On
March 9, 2005 the national office of our ELCIC issued the following
resolution which will be presented to delegates at our ELCIC
convention in July 2005. We, the undersigned, voice our concerns
and objections to this resolution.
Resolution
on Same Sex Blessings
That
the ELCIC acknowledge the inadequacy of sections of
Sex, Marriage and Family, A Social Statement of the
Lutheran Church in America, 1970, referring to homosexuality
and homosexual behaviour in light of developing theological,
pastoral and sociological scholarship and that the ELCIC
suspend the application of those references.
That
the ELCIC allow pastors to perform blessings for same sex
couples who want to make a life-long commitment to one another
in the presence of God and their community of faith. Authorization
to perform such blessings shall require the consent of the
pastor, the consent of the congregation or calling agency
as expressed by a 2/3 majority vote at a duly called meeting,
and consultation with the synodical bishop. These blessings
shall use a rite authorized by this church.
That
the ELCIC's Program Committee for Worship be requested to
develop a provisional rite for the blessing of same sex couples
in committed relationships.
Our
Response to the Resolution on Same Sex Blessings
How
can 2000 years of theology be so wrong until, in our day, a
few theologians of this century finally get it all right? It
does not make any sense to us. We are deeply disappointed in
the Resolution on Same Sex Blessings by our ELCIC.
The
resolution indicates that a change in church policy and practice
related to homosexuality and homosexual behaviour is necessary
"in light of developing theological, pastoral, and sociological
scholarship". Since we are a confessional church, upholding
"that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired
Word of God, through which God still speaks, and are the only
source of the Church's doctrine and the authoritative standard
for the faith and life of the Church" (Sec. 3, Article II -
Confession of Faith - of the ELCIC constitution), our church
owes it to our delegates to be very explicit as to the Scriptural
foundations for the proposed changes.
The
Augsburg Confession contains no less than 71 direct references
to passages of Holy Scriptures. Luther, in his defense before
the Emperor Charles the Fifth at the Diet of Worms, insisted
that he should be shown on the basis of the Word of God that
his writings were wrong, or else he could not recant. The authority
for such a fundamental change as proposed by our National Church
Council has to be explicitly based on Holy Scriptures rather
than on an implied developing theology. It also has to be based
on what Holy Scriptures state rather than what they do not state.
A
reference to newly developing theological scholarship alone
is inadequate and dangerous. Our Lord Jesus refers to some new
theology in Matthew 24: 9-12 when Jesus told us that in the
last days "many false prophets will arise and lead many astray".
The
"Questions and Answers Regarding the NCC Resolution" fails to
be clear on the fact that by approving the "local option" our
delegates in principle do sanction homosexual behaviour. The
ordination of practicing homosexuals as pastors and bishops
of the ELCIC is a next logical step.
An
approval of the local option means we agree that homoerotic
unions are God-pleasing. Leaving it up to individual congregations
to act according to "developing theological, pastoral and sociological
scholarship" hides the fact that the adoption of the resolution
represents a major change.
The
Resolution on Same Sex Blessings wants delegates to believe
that this whole matter is mainly a pastoral issue. Contrary
to that, a group of theologians in the ELCA including Carl Braaten,
James Crumley, Jr. Robert Jenson, William Lazareth, George Forrell
and James Nestingen responded
to a similar document in the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) by stating that this proposal "threatens to
destabilize the unity and the constitution of this church".
On transforming the policy of the larger church into a congregational
policy they state: "Such action would so fatally extend the
boundaries of diversity in matters of doctrinal and ethical
substance that this church would no longer be an effective collaborator
either in the communion of the Lutheran World Federation or
in the multiple dimensions of ecumenical dialogue." Like those
theologians we also believe that the consequences of adopting
the resolution will result in a "structural dissolution" of
the ELCIC and "intense division and disunity at the local level."
We,
too, are concerned that by adopting the Resolution on Same Sex
Blessings our church moves the decision to the level of each
congregation. This means that each congregation has the autonomy
to choose what kind of teachings and practices it will follow.
Consequently we lose our consistency of beliefs and our traditional
theological identity as a Lutheran church. We also limit the
mobility of pastors among congregations by having to match pastors
with congregations of parallel theological orientations.
The
Resolution requires a congregation to authorize same sex blessings
with a 2/3 majority vote. It is equally important that a vote
on the Resolution on Same Sex Blessings should require the authorization
by 2/3 majority vote of ELCIC delegates.
We
affirm that all baptized are children of God. We affirm that
all of us are in need of daily repentance and forgiveness. We
affirm that persons who experience homosexual erotic arousal
are not excluded from being children of God and in need of daily
repentance and forgiveness.
Rather
than being a bold step into the future, the Resolution on Same
Sex Blessings is divisive and wrong. It should be defeated.
If
you feel the same and would like to have your name attached
to the statement, please use the online submission form at the