Lutheran and gay
The Church and Homosexuality
[1] After attending a study community using the ELCA review guide Journey Together Faithfully: The Church and Homosexuality at Advent Lutheran in Arlington, TX, I felt as Dennis Bielfeldt () did when he wrote:
&#;While I believe Journey Together does fairly describe the different voices and positions within the ELCA on this controversial issue, I find it neither particularly helps readers arrive at justifiable views, nor effectively aids the institution of the ELCA in coming to a responsible and defensible position.&#;
[2] I certainly had a viewpoint on all the topics addressed in Journey, and this contribution is an seek to express part of that viewpoint as a defensible position. I contain assumed that statements by Jesus in the Gospels outweigh rules and decisions found elsewhere in the Old and New Testaments and that those rules and judgments must be evaluated in light of Jesus&#; moral principles as applied to 21st century western culture.
[3] Jesus&#; moral principles are simple, the application difficult: &#;love your neighbor as yourself&#; (Ma
Readers of The Lutheran recognize the ELCA has been involved in a learn of human sexuality with specific reference to homosexuality and whether homosexual people should be ordained as pastors. Pastors and others received a thorough learn, Background Essay on Biblical Texts, as part of the ELCA’s study.
Members of some congregations contain not had the opportunity to read this analyze, or they may contain been turned off by its length and detail. But even for those who do read it, I share some insights that I have not seen in this learn. I will also demand some questions to ponder as you consider the biblical texts, leaving you free to draw your own conclusions.
I am in no way involved in the process for determining the ELCA’s position or policies on the issues before the church. My purpose is to tell and invite reflection on the subject of homosexuality and the church today, while not trying to persuade anyone toward any conclusion on the issues at hand.
In dealing with biblical texts, it is easy to read into or out of them what one wants to find. Therefore, different and conflicting interp
Homosexuality in the Danish Lutheran Church
[1] In the Church of Denmark a pastor can, after having sought guidance by his/her bishop, provide a &#;divine service&#; for a gay couple that has decided to penetrate into a so-called registered partnership. In order to comprehend this state of affairs, it will be helpful to review some basic information about the religious situation in Denmark.
[2] Denmark is a small Nordic country with a population that is still quite homogeneous. Of its 5 million citizens about 85% belong to the Lutheran Church of Denmark. With the Reformation in the church became closely related to the monarchial declare, and this connection was strengthened in the period of absolutism. In a &#;free&#; constitution was introduced, but this did not manage to a separation of church and state. Rather, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church was given the status of &#;the Danish folk church&#; that required support by the state. Although promised, the church never got its own constitution, and therefore its legal framework has remained unclear in many respects. For example, i
Stances of Faiths on Homosexual Issues: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
BACKGROUND
Of the three foremost Lutheran organizations operating in the United States, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is considered the most welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQ+ members. Formed in with the merger of three smaller Lutheran organizations, the ELCA is based in Chicago and encompasses nearly 10, congregations and more than million members across the country.
Churchwide Assemblies are held every three years, with elected representatives establishing policy and addressing the concerns of the larger church body. As stated on the denomination’s web site, the Churchwide Assembly “provides a time and place for progress and change while remaining rooted in Scripture, tradition, Lutheran confessions and the rich histories of our congregations and communities.”
LGBTQ+ EQUALITY
ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION & GENDER IDENTITY
In , the Churchwide Assembly passed a resolution stating that, "Gay and lesbian people, as individuals created by God, are welcome to participate fully in the life