Lutheran Progress on Gay Clergy

[Gil Dobie]

Not there yet, but progress.....

Link

Leaders of the country's largest Lutheran denomination have agreed to disagree on homosexuality, endorsing an official statement on human sexuality that says there's room in the church for differing views on an issue that has divided other religious groups.

Delegates to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's nationwide assembly in Minneapolis on Wednesday approved a "social statement on human sexuality." The vote was a prelude to a bigger debate Friday, when delegates will tackle a proposal that would allow individual ELCA congregations to hire people in committed same-sex relationships as clergy.

The social statement lays a theological foundation for a liberalized policy on gay clergy.

Supporters of the proposal praised Wednesday's vote. "We are encouraged and hopeful that ... this will result in the church's elimination of the current ban on ministers in same-gender relationships," said Emily Eastwood, executive director of Lutherans Concerned/North America, a group of pro-gay Lutherans.

[dbackjon]

A great first step!

[Cap'n Cat]

The world, and our nation, is becoming more and more liberal everyday, not more conservative. Exception, of course, is the Muslim world. Conks = Muslims? Strange bedfellows, indeed.

Go Conks!

[Cleets Part 2]

The world, and our nation, is becoming more and more liberal everyday, not more conservative. Exception, of course, is the Muslim world. Conks = Muslims? Strange bedfellows, indeed.

Go Conks!

There's an old adage in there somewhere...
Something about hating what you see in others that reminds you of yourself

We can't wish Muslims away
We can't chase them away
We can't blow them away
And we can't pretend they're not here among us

What then can we do..?

(Pardon my thread Hi-Jack... as you were gentlemen)

[UNI88]

A Lutheran church that I drive past recently had "Pray for the ELCA" on their sign. I guessed at the time that I saw it that it was related to gay clergy but don't know which way the church wanted the ELCA to rule. Hopefully the church wanted the ELCA to be more inclusive.

[Gil Dobie]

Another step towards progress.....

Link

The 2009 Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted today to open the ministry of the church to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships.
The action came by a vote of 559-451 at the highest legislative body of the 4.6 million member denomination. Earlier the assembly also approved a resolution committing the church to find ways for congregations that choose to do so to "recognize, support and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same gender relationships," though the resolution did not use the word "marriage."

[dbackjon]

Great news