In
the wake of the recent ELCIC convention and the defeat for
a second time of a motion related to a local option for same
sex blessings, a friend and supporter of Solid Ground expressed
the hope that "it will now become a dead issue". On that point,
it is instructive to hear the views of those who are promoting
this issue in the ELICIC.
According
to a recent article
in the Globe & Mail ("Bishops narrowly overturn
vote to approve gay unions"), Susan Johnson, the ELCIC's
newly-elected national bishop, "was openly disappointed by
the decision" made by the delegates to the ELCIC National
Convention. Commenting on the decision yet to be made at the
General Synod (national convention) of the Anglican Church
of Canada, she expressed the "hope the Anglican delegates
have the courage to make the decision we failed to make this
weekend." By inference, our new bishop is saying that the
delegates to the ELCIC National Convention lacked "courage"
by not approving the National Church Council's synodical local
option motion. [Note: A motion similar to the National Church
Council's motion was narrowly defeated by the Anglican
General Synod. While the laity voted 79 to 59 in favour
and the clergy voted 63 to 53 in favour, the bishops voted
21 to 19 against the motion. By virtue of the bishops' vote,
the motion was narrowly defeated since, according to the rules
of the Anglican General Synod, motions need a triple majority
of bishops, clergy and laity to pass.]
According
to former ELCIC national bishop Raymond Schultz, "most Lutherans
have given up the reforming spirit in favour of a self-defining
cultural association. When God comes along and challenges
the culture, they are willing to defy God in order to retain
the status quo by blessing it as sacred history" from which
one concludes that those who voted against the NCC motion
"defied God".
Eastern
Synod Bishop Michael Pryse was quoted by the Kitchener/Waterloo
Record as saying, "I think after this decision it's
best to take some time, reflect on what this means and then
start to move forward again." According to the Record,
"he was disappointed that the motion was defeated, but some
form of local option will eventually be approved". This viewpoint
echoes what
he said at the 2006 Eastern Synod Convention when he notified
his synod, "The fact is, this issue is before us and will
continue to be for a good long time. I know some of us wish
that it would be resolved once and for all, or that it would
simply go away. But neither of those things are going to happen
anytime soon. Like it or not, we…are going to continue to
engage this question for a good long time, despite whatever
resolutions we might pass or not pass at this or any other
assembly of the faithful".
Emily
Eastwood, Executive Director of Lutherans Concerned/North
America, had the following
comments on the upcoming ELCA Convention to be held in
Chicago, August 6-11, "Remember the ultimate outcome is assured.
Only the time, the when it happens, is in question. Win or
lose in 2007, we will make history and real progress toward
full inclusion."
According
to Lionel Ketola, spokesperson for Lutherans Concerned
In Canada, "the narrow defeat of the motion signals that our
church is clearly at the tipping point".
