5 Palm SundayRemember, Synod Assembly season begins near the end of April (one is already scheduled to begin April 30) and, if a Synod wants to discuss or pass a resolution/memorial related to the Sexuality Statement, it'll be a lot more important to do so with the final proposal in 2009 rather that the First Draft this year, one of the reasons given to justify this year's date rather than delaying until after Easter.
April 9 Maundy Thursday
April 10 Good Friday
April 11 Easter Sunday
So, when do you think the final proposal will be released? Anyone else think the Thursday before Holy Week, once again?
Shrimp suggests flogging someone (or perhaps the whole staff) at Higgins Road with palm branches. [Oh, wait a minute, the ELCA opposes corporal punishment...]
A blessed Holy Week! Shrimp out.
For your consideration...
Cap'n Bill here: Har, matey. Do ye remember The Twilight Zone? Rod Serling would introduce an episode with "For your consideration..."
We want you to consider this from "Walking With Integrity, The official blog of Integrity USA." In case you are not in the know, that is the Episcopal gay liberation agenda Integrity. Their leader (the Reverend) Susan Russell [that's not me but how she signs her name in the letter we are referring too below], is the main voice, the chosen leader, the veritable fulcrum tip that is prying apart the worldwide Anglican Communion. In a five word paragraph in this recent letter addressing how the conservatives didn't show up for yet another round of dialogue, she writes, "We showed up. They didn't."
Now, this is posted on a blog whose template reads, "For over 30 years, Integrity has been a witness of God's inclusive love to the Episcopal Church and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community."
So, consider this, is 30 years a long enough period of time to discuss an issue?
For you ELCA'ers who bemoan that we are eight years in an official nine year dialogue, what is that, you want to spend another 22 years talking about this?
Read it here.
We want you to consider this from "Walking With Integrity, The official blog of Integrity USA." In case you are not in the know, that is the Episcopal gay liberation agenda Integrity. Their leader (the Reverend) Susan Russell [that's not me but how she signs her name in the letter we are referring too below], is the main voice, the chosen leader, the veritable fulcrum tip that is prying apart the worldwide Anglican Communion. In a five word paragraph in this recent letter addressing how the conservatives didn't show up for yet another round of dialogue, she writes, "We showed up. They didn't."
Now, this is posted on a blog whose template reads, "For over 30 years, Integrity has been a witness of God's inclusive love to the Episcopal Church and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community."
So, consider this, is 30 years a long enough period of time to discuss an issue?
For you ELCA'ers who bemoan that we are eight years in an official nine year dialogue, what is that, you want to spend another 22 years talking about this?
Read it here.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
California Supreme Court in gay marriage storm
STATE'S TOP JURISTS BEGIN WEIGHING BIGGEST CIVIL RIGHTS CASE IN DECADES
By Howard MintzMercury News
The California Supreme Court is seemingly as divided as society is over gay marriage.
For more than three hours Tuesday, the seven justices of the state's high court shifted back and forth on whether to uphold California's ban on same-sex marriage, at times appearing to spar with each other as they weighed their most important civil rights case in decades.
The justices peppered lawyers on both sides of the case with dozens of questions that made predicting an outcome a fool's game. The court is reviewing a similarly divided 2006 appeals court ruling that upheld California's ban on gay marriage and a 2000 ballot initiative confining marriage to a union between a man and woman.
Underscoring the passions behind the conflict, demonstrators on both sides of the issue lined up outside the Supreme Court building, armed with placards and chants as they awaited the crucial legal arguments. Inside, an overflow crowd unable to get a seat in the courtroom jammed a downstairs auditorium to watch the arguments on a big-screen television, a boisterous group that cheered and jeered as though attending a high school basketball game.
But the stakes were evident in the courtroom, as the justices aired their first public views in a case they must decide within 90 days. Justices Marvin Baxter and Ming Chin, perhaps the court's most conservative members, seemed to have the deepest reservations about siding with civil rights groups and San Francisco city officials, who argue that the ban violates the equal-protection rights of gay and lesbian couples seeking the power to wed.
The story, and its coverage of the circus atmosphere, here: http://origin.mercurynews.com/saratoga/ci_8459476
By Howard MintzMercury News
The California Supreme Court is seemingly as divided as society is over gay marriage.
For more than three hours Tuesday, the seven justices of the state's high court shifted back and forth on whether to uphold California's ban on same-sex marriage, at times appearing to spar with each other as they weighed their most important civil rights case in decades.
The justices peppered lawyers on both sides of the case with dozens of questions that made predicting an outcome a fool's game. The court is reviewing a similarly divided 2006 appeals court ruling that upheld California's ban on gay marriage and a 2000 ballot initiative confining marriage to a union between a man and woman.
Underscoring the passions behind the conflict, demonstrators on both sides of the issue lined up outside the Supreme Court building, armed with placards and chants as they awaited the crucial legal arguments. Inside, an overflow crowd unable to get a seat in the courtroom jammed a downstairs auditorium to watch the arguments on a big-screen television, a boisterous group that cheered and jeered as though attending a high school basketball game.
But the stakes were evident in the courtroom, as the justices aired their first public views in a case they must decide within 90 days. Justices Marvin Baxter and Ming Chin, perhaps the court's most conservative members, seemed to have the deepest reservations about siding with civil rights groups and San Francisco city officials, who argue that the ban violates the equal-protection rights of gay and lesbian couples seeking the power to wed.
The story, and its coverage of the circus atmosphere, here: http://origin.mercurynews.com/saratoga/ci_8459476
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Mutiny in Port!
Argghhh!
Cap'n Bill here: Is there anything more evil than a mutiny! Believe you me, if you were a captain, you'd know the answer to that one mighty quick!
Well, mutiny at sea or mutiny in port, mutiny is mutiny. Been a long time since it was safe for a sailor to go ashore in San Francisco, but now, even the clergy are mutinous. Get a load of this bilge...
Exigencies of Our Apostleship: On January 24, the San Francisco Conference of the Sierra Pacific Synod elected Pr. Steve Sabin to the office of Dean. On January 30, Sierra Pacific Synod Bishop David G. Mullen (pictured) issued a letter in which he cited SB12.01.04 and SB12.01.05 from the synod constitution and declared the election invalid and the deanship of the conference vacant because Pr. Sabin is not on the Synod's clergy roster. (Pr. Sabin is rostered with Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.)
Copies of the Bishop's letter went to all congregations and pastors in the synod. On February 18,, a letter over Pr. Sabin's signature went out from the Conference Cabinet and clergy of the San Francisco Conference to Bishop Mullen. Copies went to all congregations and pastors in the synod. The letter reads in part:
"Since the assembly of the conference has already made known its will and opinion regarding the provisions of SB12.01.04, we the Conference cabinet and clergy are constrained and by conscience bound, respectfully, to decline to regard the election as invalid, to appoint another Dean, or to abide by said provisions. This refusal is with profound sadness. We had hoped that you would better understand the exigencies of our apostleship in San Francisco. The policies of the ELCA regarding noncelibate lesbian and gay clergy, the heart of this unfortunate episode, are a scandal and grave hindrance to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this city. As Christ himself declares, "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Mt 18:6) We cannot allow the policies of the ELCA, which hardly rise to the level of adiaphora, to hinder the central mission of the Church. In this conviction, we take hope and encouragement from your powerful and inspiring sermon on the Feast of the Presentation. Your sermon that evening was a refreshing example of the true power of bishops as outlined in Augsburg 28. Your call to make present within the Church God's baptismal call to discipleship and service regardless of gender or sexuality deeply moved all who heard your preaching. We are your flock in San Francisco. Heeding the admonition of Scripture and keeping faith with our Confessional heritage, we desire nothing but to live in obedience and harmony with you, our Bishop. Yet this harmony and obedience is only possible when you, our Bishop, stand in the place of Jesus Christ and mediate to us Christ's gracious and reconciling Word and example. With humility and hope, we urge you to take up the work you so wonderfully outlined in your sermon. Set the example for the reformation and strengthening of Christ's Church by affirming the election of our new Dean. Join with us in taking up the Cross of Christ and enduring the doubts and scorn of this sad, divided world so that the love of Christ, his forgiveness, and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit might reach into every heart."
Sorry, the Holy Spirit don't do that kind of transformation!
Cap'n Bill here: Is there anything more evil than a mutiny! Believe you me, if you were a captain, you'd know the answer to that one mighty quick!
Well, mutiny at sea or mutiny in port, mutiny is mutiny. Been a long time since it was safe for a sailor to go ashore in San Francisco, but now, even the clergy are mutinous. Get a load of this bilge...
Exigencies of Our Apostleship: On January 24, the San Francisco Conference of the Sierra Pacific Synod elected Pr. Steve Sabin to the office of Dean. On January 30, Sierra Pacific Synod Bishop David G. Mullen (pictured) issued a letter in which he cited SB12.01.04 and SB12.01.05 from the synod constitution and declared the election invalid and the deanship of the conference vacant because Pr. Sabin is not on the Synod's clergy roster. (Pr. Sabin is rostered with Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.)
Copies of the Bishop's letter went to all congregations and pastors in the synod. On February 18,, a letter over Pr. Sabin's signature went out from the Conference Cabinet and clergy of the San Francisco Conference to Bishop Mullen. Copies went to all congregations and pastors in the synod. The letter reads in part:
"Since the assembly of the conference has already made known its will and opinion regarding the provisions of SB12.01.04, we the Conference cabinet and clergy are constrained and by conscience bound, respectfully, to decline to regard the election as invalid, to appoint another Dean, or to abide by said provisions. This refusal is with profound sadness. We had hoped that you would better understand the exigencies of our apostleship in San Francisco. The policies of the ELCA regarding noncelibate lesbian and gay clergy, the heart of this unfortunate episode, are a scandal and grave hindrance to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this city. As Christ himself declares, "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Mt 18:6) We cannot allow the policies of the ELCA, which hardly rise to the level of adiaphora, to hinder the central mission of the Church. In this conviction, we take hope and encouragement from your powerful and inspiring sermon on the Feast of the Presentation. Your sermon that evening was a refreshing example of the true power of bishops as outlined in Augsburg 28. Your call to make present within the Church God's baptismal call to discipleship and service regardless of gender or sexuality deeply moved all who heard your preaching. We are your flock in San Francisco. Heeding the admonition of Scripture and keeping faith with our Confessional heritage, we desire nothing but to live in obedience and harmony with you, our Bishop. Yet this harmony and obedience is only possible when you, our Bishop, stand in the place of Jesus Christ and mediate to us Christ's gracious and reconciling Word and example. With humility and hope, we urge you to take up the work you so wonderfully outlined in your sermon. Set the example for the reformation and strengthening of Christ's Church by affirming the election of our new Dean. Join with us in taking up the Cross of Christ and enduring the doubts and scorn of this sad, divided world so that the love of Christ, his forgiveness, and the transformative power of the Holy Spirit might reach into every heart."
Sorry, the Holy Spirit don't do that kind of transformation!
A big ahoy to the bretheren and sistern at
for the heads up!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Two religions, one church continued:
Yesterday on ALPB Forum Online there was a strenuous dialogue between one proponent of same sex blessings and a raft of opponents. The lone supporter finally posted:
Re: Did Jesus Speak To Homosexual Relations?
« Reply #276 on: February 15, 2008, 06:32:14 PM »
Quote from: Jim_Krauser on February 15, 2008, 05:54:46 PM
"I'm sorry but I cannot be convinced that the permanent emotional and sexual relationship between two persons of the same gender is any more sinful than eating pork."
Then one of the moderators said: I'd say this amounts to the very definition of an impasse.
I was floored by the comparison of an equivalence between same sex union and eating pork. Therefore I couldn't agree with the moderator calling this an "impasse". It is much more a declaration of independance than a peace treaty.
I can't help but think at times that all this back and forth is for nothing. At other times I read things which affirmed the great alarm I experienced back in 2004 when I decided that it was more important to speak up about these two understandings of Christianity than what harm might result from the debate.
For me, I am much more alarmed that someone with the office of pastor would be saying "I can't see the difference between that and eating pork" than I am that "civilians" have decided that is the case and they are doing it.
So, I guess we'll see what happens. People are taking stands on both sides.
From the canary in a coal mine, the pioneering effort out in BC:
Second church in Diocese of New Westminster Set to Respond to Leadership’s Intransigence
Darah Hansen and Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun
Members of an Anglican church in Abbotsford are expected to become the second local congregation in a week to split from Vancouver-area Bishop Michael Ingham over his support for same-sex blessings.
And two more Anglican churches -- St. Matthias/ St. Luke and The Church of the Good Shepherd -- in Vancouver are poised to fill out similar ballots later this month as orthodox followers openly challenge Ingham's liberal vision for the church.
"We are prepared to act on our faith," said Rev. Trevor Walters of St. Matthew's Anglican parish in Abbotsford, whose members will cast their votes Sunday.
Read it all: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=4089a9c8-6def-4256-8eca-d2dc8d45aac4&k=93350
I particularly "like" (sarcasm) the pure elitist dismissive of the diocesan spokesperson's reference to a congregation that split way back in 2004, "That parish [that left] . . . now worships in a school gym somewhere," he said.
Not a particularly great mainstream piece. They seem to me in general to be fixated on "anti-homosexuals" and power-wrangling but it is good to note that some people are taking a stand for the truth, they are paying a price and in the midst of it all the truth does get told.
Re: Did Jesus Speak To Homosexual Relations?
« Reply #276 on: February 15, 2008, 06:32:14 PM »
Quote from: Jim_Krauser on February 15, 2008, 05:54:46 PM
"I'm sorry but I cannot be convinced that the permanent emotional and sexual relationship between two persons of the same gender is any more sinful than eating pork."
Then one of the moderators said: I'd say this amounts to the very definition of an impasse.
I was floored by the comparison of an equivalence between same sex union and eating pork. Therefore I couldn't agree with the moderator calling this an "impasse". It is much more a declaration of independance than a peace treaty.
I can't help but think at times that all this back and forth is for nothing. At other times I read things which affirmed the great alarm I experienced back in 2004 when I decided that it was more important to speak up about these two understandings of Christianity than what harm might result from the debate.
For me, I am much more alarmed that someone with the office of pastor would be saying "I can't see the difference between that and eating pork" than I am that "civilians" have decided that is the case and they are doing it.
So, I guess we'll see what happens. People are taking stands on both sides.
From the canary in a coal mine, the pioneering effort out in BC:
Second church in Diocese of New Westminster Set to Respond to Leadership’s Intransigence
Darah Hansen and Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun
Members of an Anglican church in Abbotsford are expected to become the second local congregation in a week to split from Vancouver-area Bishop Michael Ingham over his support for same-sex blessings.
And two more Anglican churches -- St. Matthias/ St. Luke and The Church of the Good Shepherd -- in Vancouver are poised to fill out similar ballots later this month as orthodox followers openly challenge Ingham's liberal vision for the church.
"We are prepared to act on our faith," said Rev. Trevor Walters of St. Matthew's Anglican parish in Abbotsford, whose members will cast their votes Sunday.
Read it all: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=4089a9c8-6def-4256-8eca-d2dc8d45aac4&k=93350
I particularly "like" (sarcasm) the pure elitist dismissive of the diocesan spokesperson's reference to a congregation that split way back in 2004, "That parish [that left] . . . now worships in a school gym somewhere," he said.
Not a particularly great mainstream piece. They seem to me in general to be fixated on "anti-homosexuals" and power-wrangling but it is good to note that some people are taking a stand for the truth, they are paying a price and in the midst of it all the truth does get told.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Lutheran CORE News 2.1
February 12, 2008
(Please copy and distribute as widely as possible.)
New web site!
Lutheran Core has a new web site - www.lutherancore.org.
Thanks to Jerry Youngquist in North Branch, Minn., for designing and building the new site. Your feedback and suggestions for improving the site are most welcome. Send your comments to info@lutherancore.org.
We would like more information added to our blog - www.commonconfession.blogspot.com, which is linked to the "News" menu on our web site. Please read the blog, comment on anything there, and pass it on to others.
There is also a Lutheran CORE group on Facebook – www.facebook.com! We urge you to join the 29 members now in the group. It is a great way to interact with some of the younger folks who also are dedicated to reform within the ELCA.
+ + +
New Advisory Council
We welcome a group of outstanding leaders in the ELCA who have agreed to serve on our Advisory Council. Surely you will recognize some of the names on this list:
+ + +
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee has met twice since our last newsletter, once by conference call and once at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church near Columbus, Ohio.
We clarified some administrative issues and reaffirmed our financial commitment to reimburse the WordAlone Network for their services to us. Lutheran CORE steering committee members also will attend meetings of the ELCA church council.
In October 2002 the ELCA outreach office in Chicago acknowledged a relationship with an independent Lutheran organization, Lutherans Concerned/North America (a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered group). Lutheran CORE is seeking similar recognition by a churchwide office. The appropriate paperwork has been submitted and we have sought advice from appropriate ELCA officials on how to apply for this status. It will not constitute endorsement by the ELCA, nor will it establish any control by the ELCA over how we operate. It may allow for donations to be made to Lutheran CORE using the Simply Giving program.
+ + +
Annual Gathering
The annual gathering of Lutheran CORE will again be held in conjunction with the WordAlone Network annual convention. We will meet during the first workshop time on Monday afternoon, April 14, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley, Minn. The Steering Committee will meet Monday evening and Tuesday morning after the event. Our friends and supporters are always welcome at steering committee meetings.
You must pre-register with WordAlone to reserve a lunch on April 14. For registration information for the WordAlone convention, please watch their website – www.wordalone.org.
The annual gathering of LC3 will be held during the second afternoon workshop session at Calvary on April 14.
+ + +
Unauthorized ordinations
We are concerned that some ELCA bishops are doing nothing about unauthorized ordinations of persons not in compliance with the ELCA’s standards. In particular, there appears to be no discipline for congregations who ordain and call these persons. As we receive information, we hope to publicize it in this newsletter. Please email specific, verifiable information to Pastor Steve Shipman at prsteveshipman@gmail.com,
+ + +
News from the field
In spite of icy road conditions that kept several Lutheran CORE representatives and a number of people from greater upstate New York from attending, about 80 persons met in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, Feb. 2 for the WordAlone Regional Mission event. Surely the groundhog saw his shadow if he dared to come out of his home. Paull Spring sent a manuscript he had planned to present in person and there was much discussion afterwards.
Lutherans Reform! in the Lower Susquehanna Synod in Penn. met in January. with seventeen people in attendance. Updates were made to the suggested list for nominations for various synod and churchwide offices. The group’s new web site is www.lr-elcf.org. A synod wide event is planned on Mar. 31 at Messiah Lutheran Church in Lebanon, Penn., which will introduce congregations to the reform group’s work. Contact Pr. Paul Gausmann at Pastor.Paul@comcast.net for more information.
The Indiana-Kentucky Renewal Network sponsored an open forum on Feb. 9 at Christ the Savior Lutheran Church in suburban Indianapolis. The theme of the gathering was "Speaking the Truth in Love - Reforming the Reform." Paull Spring was the keynote speaker, and there were additional presentations and workshops on the network’s ministry and its goals for the ELCA. More than fifty people participated. The group is an organized, active, and growing renewal movement within the Indiana-Kentucky Synod. The group has also asked to be a member group of Lutheran CORE, bringing the total to nine member groups.
Please email the editor with reports of local gatherings. We wish to encourage people around the country with news of the many good things that are happening in the work of reform.
+ + +
Thanks for your donations
We are overwhelmed by the generosity of many people. The steering committee was pleased to hear a report that a large congregation in California joined our growing base of congregational supporters and voted to make a generous contribution. Please learn the process for including Lutheran CORE in your congregation's budget and help us expand our mission of working for reform in the ELCA. We also welcome and need individual gifts in any amount, which have sustained us thus far.
It will not be inexpensive to gather the Advisory Council, and already we are looking at major expenses for our presence at the Minneapolis churchwide assembly in 2009. Our steering committee donates their time, but most need travel reimbursement for meetings and other events including ELCA church council meetings.
Our relationship with the WordAlone Network allows us to avoid many distractions from our mission of reform. While we still hope to secure our own 501(c)(3) non-profit status in the future, for now we operate administratively within WordAlone. Please send your contributions to:
Lutheran CORE
c/o WordAlone Network
2299 Palmer Drive, Suite 220
New Brighton, MN 55112
Make checks payable to WordAlone Network, and write "Lutheran CORE" on the memo line. Contributions to Lutheran CORE are tax deductible as permitted by law.
+ + +
Pastoral letter
In closing we share a portion of a letter Pr. Tom Renquist wrote to the members of Lord of the Hills Church in Centennial, Col., where he serves. He indicated that 25 years ago he supported the ordination of practicing homosexuals. He continued:
With such thoughtful, compassionate, and dedicated supporters, there is hope for the ELCA. Keep our bishops, pastors, congregations, and leaders in your prayers. There are no limits on what the Holy Spirit can accomplish. As we observe Lent, recall that the whole Christian movement began with one lonely man dying on a hill outside Jerusalem. We who believe that the power of God raised Jesus can scarcely begin to imagine what this God can do with the ELCA.
Pastor W. Stevens Shipman, steering committee member and communications committee
prsteveshipman@gmail.com
(Please copy and distribute as widely as possible.)
New web site!
Lutheran Core has a new web site - www.lutherancore.org.
Thanks to Jerry Youngquist in North Branch, Minn., for designing and building the new site. Your feedback and suggestions for improving the site are most welcome. Send your comments to info@lutherancore.org.
We would like more information added to our blog - www.commonconfession.blogspot.com, which is linked to the "News" menu on our web site. Please read the blog, comment on anything there, and pass it on to others.
There is also a Lutheran CORE group on Facebook – www.facebook.com! We urge you to join the 29 members now in the group. It is a great way to interact with some of the younger folks who also are dedicated to reform within the ELCA.
+ + +
New Advisory Council
We welcome a group of outstanding leaders in the ELCA who have agreed to serve on our Advisory Council. Surely you will recognize some of the names on this list:
• Mr. Alan Beaver, Salisbury, North Carolina, member of Lasting Word, North Carolina SynodWe will gather this group for an initial meeting in late April and invite them to consider how they can support the work of Lutheran CORE. This group is particularly qualified to comment upon the draft social statement on human sexuality and the Bible study materials being released for congregations. We are hoping that they can add ideas from their own areas of expertise.
• Rev. John Beem, Miltona, Minnesota, former Bishop of East Central Wisconsin Synod
• Dr. Robert Benne, Professor Emeritus Roanoke College, Virginia, and Director of the Center for Religion and Society
• Dr. Carl Braaten, Sun City West, Arizona, Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology and Senior Editor of Pro Ecclesia
• Rev. James R. Crumley, Jr., Chapin, South Carolina, former Bishop of the Lutheran Church in America
• Rev. Paul Gausmann, Pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, York, Pennsylvania and member of Lutherans Reform! in the Lower Susquehanna Synod
• Rev. Jeffray Greene, Pastor of American Lutheran Church, Rantoul, Illinois and Editor of FOCL Point, Fellowship of Confessional Lutherans
• Rev. Gary Hatcher, Pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church, Greene, Iowa and member of call to Faithfulness in the NE Iowa Synod
• Rev. George Mocko, Towson, Maryland, former Bishop of Delaware-Maryland Synod
• Rev. Dennis Nelson, Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, West Covina, California and member of the Evangelical Mission Network
• Dr. James Nestingen, St. Paul, Minnesota, Professor Emeritus, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota
• Rev. Richard Niebanck, Delhi, New York, Former Secretary for Social Concerns, Department of Church in Society, Division for Mission in North America in the Lutheran Church in America
• Rev. Russell Saltzman, Pastor of Ruskin Heights Lutheran Church, Kansas City, Missouri, and former editor of Forum Letter
• Rev. Kenneth Sauer, Columbus, Ohio, former Bishop of Southern Ohio Synod and Chair of ELCA Conference of Bishops
• Rev. Beth Schlegel, Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, York, Pennsylvania
• Rev. Fred Schumacher, Manchester, New Jersey, Executive Director of the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau
• Rev. Morris Vaagenes, Shoreview, Minnesota, Pastor Emeritus of North Heights Lutheran Church, Roseville, Minnesota
+ + +
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee has met twice since our last newsletter, once by conference call and once at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church near Columbus, Ohio.
We clarified some administrative issues and reaffirmed our financial commitment to reimburse the WordAlone Network for their services to us. Lutheran CORE steering committee members also will attend meetings of the ELCA church council.
In October 2002 the ELCA outreach office in Chicago acknowledged a relationship with an independent Lutheran organization, Lutherans Concerned/North America (a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered group). Lutheran CORE is seeking similar recognition by a churchwide office. The appropriate paperwork has been submitted and we have sought advice from appropriate ELCA officials on how to apply for this status. It will not constitute endorsement by the ELCA, nor will it establish any control by the ELCA over how we operate. It may allow for donations to be made to Lutheran CORE using the Simply Giving program.
+ + +
Annual Gathering
The annual gathering of Lutheran CORE will again be held in conjunction with the WordAlone Network annual convention. We will meet during the first workshop time on Monday afternoon, April 14, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley, Minn. The Steering Committee will meet Monday evening and Tuesday morning after the event. Our friends and supporters are always welcome at steering committee meetings.
You must pre-register with WordAlone to reserve a lunch on April 14. For registration information for the WordAlone convention, please watch their website – www.wordalone.org.
The annual gathering of LC3 will be held during the second afternoon workshop session at Calvary on April 14.
+ + +
Unauthorized ordinations
We are concerned that some ELCA bishops are doing nothing about unauthorized ordinations of persons not in compliance with the ELCA’s standards. In particular, there appears to be no discipline for congregations who ordain and call these persons. As we receive information, we hope to publicize it in this newsletter. Please email specific, verifiable information to Pastor Steve Shipman at prsteveshipman@gmail.com,
+ + +
News from the field
In spite of icy road conditions that kept several Lutheran CORE representatives and a number of people from greater upstate New York from attending, about 80 persons met in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, Feb. 2 for the WordAlone Regional Mission event. Surely the groundhog saw his shadow if he dared to come out of his home. Paull Spring sent a manuscript he had planned to present in person and there was much discussion afterwards.
Lutherans Reform! in the Lower Susquehanna Synod in Penn. met in January. with seventeen people in attendance. Updates were made to the suggested list for nominations for various synod and churchwide offices. The group’s new web site is www.lr-elcf.org. A synod wide event is planned on Mar. 31 at Messiah Lutheran Church in Lebanon, Penn., which will introduce congregations to the reform group’s work. Contact Pr. Paul Gausmann at Pastor.Paul@comcast.net for more information.
The Indiana-Kentucky Renewal Network sponsored an open forum on Feb. 9 at Christ the Savior Lutheran Church in suburban Indianapolis. The theme of the gathering was "Speaking the Truth in Love - Reforming the Reform." Paull Spring was the keynote speaker, and there were additional presentations and workshops on the network’s ministry and its goals for the ELCA. More than fifty people participated. The group is an organized, active, and growing renewal movement within the Indiana-Kentucky Synod. The group has also asked to be a member group of Lutheran CORE, bringing the total to nine member groups.
Please email the editor with reports of local gatherings. We wish to encourage people around the country with news of the many good things that are happening in the work of reform.
+ + +
Thanks for your donations
We are overwhelmed by the generosity of many people. The steering committee was pleased to hear a report that a large congregation in California joined our growing base of congregational supporters and voted to make a generous contribution. Please learn the process for including Lutheran CORE in your congregation's budget and help us expand our mission of working for reform in the ELCA. We also welcome and need individual gifts in any amount, which have sustained us thus far.
It will not be inexpensive to gather the Advisory Council, and already we are looking at major expenses for our presence at the Minneapolis churchwide assembly in 2009. Our steering committee donates their time, but most need travel reimbursement for meetings and other events including ELCA church council meetings.
Our relationship with the WordAlone Network allows us to avoid many distractions from our mission of reform. While we still hope to secure our own 501(c)(3) non-profit status in the future, for now we operate administratively within WordAlone. Please send your contributions to:
Lutheran CORE
c/o WordAlone Network
2299 Palmer Drive, Suite 220
New Brighton, MN 55112
Make checks payable to WordAlone Network, and write "Lutheran CORE" on the memo line. Contributions to Lutheran CORE are tax deductible as permitted by law.
+ + +
Pastoral letter
In closing we share a portion of a letter Pr. Tom Renquist wrote to the members of Lord of the Hills Church in Centennial, Col., where he serves. He indicated that 25 years ago he supported the ordination of practicing homosexuals. He continued:
In that congregation we began the discussion by inviting in homosexual Christians who told us, “This is the way God made me, so it must be good.” And precisely there is the misstep: beginning with our human experience. Building our theology on the human experience is a foundation of sand. Eighty years ago, when the Swiss theologian Karl Barth first began his Church Dogmatics, he made just such a false start. Thank goodness, he recognized his mistake after his first volume and started all over again:His entire letter is posted on our web site at www.lutherancore.org/papers/pastoral-letter.shtml.…in this second draft I have excluded to the very best of my ability anything that might appear to find for theology a foundation, support, or justification in philosophical existentialism. The Word or existence?Since we all do know homosexual persons – and like them and love them! – it is so tempting to begin with the human experience: here is X, who so obviously has gifts for the ordained ministry in the parish; whether he has a homosexual partner or not, should we not ordain him and make use of his gifts? Once again it is the argument: “This is the way God made me; therefore it must be good.”
But that is an approach that stays stuck in Genesis 1 and 2 (the Stories of Creation) and totally forgets Genesis 3 (the Story of the Fall into Sin). None of us are as God intended us to be; sin has tainted us all. In fact, that was the sin of Adam and Eve – and therefore the sin of us all – the desire to exalt ourselves and be like God. To this audacious presumption of humans to become God, God answers with the gracious good news of the Gospel: God became human!
With such thoughtful, compassionate, and dedicated supporters, there is hope for the ELCA. Keep our bishops, pastors, congregations, and leaders in your prayers. There are no limits on what the Holy Spirit can accomplish. As we observe Lent, recall that the whole Christian movement began with one lonely man dying on a hill outside Jerusalem. We who believe that the power of God raised Jesus can scarcely begin to imagine what this God can do with the ELCA.
Pastor W. Stevens Shipman, steering committee member and communications committee
prsteveshipman@gmail.com
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Holy Week in the ELCA
Shrimp here. As Cap'n Bill briefly notes below, the first draft of the ELCA Social Statement on Human Sexuality comes out around Holy Week. Pastor Zip's Blog points out that the official launch is March 13, which is the Thursday before Holy Week. Just in time, we think, for some enterprising religion reporters to be on the phone with local ELCA pastors for a comment or two for the Saturday Religion Page which otherwise would be announcing Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday services. That's Higgins Road for you, always ready to help ELCA parish pastors with a little free publicity.
Here is part of the current timeline for the Sexuality Study:
Anyway, after mulling over (once again) the question, "What are these folks at ELCA HQ thinking?" Shrimp thinks the idea Pastor Zip passes on from one of his fellow ELCA pastors isn't too bad:
Wishing you a blessed Mardi Gras, Shrimp out.
Here is part of the current timeline for the Sexuality Study:
January 25-26Rummaging around the ELCA's Journey Together Faithfully reveals that the site hasn't been updated for several months, since "congregations and synods will be asked to study and respond to Journey Together Faithfully, Part Three in the fall of 2006." Though now that the draft is actually finished (if the schedule is being followed) maybe the Task Force's staff will get around bringing it's "What's Happening" page into 2008.
Task force meets to finalize work on the draft of a social statement on human sexuality.
February 29
Church in Society program committee receives a report.
March 6-11
Conference of Bishops meeting receives confidential review of the draft.
March 12, noon, CDT
DRAFT social statement on human sexuality becomes available for confidential review to rostered leaders on a designated Web site.
March 13, noon, CDT
DRAFT social statement on human sexuality is released. It will be available at www.elca.org/faithfuljourney and a copy will be mailed to every rostered leader.
Anyway, after mulling over (once again) the question, "What are these folks at ELCA HQ thinking?" Shrimp thinks the idea Pastor Zip passes on from one of his fellow ELCA pastors isn't too bad:
I am ridiculously trying to see if we can get the ELCA to postpone the release of the new sexuality draft to AFTER Easter. This is an action that has NO concern for the content. Right now the new draft is scheduled for release to the media the Wednesday before Holy Week. ... If you concur that it would be better to release this AFTER Easter I invite you to send and email to Pastor Larson, Bishop Hanson and your local Bishop.For some reasons why delaying the draft's release for a couple of weeks might be a useful idea, see here. Then, if you are an ELCA pastor or lay leader, you might write a gentle request to Dr. Rebecca Larson, Executive Director of the ELCA Church in Society unit, the ELCA's Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson (or, if you don't want to wait 10 weeks for a personal reply, his assistant), and your Bishop -- in time for that March 6-11 Conference of Bishops meeting.
Wishing you a blessed Mardi Gras, Shrimp out.
The Kiss of Death
Cap'n Bill here:
Argh, mateys. Me out here in the middle of the ocean and all, I get hungry for news from a far country, if you know what I mean. And much of what I get is bad, which makes me heart lower than a dead man's chest (and we ran out of rum, too boot). And the news that makes me grieve sorely is what I hear from me Augstana. What be they thinking? I heard they are going to release the Sexuality Study around Holy Week? Our faithful pastors are burdened enough, worked hard enough, and they have to prepare for Easter and outreach with this albatross around their necks.
"Thank you very much sir, can I have another!!! "
Argh. Out here we see the same for the Presbys and the Piscopals. The more the miserable.
In case you don't know how to keep up on our Anglican friends, Kendall Harmon is your best bet, as he is a Canon Theologian, a priest and a theolog. he strives to be fair and engage. Some people like VirtueOnline. For me, it be a little too breathless, if ye know what I mean. It has a lot of articles though from a lot of sources. Here is one that be a bit of a stinger:
A recent opinion piece, "Kissing the Leper" by The Rev. Tim Vivian, a leading light in the Remaining Episcopal movement in the Diocese of San Joaquin, appeared recently in a Bakersfield California newspaper. Vivian has been Bishop Schofield's antagonist for some time and, in this article, he articulates the unbridgeable chasm between orthodox and "progressive" Christians. The "conversation" is done and dead.VOL takes a hard look at what he says and responds.
OPINION: Kissing the Leper
VIVIAN: Last Friday, I sat with the lepers and outcasts. Inside St. Paul's Episcopal parish, delegates for diocesan convention were meeting, but we were outside because Bishop Schofield refused to allow us inside. Who were we? Members of Integrity, the national organization supporting gays and lesbians in the Episcopal Church. Bishop Schofield not only refused us entrance to St. Paul's, he has refused to allow Integrity to meet in any parish in the diocese; he has forbidden the clergy of the diocese to celebrate Communion for the people of Integrity.
VOL: Bishop Schofield has every right to refuse people who misbehave sexually and who want to promote a behavior that has the potential to kill you from desecrating churches under his authority. Bishop Schofield is well within his ecclesiastical rights to deny a Cross Dressing or Adulterer's minority from using church premises along with those who want to practice syncretistic Hindu festivals in an Episcopal cathedral like the Bishop of Los Angeles J. Jon Bruno did recently.
VIVIAN: I wish this fear and hatred of gays by many Christians were an isolated event, a simple example of theological racism, but it isn't. Among some Christians, homophobia is just one symptom; others are fear of women, fear of sexuality, fear of the poor, fear of those not like us, and fear of change.
VOL: Stuff and nonsense. Bishop Schofield is not the slightest bit afraid of, nor is he remotely a hater of "gays", nor is he a "theological racist". He believes that the practice of sodomy is eternally damning to one's soul and he is answerable to Jesus "in that day" for his stewardship of the diocese. He is not answerable to Susan Russell, a lesbian priest or Tim Vivian, a thorn in the bishop's backside. Bishop Schofield is not remotely homophobic, has no fear of women (he told this reporter he planned to marry, but the Lord called him otherwise). He has no fear of women, fear of sexuality, fear of the poor (the diocese gives generously to the poor), nor does he fear change.The charge that because he does not believe in - women's ordination - makes for a "fear women or sex" is nonsense. That position, held by the vast majority of the church for nearly 2,000 years, is a well established theological position and has got nothing to do with women hating, or haters of sex.
VIVIAN: The reasons for these fears--and the hatred that often accompanies them--are complex, but they are bound together by, and find their common expression in, a profound misunderstanding and misuse of the Bible.
VOL: That "misunderstanding and misuse" of the Bible is an odd charge. It has been standard teaching for more than 2,000 years and only got downgraded to an F rating by a handful of post enlightenment pansexualists like Louie Crew and Gene Robinson over the last 40 years. Before then, Mr. Vivian's description of the Bible would have been laughed at from Cranmer to Calvin, from Luther to Wesley.
VIVIAN: With regard to homosexuality, the extreme conservative argument is simple: Homosexuality is evil, a sin, because the Bible says so. Such an argument reduces a complicated human subject to absolutes of good and evil, right or wrong. Those who make this argument conveniently--or blindly--ignore the fact that "the Bible" variously endorses polygamy, slavery, massacre, and the sequestration of women during their periods.
VOL: Homosexual behavior is a sin, whatever one's sexual attraction might be, it is a sin. Temptation is not a sin, either heterosexual or homosexual, but jumping into bed with someone who is not your legal spouse is. It is not the worst sin by far, but it is sin and the church is not going to change its mind because Mr. Vivian thinks it should. There is nothing particularly "complicated" about it. C. S. Lewis (a pretty complicated thinker) makes this point in "Mere Christianity" about sex. He says "either sex within marriage or celibacy." I would sooner believe Lewis (or St. Paul) rather than Vivian, since my soul depends on it.
VIVAN: Put more positively, the Bible is a human document (or collection of documents), a human witness to God's being, activity, and presence. As a human witness, it is a fallible one. Since the Bible is a human witness, those who wrote it--however inspired they were--were subject to social, political, ethnic, temporal and religious biases and prejudices, just as we are today.In ignoring all this, conservative Biblicists make a serious mistake; unfortunately, in their use of the Bible, they commit a worse one: false use is worse than false understanding. Biblicists mistakenly believe that the Bible is a book of dictates and rules, revealed by God. Once they have this infallible rule book in hand, like a Boy Scout with his handbook, they selectively decide which issues are most important. Usually for Biblicists, it is homosexuality or sexuality in general, abortion, and women's subordination. Biblicists are so obsessed with these issues that they usually ignore questions of social justice, poverty, homelessness, or war and peace.
VOL: Vivian makes two fundamental errors here. Scripture has a double authorship; it is God-breathed words working through man. Both are necessary. "Human authors" did not work apart from the Holy Ghost. Mr. Vivian thinks the Bible is little more than a story book and that we can add our story and change its fundamental theology. He is dead wrong.Secondly, Christians make serious distinctions between an unchanging Moral Order and the Ceremonial Order found in the Old Testament, especially Leviticus. Homosexuality and abortion are seriously proscribed by Scripture. Social justice issues have been more addressed by the Christian Church than any other human body on earth. Just ask Rick Warren, who travels around and notes that the church is often the ONLY single agency, in a location where government cannot be found, that is capable of changing a community. Furthermore, the largest humanitarian agencies in the world today are mostly Christian - World Vision International, Food for the Hungry (and Poor), the Salvation Army, et al are in the forefront on the war against poverty, homelessness and social justice. I have never found a humanist or atheist organization that comes remotely close to doing what they do. Mr. Vivian is talking arrant nonsense. Furthermore, no one liberated women more than Jesus, and while the church has had an up and down history on that issue, in the end women have more freedom in Christian cultures than Muslim ones. Mr. Vivian should spend a week in Saudi Arabia to see how women are treated. As far as women in the church are concerned, the fact that most denominations do not ordain them does not mean that women are in any way suppressed or oppressed. Mother Teresa never said she felt oppressed, and the church will remember her long after we have forgotten the names of many popes.
So, me mates can go here and read the whole thing. See clearly, mates, where the progressives go. They always, always denigrate the Scriptures. At the bottom it's what we have always said, this battle is not over sexuality, it's about the apostolic faith.
Me, I got to get back to the wheel, looks like a storm is blowing!
Argh, mateys. Me out here in the middle of the ocean and all, I get hungry for news from a far country, if you know what I mean. And much of what I get is bad, which makes me heart lower than a dead man's chest (and we ran out of rum, too boot). And the news that makes me grieve sorely is what I hear from me Augstana. What be they thinking? I heard they are going to release the Sexuality Study around Holy Week? Our faithful pastors are burdened enough, worked hard enough, and they have to prepare for Easter and outreach with this albatross around their necks.
"Thank you very much sir, can I have another!!! "
Argh. Out here we see the same for the Presbys and the Piscopals. The more the miserable.
In case you don't know how to keep up on our Anglican friends, Kendall Harmon is your best bet, as he is a Canon Theologian, a priest and a theolog. he strives to be fair and engage. Some people like VirtueOnline. For me, it be a little too breathless, if ye know what I mean. It has a lot of articles though from a lot of sources. Here is one that be a bit of a stinger:
A recent opinion piece, "Kissing the Leper" by The Rev. Tim Vivian, a leading light in the Remaining Episcopal movement in the Diocese of San Joaquin, appeared recently in a Bakersfield California newspaper. Vivian has been Bishop Schofield's antagonist for some time and, in this article, he articulates the unbridgeable chasm between orthodox and "progressive" Christians. The "conversation" is done and dead.VOL takes a hard look at what he says and responds.
OPINION: Kissing the Leper
VIVIAN: Last Friday, I sat with the lepers and outcasts. Inside St. Paul's Episcopal parish, delegates for diocesan convention were meeting, but we were outside because Bishop Schofield refused to allow us inside. Who were we? Members of Integrity, the national organization supporting gays and lesbians in the Episcopal Church. Bishop Schofield not only refused us entrance to St. Paul's, he has refused to allow Integrity to meet in any parish in the diocese; he has forbidden the clergy of the diocese to celebrate Communion for the people of Integrity.
VOL: Bishop Schofield has every right to refuse people who misbehave sexually and who want to promote a behavior that has the potential to kill you from desecrating churches under his authority. Bishop Schofield is well within his ecclesiastical rights to deny a Cross Dressing or Adulterer's minority from using church premises along with those who want to practice syncretistic Hindu festivals in an Episcopal cathedral like the Bishop of Los Angeles J. Jon Bruno did recently.
VIVIAN: I wish this fear and hatred of gays by many Christians were an isolated event, a simple example of theological racism, but it isn't. Among some Christians, homophobia is just one symptom; others are fear of women, fear of sexuality, fear of the poor, fear of those not like us, and fear of change.
VOL: Stuff and nonsense. Bishop Schofield is not the slightest bit afraid of, nor is he remotely a hater of "gays", nor is he a "theological racist". He believes that the practice of sodomy is eternally damning to one's soul and he is answerable to Jesus "in that day" for his stewardship of the diocese. He is not answerable to Susan Russell, a lesbian priest or Tim Vivian, a thorn in the bishop's backside. Bishop Schofield is not remotely homophobic, has no fear of women (he told this reporter he planned to marry, but the Lord called him otherwise). He has no fear of women, fear of sexuality, fear of the poor (the diocese gives generously to the poor), nor does he fear change.The charge that because he does not believe in - women's ordination - makes for a "fear women or sex" is nonsense. That position, held by the vast majority of the church for nearly 2,000 years, is a well established theological position and has got nothing to do with women hating, or haters of sex.
VIVIAN: The reasons for these fears--and the hatred that often accompanies them--are complex, but they are bound together by, and find their common expression in, a profound misunderstanding and misuse of the Bible.
VOL: That "misunderstanding and misuse" of the Bible is an odd charge. It has been standard teaching for more than 2,000 years and only got downgraded to an F rating by a handful of post enlightenment pansexualists like Louie Crew and Gene Robinson over the last 40 years. Before then, Mr. Vivian's description of the Bible would have been laughed at from Cranmer to Calvin, from Luther to Wesley.
VIVIAN: With regard to homosexuality, the extreme conservative argument is simple: Homosexuality is evil, a sin, because the Bible says so. Such an argument reduces a complicated human subject to absolutes of good and evil, right or wrong. Those who make this argument conveniently--or blindly--ignore the fact that "the Bible" variously endorses polygamy, slavery, massacre, and the sequestration of women during their periods.
VOL: Homosexual behavior is a sin, whatever one's sexual attraction might be, it is a sin. Temptation is not a sin, either heterosexual or homosexual, but jumping into bed with someone who is not your legal spouse is. It is not the worst sin by far, but it is sin and the church is not going to change its mind because Mr. Vivian thinks it should. There is nothing particularly "complicated" about it. C. S. Lewis (a pretty complicated thinker) makes this point in "Mere Christianity" about sex. He says "either sex within marriage or celibacy." I would sooner believe Lewis (or St. Paul) rather than Vivian, since my soul depends on it.
VIVAN: Put more positively, the Bible is a human document (or collection of documents), a human witness to God's being, activity, and presence. As a human witness, it is a fallible one. Since the Bible is a human witness, those who wrote it--however inspired they were--were subject to social, political, ethnic, temporal and religious biases and prejudices, just as we are today.In ignoring all this, conservative Biblicists make a serious mistake; unfortunately, in their use of the Bible, they commit a worse one: false use is worse than false understanding. Biblicists mistakenly believe that the Bible is a book of dictates and rules, revealed by God. Once they have this infallible rule book in hand, like a Boy Scout with his handbook, they selectively decide which issues are most important. Usually for Biblicists, it is homosexuality or sexuality in general, abortion, and women's subordination. Biblicists are so obsessed with these issues that they usually ignore questions of social justice, poverty, homelessness, or war and peace.
VOL: Vivian makes two fundamental errors here. Scripture has a double authorship; it is God-breathed words working through man. Both are necessary. "Human authors" did not work apart from the Holy Ghost. Mr. Vivian thinks the Bible is little more than a story book and that we can add our story and change its fundamental theology. He is dead wrong.Secondly, Christians make serious distinctions between an unchanging Moral Order and the Ceremonial Order found in the Old Testament, especially Leviticus. Homosexuality and abortion are seriously proscribed by Scripture. Social justice issues have been more addressed by the Christian Church than any other human body on earth. Just ask Rick Warren, who travels around and notes that the church is often the ONLY single agency, in a location where government cannot be found, that is capable of changing a community. Furthermore, the largest humanitarian agencies in the world today are mostly Christian - World Vision International, Food for the Hungry (and Poor), the Salvation Army, et al are in the forefront on the war against poverty, homelessness and social justice. I have never found a humanist or atheist organization that comes remotely close to doing what they do. Mr. Vivian is talking arrant nonsense. Furthermore, no one liberated women more than Jesus, and while the church has had an up and down history on that issue, in the end women have more freedom in Christian cultures than Muslim ones. Mr. Vivian should spend a week in Saudi Arabia to see how women are treated. As far as women in the church are concerned, the fact that most denominations do not ordain them does not mean that women are in any way suppressed or oppressed. Mother Teresa never said she felt oppressed, and the church will remember her long after we have forgotten the names of many popes.
So, me mates can go here and read the whole thing. See clearly, mates, where the progressives go. They always, always denigrate the Scriptures. At the bottom it's what we have always said, this battle is not over sexuality, it's about the apostolic faith.
Me, I got to get back to the wheel, looks like a storm is blowing!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Jen Again: Is She or Isn't She?
Shrimp here. Cap'n Bill beat us to posting the article below in part due to Shrimp's fishing around to find out just who were those "three retired bishops" participating in Jen Nagle's out-of-the-ordinary "ordination." Nothing (at least so far) appears on the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries web site. Not even anything on the updated Salem English Lutheran Church site.
But we did find this ELM press release over on the web site of the Human Rights Campaign (" the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization"). Who says church and politics don't mix?
The retired Bishops are (the press release, please) "Bishop Emeritus St. Paul Area Synod Lowell Erdahl, the Rev. David Brown, and Bishop Emeritus of Southwestern Minnesota Synod Darold Beekmann." Not identified anywhere in any of the publicity was the Synod that did not grant Rev. Brown "Bishop Emeritus" status, but a bit more sleuthing enables Shrimp to congratulate the ELCA's Northeastern Iowa Synod for that bit of wise inaction.
But there's still more, if you know where to look (and, of course, Shrimp does). The folks at Lutheran (True) Confessions report some 500 in attendance, including about 100 vested clergy, and further write:
Oh, and then there's this from a bit later in that same edition of Lutheran (True) Confessions:
Shrimp out.
But we did find this ELM press release over on the web site of the Human Rights Campaign (" the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization"). Who says church and politics don't mix?
The retired Bishops are (the press release, please) "Bishop Emeritus St. Paul Area Synod Lowell Erdahl, the Rev. David Brown, and Bishop Emeritus of Southwestern Minnesota Synod Darold Beekmann." Not identified anywhere in any of the publicity was the Synod that did not grant Rev. Brown "Bishop Emeritus" status, but a bit more sleuthing enables Shrimp to congratulate the ELCA's Northeastern Iowa Synod for that bit of wise inaction.
But there's still more, if you know where to look (and, of course, Shrimp does). The folks at Lutheran (True) Confessions report some 500 in attendance, including about 100 vested clergy, and further write:
The laying on of hands, which so often happens in two separate movements (first by clergy, and later by the laity) was done in one movement with the whole congregation filling the aisles, hands on the shoulder of the person in front in a great chain of connection.Rev. Davis seems to meet every quota -- blind, lesbian, black, woman, Disciples of Christ (with whom the ELCA is not in any sort of fellowship) -- except the peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which we've decided must be ELCA-GLBT for "kitchen sink").
And of course, there was a sermon, a powerful sermon delivered by the The Reverend Angela Denise Davis, a blind, lesbian, African-American woman ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Her text was the Epistle for the day (Acts 10) and the message was: "Listen to the Spirit in Joppa, do God's work in Caesarea, knowing full well there will be fallout in Jerusalem."
We looked for local luminaries, but being from out of state, we were unable to identify any. We can neither confirm nor deny attendance by Bishop Craig Johnson.
We did hear that there was one Minneapolis Area Bishop's Assistant in attendance who did not vest and, unprepared for the unconventional laying on of hands, seemed reluctant to reach out a hand to the shoulder of the next person lest this be misconstrued.
At the reception following the ordination we met The Reverend Susan Engh, ELCA Director of Congregation Based Organizing.
Oh, and then there's this from a bit later in that same edition of Lutheran (True) Confessions:
Once More With Feeling: A quick look at the Minneapolis Area Synod web site will tell you that Ms. Jen Nagel is a member of the Synod Council.Shrimp alerts you that that last web link is to a YouTube video from the last Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly, where a silly-hatted Bishop Mullen (in the chair) engages in conversation with GLBT advocates "Pastor" Jeff Johnson and Pastor Robin Hartwig, apparently as to when in the Sierra Pacific Synod is a pastor a pastor vs. when is a pastor a lay person. Shrimp would try to say more about that confusion, but where we are we don't have high-speed broadband internet access to watch the whole show.
As of January 19, Jen Nagel is now Rev. Jen Nagel. Although Jen has been called to Salem English Lutheran Church, one of the Synod's congregations, we doubt that the synod will recognize the ordination (most of the time, at least) because Jen is rostered with Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries and not with the ELCA.
The Synod's constitution stipulates that, among the eight "at large" members of the synod council, four will be clergy and four will be lay people. If Pr. Nagel is an "at large" member of the synod council (we don't know), we wonder how the synod will reckon her membership. This has been a point of contention in other synods where ELM-rostered clergy have been denied the opportunity to run for synod council. (See The Clergy Conundrum.)
Shrimp out.
Presbytery OKs first step for lesbian's ordination
from Christian Century story:
Pam Byers, executive director of the San Francisco-based Covenant Network of Presbyterians, which favors homosexuals' inclusion in the church, called the vote "wonderful news." She said that one reason it has taken so long for a PCUSA presbytery to apply the new option was that "many presbyteries instantly adopted policies saying in effect that they would not follow the 2006 rule."
In contrast, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which approved a resolution last summer urging local and regional church bodies to refrain from punishing churches that call partnered homosexual pastor candidates, has seen two lesbians ordained in the past three months.
In Chicago, Bishop Wayne Miller publicly stated in November that he would not discipline Resurrection Lutheran Church, which ordained Jen Rude.On January 19 in Minneapolis, Jennifer Nagel was ordained and installed as pastor of Salem English Lutheran Church in what was called an "extraordinary" service outside the guidelines for ordinations, which ban ordination of noncelibate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to the ministry. Three retired bishops took part in the service. It was not immediately known what position Bishop Craig Johnson of Minneapolis has taken in the matter.
Pam Byers, executive director of the San Francisco-based Covenant Network of Presbyterians, which favors homosexuals' inclusion in the church, called the vote "wonderful news." She said that one reason it has taken so long for a PCUSA presbytery to apply the new option was that "many presbyteries instantly adopted policies saying in effect that they would not follow the 2006 rule."
In contrast, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which approved a resolution last summer urging local and regional church bodies to refrain from punishing churches that call partnered homosexual pastor candidates, has seen two lesbians ordained in the past three months.
In Chicago, Bishop Wayne Miller publicly stated in November that he would not discipline Resurrection Lutheran Church, which ordained Jen Rude.On January 19 in Minneapolis, Jennifer Nagel was ordained and installed as pastor of Salem English Lutheran Church in what was called an "extraordinary" service outside the guidelines for ordinations, which ban ordination of noncelibate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to the ministry. Three retired bishops took part in the service. It was not immediately known what position Bishop Craig Johnson of Minneapolis has taken in the matter.
On the Episcopal-Hindu Hoo-Rah
Cap'n Bill here. Susan Russell of Integrity writes:
On the Episcopal-Hindu Hoo-Rah
I haven't weighed in on this one up until now but maybe it's time to say a word or two about what I've come to think of as "The Hindu Hoo-Rah."
BACKGROUND: From our Diocesan News Service:
My, my, my!
Is it surprising that those on the forefront of changing church policy find the only thing to comment on the judgmentalism of the orthodox believers in this situation of syncretistic worship and statement of decommissioning the Great Commission, and actually says, "Sounds like fun. Sorry I missed it?"
Go here to read it and be sure to catch the picture of Louie Crew in feather boa in the story above it, too. (For goodness sake, the man is on the Executive Committe of TEC, I believe).
On the Episcopal-Hindu Hoo-Rah
I haven't weighed in on this one up until now but maybe it's time to say a word or two about what I've come to think of as "The Hindu Hoo-Rah."
BACKGROUND: From our Diocesan News Service:
"Indian Rite Mass celebrates ties between two faiths"Sounds like fun. Sorry I missed it. What I didn't miss, however, was the furor by the Communion Police who were horrified that a Hindu might have snuck through and received the bread and wine made holy. (If you missed it, it's been blogged on here and here and here and here ... and the subject of much conversation over at the HoB/D (AKA "House of Bishops & Deputies") List.
In a colorful rite that honored the traditions of both the Christian and Hindu faiths in India, some 260 participants gathered for an Indian Rite Mass on January 19 at St. John's Pro-Cathedral. Bishop Chester Talton, who attended the service, read a statement from Bishop J. Jon Bruno that offered friendship to the Hindu people of the Indian community and apologized for past harsh treatment of the Indian people by Christians.
During the service, trays of flowers were offered to God, as is traditional in India. At the Eucharist, Hindu attendees were invited forward to take a flower as a sign of friendship: Indian Christians, some of whom were also in traditional garb, took part in the Eucharist. Indian, Orthodox and tradition Western church music were offered by the choir of St. John's and two Indian bands.
My, my, my!
Is it surprising that those on the forefront of changing church policy find the only thing to comment on the judgmentalism of the orthodox believers in this situation of syncretistic worship and statement of decommissioning the Great Commission, and actually says, "Sounds like fun. Sorry I missed it?"
Go here to read it and be sure to catch the picture of Louie Crew in feather boa in the story above it, too. (For goodness sake, the man is on the Executive Committe of TEC, I believe).
Monday, January 21, 2008
Whoopie! Another Gay Extraordinary Ordination!
Shrimp wrote these comments: How many misstatements can you find in this article from the local paper preparing us for the "ordination" of Jen Nagel?
Shrimp here, again. Curiously, at this moment of posting, that is one of exactly two hits for "Jen Nagel" on a Google News search. The other one is here, at ACDnews.com. That seems to stand for "Angel City's Devil" -- which is about "Celebrating What Makes the LGBT Different" -- who interprets the Star-Tribune article like this:
Shrimp out!
(No, not "out" like that!)
| This Article from StarTribune.com has been sent to you by Shrimp. *Please note, the sender's identity has not been verified. The full Article, with any associated images and links can be viewed here. |
| Briefly: Exemption allows lesbian pastor's ordination JEFF STRICKLER, Star Tribune faith+values You only have a few more hours to call Jen Nagel Jen. After her ordination at 2 p.m. today, you have to start calling her the Rev. Nagel -- unless you're a member of the national board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), in which case you probably don't want to call her at all. Nagel is being ordained despite being committed to a same-sex relationship. The national ELCA doesn't approve of the ordination of gay ministers. But an exemption in the bylaws was passed at the national convention in August allowing local synods to not object to such ordinations, which is what is happening -- or not happening, depending on how you interpret all of this -- with Nagel. "I still won't be listed on the national ELCA roster" of ministers, she said. "Officially, I will not be accepted as a pastor by the ELCA, but the people of the local ELCA are accepting me." And why not? She's been serving as the pastor at Salem English Lutheran Church in south Minneapolis for nearly five years doing everything other ministers do except calling herself "the Rev." Technically, she's been a pastoral minister, which means that she has done all the things required to be a minister (she has a master of divinity degree) except have an ordination ceremony. That ceremony will be held in a sanctuary that Salem shares with Lyndale United Church of Christ, 810 W. 31st St. To provide enough parking, shuttle buses will run from Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 4100 Lyndale Av. S. The fact that shuttles are needed has made Nagel realize this is no ordinary ordination. "It's a little bit about me, and a little bit about Salem," she said. "But it's a lot about a lot of other people. Subtly, my ministry has always been accepted. But this affirmation by a wider community makes this a bigger ordination than normal." (snip). .. ... |
Shrimp here, again. Curiously, at this moment of posting, that is one of exactly two hits for "Jen Nagel" on a Google News search. The other one is here, at ACDnews.com. That seems to stand for "Angel City's Devil" -- which is about "Celebrating What Makes the LGBT Different" -- who interprets the Star-Tribune article like this:
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) may not have forseen it actually happening often, but a fine-print exemption has allowed a lesbian in Minneapolis to become a pastor of the church. Reverend Jen Nagel has been serving the Salem English Lutheran Church for five years, doing everything Lutheran Pastors do, except for being ordained with the traditional ceremony affording one the title of 'Reverend'. Until today.Fine-print exemption, eh?
Thanks to a provision in ELCA standards, Rev. Nagel has been ordained as one of the church's few openly gay pastors. She is admittedly in a monogamous same-sex relationship, yet because the ELCA lets local congregations decide if they will accept gay pastors, Nagel has been given the 'okay' from her Minneapolis church. Despite the local support, the ELCA is refusing to acknowledge her place within their heirarchy, as they often do when out pastors are ordained. "Officially, I will not be accepted as a pastor by the ELCA, but the people of the local ELCA are accepting me," said Rev. Nagel. "But this affirmation by a wider community makes this a bigger ordination than normal."
Shrimp out!
(No, not "out" like that!)
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Get your environmental Lenten devotions online!
Shrimp here. One of the nice things about having an early Lent and Easter is that we won't have to worry about conflicts with Earth Day. Nevertheless, this is the ELCA:
Sign up and receive daily environmental Lenten devotions online.
Subscribe to "Living Earth: A 40-Day Reflection on Our Relationship With God's Creation"
Called to be in communion with God's creation, we must live in such a way that is sensitive to precious natural resources and in conscious relationship to the earth, creatures and each other. This 40-day Lenten reflection series will offer a holistic approach to how we live as earthly companions, combining God's caring relationship with creation to our journey in the physical universe. Each e-mail emphasizes individual and communal solutions, resources for further learning and suggestions for how to act or become more educated.
Subscribe to the ELCA's daily 2008 environmental Lenten reflections, "Living Earth: A 40-Day Reflection on Our Relationship With God's Creation" at www.elca.org/advocacy
This is a limited subscription; the first e-mail will arrive on Ash Wednesday and the last e-mail will arrive Easter Sunday.
Okay. Shrimp wasn't expecting "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." But a Green Lent?
Shrimp out.
Sign up and receive daily environmental Lenten devotions online.
Subscribe to "Living Earth: A 40-Day Reflection on Our Relationship With God's Creation"
Called to be in communion with God's creation, we must live in such a way that is sensitive to precious natural resources and in conscious relationship to the earth, creatures and each other. This 40-day Lenten reflection series will offer a holistic approach to how we live as earthly companions, combining God's caring relationship with creation to our journey in the physical universe. Each e-mail emphasizes individual and communal solutions, resources for further learning and suggestions for how to act or become more educated.
Subscribe to the ELCA's daily 2008 environmental Lenten reflections, "Living Earth: A 40-Day Reflection on Our Relationship With God's Creation" at www.elca.org/advocacy
This is a limited subscription; the first e-mail will arrive on Ash Wednesday and the last e-mail will arrive Easter Sunday.
Okay. Shrimp wasn't expecting "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." But a Green Lent?
Shrimp out.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Restraint Not Enough (This Time).
Shrimp here. Get a load of this from Sunday's Bucks County (Penn.) Courier Times:
Read the rest of the article here. Further along, see how difficult it seems to be to describe the ELCA's policy:
Meanwhile, don't forget this Saturday Jen Nagle grants the Minneapolis Synod the opportunity for restraint.
And now (like Pastor Wagner) Shrimp out!
On a Sunday afternoon in October, the Rev. David Wagner made an announcement that rocked his congregation. But even the standing ovation he received and the groundswell of support from his flock wasn't enough to keep him at the pulpit from which he had preached for 10 years.Ah, yes. Restraint.
Wagner, now the former pastor of the Lutheran Church of God's Love in Newtown Township, said he's still reeling from the ordeal that began after he confessed that he was gay and had been living with a companion for five years.
His announcement came on the heels of a meeting with several individuals who said they had decided to leave God's Love to attend a more “Bible-oriented” fundamentalist church. They assured Wagner that their departure “had nothing to do” with his lifestyle.
Those words alarmed Wagner, especially after hearing that some church members were “investigating” the 59-year-old clergyman's private life. It was time to come out, he said.
The majority of his flock supported him, but what he called a core of opponents mounted a telephone campaign against him, trying to schedule a formal congregation meeting. That meeting would have required a two-thirds vote of support for Wagner to keep his job, he said.
Early on, officials at the Southeastern Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Norristown had decided not to bring disciplinary action against the pastor.
“I believe I could have gotten the votes I needed to stay, but I felt the divisiveness that occurred was harmful to the church and that's when I decided to resign,” Wagner said.Ah, yes. Dignity and restraint.
Wagner left with dignity, but not quietly.
At his last service on Christmas Eve at God's Love, he introduced his partner, Tom Piccoli, 54, a medical physicist, along with Piccoli's former wife and other family members. Wagner's extended family received enthusiastic applause, he said.
Read the rest of the article here. Further along, see how difficult it seems to be to describe the ELCA's policy:
Like many mainstream denominations, the Lutheran church in the United States is grappling with sexuality issues, including how to deal with homosexual clergy.So, is a gay pastor not expected to be in a relationship? Or is a gay pastor expected to not be in a relationship? Well, Shrimp learned long ago that synod "communications directors" aren't always very effective communicators. Especially when the Bishop is exercising restraint by not answering the phone.
“Our current policy is that if a pastor or other rostered [lay] leader is homosexual, he or she is not expected to be in a relationship. It's the same policy as for heterosexual, not married, individuals,” said Bob Fisher. He's the communications director for the Norristown-based Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
In 2007, after considering several proposals on the issue, a national Lutheran assembly voted not to change church policy. At that time, the assembly encouraged regional bishops to use their discretion in situations like Wagner's.Like we said, read it here. Shrimp salutes TitusOneNine for bringing this to our attention.
The national church expects to tackle issues involving sexuality — including homosexuality — at its 2009 general assembly. Wagner said church leaders could agree to the status quo or ban homosexuals in relationships from the ministry.
Meanwhile, don't forget this Saturday Jen Nagle grants the Minneapolis Synod the opportunity for restraint.
And now (like Pastor Wagner) Shrimp out!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Schori Uses BBC to Fire a Shot at England
"But the sound that Anglican insiders heard the other day was nervous coughing in England. U.S. Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori has decided not to let gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the mother church sit safely on the sidelines while traditionalists take shots at her flock.
"What about those same-sex union rites?
"Those services are happening in various places, including in the Church of England, where my understanding is that there are far more of them happening than there are in the Episcopal Church," she recently told the BBC.
What about New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, a gay man who is living in a same-sex relationship? According to Jefferts Schori, Robinson is under attack for being honest.
"Bishop Robison, she said, is "certainly not alone in being a gay bishop, he's certainly not alone in being a gay partnered bishop. He is alone in being the only gay partnered bishop who's open about that status. ... There's certainly a double standard."
"What we have here is an attempt to pull British bishops out and into open combat with conservatives in Africa, South America, Asia and other parts of the 70-million-member Anglican Communion. The presiding bishop has played the England card in a high-stakes game of ecclesiastical poker inside the Church of England.
"The tensions were already rising, as Canterbury prepares for its once-a-decade global Lambeth Conference of bishops, this coming July 20-Aug. 3.
Conservatives are planning their own Global Anglican Future Conference, June 15-22 in Jerusalem."
Story by Terry Mattingly here.
"What about those same-sex union rites?
"Those services are happening in various places, including in the Church of England, where my understanding is that there are far more of them happening than there are in the Episcopal Church," she recently told the BBC.
What about New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, a gay man who is living in a same-sex relationship? According to Jefferts Schori, Robinson is under attack for being honest.
"Bishop Robison, she said, is "certainly not alone in being a gay bishop, he's certainly not alone in being a gay partnered bishop. He is alone in being the only gay partnered bishop who's open about that status. ... There's certainly a double standard."
"What we have here is an attempt to pull British bishops out and into open combat with conservatives in Africa, South America, Asia and other parts of the 70-million-member Anglican Communion. The presiding bishop has played the England card in a high-stakes game of ecclesiastical poker inside the Church of England.
"The tensions were already rising, as Canterbury prepares for its once-a-decade global Lambeth Conference of bishops, this coming July 20-Aug. 3.
Conservatives are planning their own Global Anglican Future Conference, June 15-22 in Jerusalem."
Story by Terry Mattingly here.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
What is this I see?
I get a weekly e-letter from Dr Martin Marty's center at the Univ of Chicago. Dr Marty, whom many feel is a preeminent scholar and a most respected Lutheran scholar, has long made a career as a sort of culture watcher. For years he released a sort of readers digest of journals for those of us whom I suppose are not smart enough to read all that stuff. He continues on his quest of interpreting the times for all who would listen. The only problem is that Dr Marty sees things one way. He looks at everything through modernity's lens. As Shrimp's sighting of a Herbert Chilstrom spouting, everything liberal is good. They are both on, I hope, the pendulum at the end of its leftward swing.
So here is today's Sightings offering. Read it and tell me what you see:
Sightings 1/10/08
Protecting Freedoms in Alberta -- Wayne A. Holst
"Recent studies released by Statistics Canada and the Conference Board of Canada confirm what Calgarians and many Albertans have suspected for some time: The lure of an unprecedented, prolonged oil boom has made Alberta the most attractive Canadian destination of in-migration from other provinces and a large draw for new Canadians from other countries.
Until 1947, the province of Alberta, which celebrated its centennial two years ago, was largely a "have-not province of farmers and ranchers" where the aboriginal peoples were met by pioneering and homesteading freedom-seekers from other parts of Canada and the world. But sixty years ago oil was discovered at Leduc, just south of Edmonton. In the subsequent six decades, Alberta has evolved into the richest, most dynamic province of Canada. Calgary, a small to mid-sized city for almost a century, recently entered the Canadian metropolitan big-leagues with Toronto, Montreal , Vancouver, Ottawa, and Edmonton when its population surpassed one million. In addition, it was reported in early December that Calgary topped a list of twenty-seven Canadian cities, and enjoyed a North American third-place standing (after Washington and Austin) for attracting "the best and brightest" because of the economy, innovation, environment, education, health, society and housing. Social transformation of this nature and magnitude is bound to profoundly impact established residents and newcomers alike, as it strongly influences politics and public values.
The venerable Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta, in power for four decades, is in the midst of a scramble to come to grips with reality, as traditional Albertan values — conservative and strongly influenced by an underlying "bible belt" religiosity — are increasingly under scrutiny. Enter from stage right Craig Chandler and Stephen Boisson. Chandler was selected to represent the riding of Calgary-Edgmont in the provincial election anticipated next spring. Early in December, however, the still-reigning party decided not to allow the controversial talk-show host to represent them. The official announcement was made a day after the Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC) ruled that a letter written by a former executive director of Concerned Christians Canada (CCC), a group Chandler founded, exposed gay people to "hatred and contempt." Chandler says the media and the Conservatives have unfairly linked him to a letter published in a Red Deer Alberta newspaper, the Advocate, written in 2002 by CCC director Pastor Stephen Boisson. Boisson's article called gay activists "perverse, self-centred and morally depraved individuals" who are "just as immoral" as pedophiles, drug dealers and pimps. Two weeks after the letter appeared, a gay seventeen-year-old boy was assaulted in that community.
Darren Lund, education professor at the University of Calgary (a Lutheran, formerly from Red Deer) filed a complaint with the AHRC shortly thereafter, suggesting the Boisson missive fostered an atmosphere of violence and intimidation toward gays. The AHRC stated in its ruling that "the (Boisson) letter serves to dehumanize people who are homosexuals by referring to them in a degrading, insulting and offensive manner." It also stated that "there is a circumstantial connection between the hate speech of Mr. Boisson and the CCC" and the gay bashing of the Red Deer teen.
Thus, within a matter of days, the pastor and the aspiring politician were both condemned by the AHRC: Boisson is no longer in the ministry and Chandler cannot represent the Conservatives in an election. A satisfied Lund says the ruling sends a clear message: "It confirms we all have rights to free speech in Alberta , but there are also responsibilities that come with these privileges if we want to keep this a safe place for everyone. It reminds us that people in positions of authority have a special responsibility to protect the dignity of especially vulnerable people." For his part, Chandler was quoted as saying: "(The Conservative brass) told me my faith in Jesus Christ would interfere with how I could be a good member of the legislative assembly. Is that fair?"
The Chandler-Boisson episode suggests that Alberta 's human rights standards are evolving for the better. But Chandler 's assertion that his religious rights are being curtailed illustrates how variously "for the better" can be understood, and suggests that such evolution cannot be taken for granted, as there will always be those who challenge it. Thus, freedoms require vigilance if our province is to mature as a safe place for everyone.
Wayne A. Holst, formerly from Ontario but a proud Albertan for almost three decades, teaches at the University of Calgary and at St. David's United Church."
Gad! It looks to me like some Lutheran pastor wrote a letter and helped some committees end the careers of a pastor and a legislator! I thought the author of this was getting ready to say how grossly unfair this is, how the ruling crossed the line between Church and State (or whatever line they have in Canada, but no, he writes, "human rights standards have evolved for the better."!
Welcome to our Brave New World. A momentary lapse in judgment and your career is over.
Such a thing in itself would hardly warrant us taking the time to read and think about except the pattern. I understand there is a book out now The Tyranny of Tolerance. The above would be but another chapter...
So here is today's Sightings offering. Read it and tell me what you see:
Sightings 1/10/08
Protecting Freedoms in Alberta -- Wayne A. Holst
"Recent studies released by Statistics Canada and the Conference Board of Canada confirm what Calgarians and many Albertans have suspected for some time: The lure of an unprecedented, prolonged oil boom has made Alberta the most attractive Canadian destination of in-migration from other provinces and a large draw for new Canadians from other countries.
Until 1947, the province of Alberta, which celebrated its centennial two years ago, was largely a "have-not province of farmers and ranchers" where the aboriginal peoples were met by pioneering and homesteading freedom-seekers from other parts of Canada and the world. But sixty years ago oil was discovered at Leduc, just south of Edmonton. In the subsequent six decades, Alberta has evolved into the richest, most dynamic province of Canada. Calgary, a small to mid-sized city for almost a century, recently entered the Canadian metropolitan big-leagues with Toronto, Montreal , Vancouver, Ottawa, and Edmonton when its population surpassed one million. In addition, it was reported in early December that Calgary topped a list of twenty-seven Canadian cities, and enjoyed a North American third-place standing (after Washington and Austin) for attracting "the best and brightest" because of the economy, innovation, environment, education, health, society and housing. Social transformation of this nature and magnitude is bound to profoundly impact established residents and newcomers alike, as it strongly influences politics and public values.
The venerable Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta, in power for four decades, is in the midst of a scramble to come to grips with reality, as traditional Albertan values — conservative and strongly influenced by an underlying "bible belt" religiosity — are increasingly under scrutiny. Enter from stage right Craig Chandler and Stephen Boisson. Chandler was selected to represent the riding of Calgary-Edgmont in the provincial election anticipated next spring. Early in December, however, the still-reigning party decided not to allow the controversial talk-show host to represent them. The official announcement was made a day after the Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC) ruled that a letter written by a former executive director of Concerned Christians Canada (CCC), a group Chandler founded, exposed gay people to "hatred and contempt." Chandler says the media and the Conservatives have unfairly linked him to a letter published in a Red Deer Alberta newspaper, the Advocate, written in 2002 by CCC director Pastor Stephen Boisson. Boisson's article called gay activists "perverse, self-centred and morally depraved individuals" who are "just as immoral" as pedophiles, drug dealers and pimps. Two weeks after the letter appeared, a gay seventeen-year-old boy was assaulted in that community.
Darren Lund, education professor at the University of Calgary (a Lutheran, formerly from Red Deer) filed a complaint with the AHRC shortly thereafter, suggesting the Boisson missive fostered an atmosphere of violence and intimidation toward gays. The AHRC stated in its ruling that "the (Boisson) letter serves to dehumanize people who are homosexuals by referring to them in a degrading, insulting and offensive manner." It also stated that "there is a circumstantial connection between the hate speech of Mr. Boisson and the CCC" and the gay bashing of the Red Deer teen.
Thus, within a matter of days, the pastor and the aspiring politician were both condemned by the AHRC: Boisson is no longer in the ministry and Chandler cannot represent the Conservatives in an election. A satisfied Lund says the ruling sends a clear message: "It confirms we all have rights to free speech in Alberta , but there are also responsibilities that come with these privileges if we want to keep this a safe place for everyone. It reminds us that people in positions of authority have a special responsibility to protect the dignity of especially vulnerable people." For his part, Chandler was quoted as saying: "(The Conservative brass) told me my faith in Jesus Christ would interfere with how I could be a good member of the legislative assembly. Is that fair?"
The Chandler-Boisson episode suggests that Alberta 's human rights standards are evolving for the better. But Chandler 's assertion that his religious rights are being curtailed illustrates how variously "for the better" can be understood, and suggests that such evolution cannot be taken for granted, as there will always be those who challenge it. Thus, freedoms require vigilance if our province is to mature as a safe place for everyone.
Wayne A. Holst, formerly from Ontario but a proud Albertan for almost three decades, teaches at the University of Calgary and at St. David's United Church."
Gad! It looks to me like some Lutheran pastor wrote a letter and helped some committees end the careers of a pastor and a legislator! I thought the author of this was getting ready to say how grossly unfair this is, how the ruling crossed the line between Church and State (or whatever line they have in Canada, but no, he writes, "human rights standards have evolved for the better."!
Welcome to our Brave New World. A momentary lapse in judgment and your career is over.
Such a thing in itself would hardly warrant us taking the time to read and think about except the pattern. I understand there is a book out now The Tyranny of Tolerance. The above would be but another chapter...
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Chilstrom Spouts Off Again
Shrimp wrote these comments: It's election season and the first Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, a dozen years since being freed from the shackles of his office allowed him to speak his true prophetic voice that he only whispered while in office, isn't happy at all about "Evangelical Christians." The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune once again hands him their bully pulpit. Is this preaching or campaign rhetoric?
| This Article from StarTribune.com has been sent to you by Shrimp. *Please note, the sender's identity has not been verified. The full Article, with any associated images and links can be viewed here. |
| Herbert W. Chilstrom: What being evangelical means to me HERBERT W. CHILSTROM, Star Tribune Am I an "Evangelical Christian"? No, emphatically no. Am I an evangelical Christian? Yes, emphatically yes. I became an evangelical Christian on Nov. 29, 1931, six weeks after I was born. My parents were farmers on the prairie of south central Minnesota. Like Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Orthodox, Methodist and many other believers, my Lutheran parents made certain I was baptized. They believed "evangelical" meant that God takes the initiative when we become a Christian, even as an infant. First, foremost, and primarily, God makes the first move. My parents and sponsors, as an act of faith, affirmed the beliefs of my church and promised to bring me up in a Christian environment. Along the way it became important for me to confirm what had happened on that Sunday in 1931. As a youth and on through the rest of my life I have continued to confess my faith in the presence of a Christian congregation. As an evangelical Christian I try to let that faith be seen in all I say and do. Yes, I fail all too often. But being an evangelical Christian means that I believe God forgives and helps me move on again. It's that simple. So why am I so emphatic in saying that I am not an "Evangelical Christian"? It's because I now find myself living in a culture where some folks who call themselves "Evangelical Christians" are putting a very different twist on that old and revered term. They have sullied and secularized it by tacking on a political agenda. They tend to identify themselves not simply by what they believe, but by the stance they take on controversial issues. The majority of them are anti-abortion, pro-death penalty, anti-gay rights, pro-preemptive war, anti-immigration, pro-home schooling, anti-Palestinian rights, pro-Republican party, anti-Democratic party, pro-literal reading of the Bible, anti-higher taxes, and so on. As I look over the list of things these "Evangelical Christians" espouse, I find that in some areas I agree with them. In most, I strongly disagree. So when one applies all of this to our common life in the public square, what is the difference between being an evangelical Christian and an "Evangelical Christian"? In my opinion, it lies in the emphasis evangelical Christians put on the use of reason in relationship to their faith. A few examples: • The best auto mechanic I have ever had is a devout Roman Catholic. He never fails to do the right thing. It makes common sense to go to him. • The best diagnostic physicians I have ever had are a non-practicing Jew and an active Lutheran. Their keen minds have spared me many maladies. It seems reasonable to go to physicians like them. • The best surgeons I have ever known are a probable agnostic and a practicing Jew. Each knows exactly what to do. It seems reasonable to trust them. • The best mayor I have ever known was a Lutheran socialist. His city was one of the best-governed in the country. He was reasonable in everything he did. • The best presidents of the United States, in my opinion, were a non-church member, an occasional Episcopalian, a cranky member of the Christian Church -- Disciples of Christ, and a Mennonite/Presbyterian. They served effectively in times of crisis. They did what was most reasonable. Two were Republicans; two were Democrats. • In my judgment, the best former president we've ever had is a devout Southern Baptist. In this election year I will be evaluating candidates, whether they are seeking local office or the presidency of the United States, on the basis of their qualifications as wise and reasonable women and men. • Do they have compassion for the poor and vulnerable? • Do they understand that politics at its best is practicing the art of the possible? • Do they have the capacity to work for compromise on difficult issues? • Do they have the intelligence to see all sides of a complex question? • Do they have the physical stamina to endure the rigors of office? • Do they know how to surround themselves with a capable staff, including people who will tell them the truth? • In the presidential contest, does the candidate have the potential to become a respected statesperson in the community of nations? And will this person be likely to seek to resolve international conflict by dialogue and political negotiation, using military force only as a last resort? If I sense that candidates for any office are dancing to the lock-step tune of the "Evangelical Christian" segment in our society, they will not get my vote. If they happen to be evangelical Christians, well and good. But that will not be a primary requirement. An evangelical Christian? Yes. An "Evangelical Christian"? No. It's that simple. Herbert W. Chilstrom, St. Peter, Minn., is the former presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. |
Friday, January 04, 2008
The Future of Sex and Marriage
From First Things: On the Square:
The Future of Sex and Marriage
By Richard John Neuhaus
Friday, January 4, 2008,
Here’s an instructive exchange between Luke Timothy Johnson and Eve Tushnet. Johnson is a distinguished New Testament scholar at Emory University and Tushnet is a writer living in Washington, D.C. She is a recent convert to Catholicism and identifies herself as a lesbian. The exchange appeared a few months ago in Commonweal and was again brought to my attention when I spoke to a meeting of Courage a while back.
Courage is an organization founded by the remarkable Father John Harvey, and its purpose is to help people who are afflicted by same-sex attraction to live chaste lives. In private conversation, a young man at the meeting cited the Johnson–Tushnet exchange in support of his view that Catholics who attempt to accommodate homosexual practice have, in fact, rejected the authoritative sources of Christian teaching. As someone who had, with personally disastrous consequences, bought into that accommodation for some years, he spoke with more than an edge of bitterness.
The Commonweal exchange is titled “Homosexuality & the Church,” and in it Johnson describes how he came to his position through the experience of a lesbian daughter. “I trusted God was at work in the life she shares with her partner—a long-standing and fruitful marriage dedicated to the care of others, and one that has borne fruit in a wonderful little girl who is among my and my wife’s dear grandchildren.” Trust your experience, says Johnson. “When read within the perspective of a Scripture that speaks everywhere of a God disclosing Godself through human experience, our stories become the medium of God’s very revelation.” What does this mean for the authority of Scripture and the Church’s teaching? Johnson does not flinch:
“I think it important to state clearly that we do, in fact, reject the straightforward commands of Scripture, and appeal instead to another authority when we declare that same-sex unions can be holy and good. We appeal explicitly to the weight of our own experience and the experience thousands of others have witnessed to, which tells us that to claim our own sexual orientation is in fact to accept the way in which God has created us.”
Eve Tushnet responds: “I’m not convinced this is how human love stories relate to the divine love story. Loving one another can be an echo of the love we receive from God; it can be the child of that love; it can be preparation for our own awestruck love of God. (I would argue that my erotic and romantic love of women has been all three of those things, at different times.) But our human experience, including our erotic experience, cannot be a replacement for the divine revelation preserved by the Church. We must be careful not to let it become a counternarrative or a counter-Scripture.”
Tushnet also says this: “So it’s tempting to conclude that prohibitions against homosexuality are culture-bound, no more universally binding than the requirement that women cover their heads in church. It’s true that culture conditions how we read Scripture, and that as Christians we need to be open to the countercultural implications of the gospel. But this fact argues far more strongly against Johnson’s position than against the Church’s. If we seek to overcome any aspects of our culture that conflict with the gospel, I’m not sure why we would expect the gay liberation movement—slightly over a hundred years old, and largely Western in character—to be less culture-bound, and therefore a better guide to the countercultural aspects of the gospel, than the Catholic Church. The Church is bigger and older than you, me, or the very concept of the homosexual person. (The view that sexual orientation is intrinsic and constitutive of a person’s deepest identity comes from a school of psychology that owes very little to the gospel, and a great deal to anti-Christian forms of philosophical materialism.)”
Tushnet is impressed by the “theology of the body” as set forth by John Paul II and the richness of the Catholic tradition on the meaning of friendship, “helping me to express my love of women both sacrificially and chastely. . . . Every week or so I discover yet another hidden treasure of the Church that speaks to me in exactly the way I need in order to deal specifically with my struggles, resentments, longings, and strengths as a woman and a lesbian. We can make the Church’s teaching believable by becoming more Catholic—which is, not incidentally, what we should be doing anyway.”
The Future of Sex and Marriage
By Richard John Neuhaus
Friday, January 4, 2008,
Here’s an instructive exchange between Luke Timothy Johnson and Eve Tushnet. Johnson is a distinguished New Testament scholar at Emory University and Tushnet is a writer living in Washington, D.C. She is a recent convert to Catholicism and identifies herself as a lesbian. The exchange appeared a few months ago in Commonweal and was again brought to my attention when I spoke to a meeting of Courage a while back.
Courage is an organization founded by the remarkable Father John Harvey, and its purpose is to help people who are afflicted by same-sex attraction to live chaste lives. In private conversation, a young man at the meeting cited the Johnson–Tushnet exchange in support of his view that Catholics who attempt to accommodate homosexual practice have, in fact, rejected the authoritative sources of Christian teaching. As someone who had, with personally disastrous consequences, bought into that accommodation for some years, he spoke with more than an edge of bitterness.
The Commonweal exchange is titled “Homosexuality & the Church,” and in it Johnson describes how he came to his position through the experience of a lesbian daughter. “I trusted God was at work in the life she shares with her partner—a long-standing and fruitful marriage dedicated to the care of others, and one that has borne fruit in a wonderful little girl who is among my and my wife’s dear grandchildren.” Trust your experience, says Johnson. “When read within the perspective of a Scripture that speaks everywhere of a God disclosing Godself through human experience, our stories become the medium of God’s very revelation.” What does this mean for the authority of Scripture and the Church’s teaching? Johnson does not flinch:
“I think it important to state clearly that we do, in fact, reject the straightforward commands of Scripture, and appeal instead to another authority when we declare that same-sex unions can be holy and good. We appeal explicitly to the weight of our own experience and the experience thousands of others have witnessed to, which tells us that to claim our own sexual orientation is in fact to accept the way in which God has created us.”
Eve Tushnet responds: “I’m not convinced this is how human love stories relate to the divine love story. Loving one another can be an echo of the love we receive from God; it can be the child of that love; it can be preparation for our own awestruck love of God. (I would argue that my erotic and romantic love of women has been all three of those things, at different times.) But our human experience, including our erotic experience, cannot be a replacement for the divine revelation preserved by the Church. We must be careful not to let it become a counternarrative or a counter-Scripture.”
Tushnet also says this: “So it’s tempting to conclude that prohibitions against homosexuality are culture-bound, no more universally binding than the requirement that women cover their heads in church. It’s true that culture conditions how we read Scripture, and that as Christians we need to be open to the countercultural implications of the gospel. But this fact argues far more strongly against Johnson’s position than against the Church’s. If we seek to overcome any aspects of our culture that conflict with the gospel, I’m not sure why we would expect the gay liberation movement—slightly over a hundred years old, and largely Western in character—to be less culture-bound, and therefore a better guide to the countercultural aspects of the gospel, than the Catholic Church. The Church is bigger and older than you, me, or the very concept of the homosexual person. (The view that sexual orientation is intrinsic and constitutive of a person’s deepest identity comes from a school of psychology that owes very little to the gospel, and a great deal to anti-Christian forms of philosophical materialism.)”
Tushnet is impressed by the “theology of the body” as set forth by John Paul II and the richness of the Catholic tradition on the meaning of friendship, “helping me to express my love of women both sacrificially and chastely. . . . Every week or so I discover yet another hidden treasure of the Church that speaks to me in exactly the way I need in order to deal specifically with my struggles, resentments, longings, and strengths as a woman and a lesbian. We can make the Church’s teaching believable by becoming more Catholic—which is, not incidentally, what we should be doing anyway.”
Homosexuality & the Church
Homosexuality & the Church
Two Views
Eve Tushnet | Luke Timothy Johnson
----------------------------------
Scripture & Experience
Luke Timothy Johnson
Is the present crisis in Christian denominations over homosexuality really about sex? I don’t think so. If it were, there would be no particular reason why homosexuals should be singled out for attention; there is more than enough sexual disorder among heterosexuals to fuel moral outrage. The church could devote its energies to resisting the widespread commodification of sex in our culture, the manipulation of sexual attraction in order to sell products. It could fight the exploitation of women and children caught in a vast web of international prostitution and pornography. It could correct the perceptions that enabled pedophilia to be practiced and protected among clergy. It could name the many ways that straight males enable such distorted and diseased forms of sexuality.
Instead, the relatively small set of same-sex unions gets singled out for moral condemnation, while the vast pandemic of sexual disorder goes ignored. In my view, this scapegoating of homosexuality has less to do with sex than with perceived threats to the authority of Scripture and the teaching authority of the church. For those opposed to the ordination of women priests and bishops, or of married people, deviation from the uniform and steady practice of the church (glossing over the fact that it has rarely been steady or uniform) means starting down the slippery slope toward rejecting church authority altogether. And accepting covenanted love between persons of the same sex represents the same downward spiral with regard to Scripture, since the Bible nowhere speaks positively or even neutrally about same-sex love (glossing over the relationship of Jonathan and David, see 1 Samuel 18- 2 Samuel 1). For those who think this way, the world is becoming dangerously depraved; a line must be drawn in the sand somewhere, and homosexuality seems clearly to be the place.
Read the rest here: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/article.php3?id_article=1957
As we've been saying here for three years, "It ain't about sex, it's about interpretation of Scripture. That is the way the article begins anyway. Johnson then goes on to explain how at times it is more faithful to elevate our personal experience above Scripture! Why? it is very telling that he, along with many, many others, change their thinking when one of their children tells them they are gay:
For me this is no theoretical or academic position, but rather a passionate conviction. It is one many of us have come to through personal struggle, and for some, real suffering. In my case, I trusted that God was at work in the life of one of my four daughters, who struggled against bigotry to claim her sexual identity as a lesbian. I trusted God was at work in the life she shares with her partner-a long-lasting and fruitful marriage dedicated to the care of others, and one that has borne fruit in a wonderful little girl who is among my and my wife’s dear grandchildren. I also trusted the many stories of students and friends whose life witnessed to a deep faith in God but whose bodies moved sexually in ways different from the way my own did. And finally I began to appreciate the ways in which my own former attitudes and language had helped to create a world where family, friends, and students were treated cruelly.
Experience trumps tradition, reason and Scripture once a loved one brings it too close to home...
Two Views
Eve Tushnet | Luke Timothy Johnson
----------------------------------
Scripture & Experience
Luke Timothy Johnson
Is the present crisis in Christian denominations over homosexuality really about sex? I don’t think so. If it were, there would be no particular reason why homosexuals should be singled out for attention; there is more than enough sexual disorder among heterosexuals to fuel moral outrage. The church could devote its energies to resisting the widespread commodification of sex in our culture, the manipulation of sexual attraction in order to sell products. It could fight the exploitation of women and children caught in a vast web of international prostitution and pornography. It could correct the perceptions that enabled pedophilia to be practiced and protected among clergy. It could name the many ways that straight males enable such distorted and diseased forms of sexuality.
Instead, the relatively small set of same-sex unions gets singled out for moral condemnation, while the vast pandemic of sexual disorder goes ignored. In my view, this scapegoating of homosexuality has less to do with sex than with perceived threats to the authority of Scripture and the teaching authority of the church. For those opposed to the ordination of women priests and bishops, or of married people, deviation from the uniform and steady practice of the church (glossing over the fact that it has rarely been steady or uniform) means starting down the slippery slope toward rejecting church authority altogether. And accepting covenanted love between persons of the same sex represents the same downward spiral with regard to Scripture, since the Bible nowhere speaks positively or even neutrally about same-sex love (glossing over the relationship of Jonathan and David, see 1 Samuel 18- 2 Samuel 1). For those who think this way, the world is becoming dangerously depraved; a line must be drawn in the sand somewhere, and homosexuality seems clearly to be the place.
Read the rest here: http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/article.php3?id_article=1957
As we've been saying here for three years, "It ain't about sex, it's about interpretation of Scripture. That is the way the article begins anyway. Johnson then goes on to explain how at times it is more faithful to elevate our personal experience above Scripture! Why? it is very telling that he, along with many, many others, change their thinking when one of their children tells them they are gay:
For me this is no theoretical or academic position, but rather a passionate conviction. It is one many of us have come to through personal struggle, and for some, real suffering. In my case, I trusted that God was at work in the life of one of my four daughters, who struggled against bigotry to claim her sexual identity as a lesbian. I trusted God was at work in the life she shares with her partner-a long-lasting and fruitful marriage dedicated to the care of others, and one that has borne fruit in a wonderful little girl who is among my and my wife’s dear grandchildren. I also trusted the many stories of students and friends whose life witnessed to a deep faith in God but whose bodies moved sexually in ways different from the way my own did. And finally I began to appreciate the ways in which my own former attitudes and language had helped to create a world where family, friends, and students were treated cruelly.
Experience trumps tradition, reason and Scripture once a loved one brings it too close to home...
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Peanut Butter and Jelly Restraint
Shrimp here.
It's sweet, today's Staff Blog entry over at The Lutheran Magazine's blog. An Associate Editrix of The Lutheran tells of sitting in the pew at church last month. In this church, there are 6 copies of the relatively new (for this congregation) Evangelical Lutheran Worship that have the names of her family in them, but they'd not actually seen them yet. But one day last month, well, Shrimp'll let the editrix describe it (without the children's full names) herself:
Shrimp has written about this editrix before, most recently on the occasion of her recently published book, Peanut Butter and Jelly Prayers. And now that you've clicked the prior link, you've been reminded that Miss Sevig's "spouse," who is Associate Pastor of their church, also answers to "Mommy."
Yes, it's sweet. Sickeningly sweet.
Shrimp out.
It's sweet, today's Staff Blog entry over at The Lutheran Magazine's blog. An Associate Editrix of The Lutheran tells of sitting in the pew at church last month. In this church, there are 6 copies of the relatively new (for this congregation) Evangelical Lutheran Worship that have the names of her family in them, but they'd not actually seen them yet. But one day last month, well, Shrimp'll let the editrix describe it (without the children's full names) herself:
So on a December Sunday we opened the hymnal and there it was: A hymnal with our family’s name in it. Given in thanksgiving for our children: P, O and A. My spouse held it in front of P’s face and he did a double-take. He visually stuck his neck out and stared.Yes, it's sweet, a little boy seeing his name in the hymnal. And showing it to his parents: Mommy -- who has been near the top of The Lutheran's food chain for nearly 8 years now -- and her "spouse."
Shrimp has written about this editrix before, most recently on the occasion of her recently published book, Peanut Butter and Jelly Prayers. And now that you've clicked the prior link, you've been reminded that Miss Sevig's "spouse," who is Associate Pastor of their church, also answers to "Mommy."
Yes, it's sweet. Sickeningly sweet.
Shrimp out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
The good ship ELCA...
Or the Shellfish blog...