ELCA Bishops Urged Against 'Fatal' Sexuality Report
Seventeen Lutheran Scholars released a strong statement rejecting the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's sexuality report, calling it a threat to the church’s unity and its “historical, biblical and confessional teachings and practice”
CORRECTION: In a March 3rd article on Lutheran Scholars rejecting a sexuality report, the Christian Post inaccurately reported that the scholars urged denominational leaders to modify the report. The scholars did not ask to modify the report, but to reject the report’s recommendations. The report is a historical document that cannot be modified. The scholars’ statement was also directed to the whole church – not exclusively to the ELCA bishops. Not all of the 17 theologians who signed the statement are associated with the 12 campuses, and the task force took nearly three years – not four – in drafting the report.
Also, the line reading, "If newly recommended sexuality laws were to be in place, Bishop Finck would have the flexibility to dismiss the CCLM’s actions," should be change to: "If the new recommendations were to be in place, Bishop Finck would have had the flexibility to dismiss the CCLM's actions."
The Christian Post apologizes for any inconveniences caused by the inaccuracies.
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Lutheran scholars across 12 campuses released a strong statement rejecting the newly recommended Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) studies on sexuality report, calling it a threat to the church’s unity and its “historical, biblical and confessional teachings and practice,” on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2005.
The letter, signed by seventeen scholars ahead of the ELCA Conference of Bishops meeting that begins today in Dallas, urged the denomination’s leaders to modify the report before it is placed for a vote at the 2005 Churchwide Assembly – the ELCA’s highest legislative authority – in August.
The report, which took a 14-member task force team four years to draft, officially maintained its stance against same-sex ceremonies and the ordination of actively gay clergy, but at the same time allowed bishops the leeway to refrain from punishing violators.
Echoing the concerns of “confessional” Lutherans who rejected the third clause of the report, the seventeen scholars took note that the measure claims to make “no change in the policy” but in fact "advocates a fundamental shift in policy" when it asks the church to refrain from disciplining clergy involved in same-sex relationships.
The theologians noted that the approach would “fatally extend the boundaries of diversity in matters of doctrinal and ethical substance" and harm relations with other Christian bodies. They also say the task force’s claimed support from Martin Luther and the Scriptures is misinterpreted.
"Based on our careful review of the report and its recommendations, we maintain that the third and primary recommendation of the task force, contrary to its stated intention, threatens to destabilize the unity and constitution, as well as the historical, biblical, and confessional teachings and practice of this church," the theologians said.
"Further, this final proposal places the first two, although in principle containing some assertions that are indeed admirable and commendable, into an interpretative context that makes them objectionable as well," they said.
The ELCA, like most large mainline churches, have struggled over the place of homosexuality in the church. Nearly all churches believe homosexual persons are of sacred worth, but only a few churches claim God condones homosexual behavior. In the case of the ELCA, homosexuals may be ordained but active homosexuals – as well as heterosexuals who are sexually active outside of wedlock – are prohibited from being placed in the clergy roster list.
Over the past several years, the number of churches defying the denomination’s rules against the election of active homosexuals grew exceedingly, placing bishops in the position of having to discipline them.
In the last such case, a California bishop took one of the harshest disciplinary acts possible against the Central City Lutheran Mission for installing a sexually active lesbian last year. Pacifica Synod’s Bishop Finck had several times “asked them not to install her” but the CCLM’s board refused to reconsider their unauthorized decision. Ultimately, CCLM was stripped of its congregational status and took the CCLM’s senior pastor off the official ELCA clergy list; the senior pastor was placed back on the list upon appeal but CCLM has yet to gain back its full congregational status.
In disciplining the defiant church, Bishop Finck did not place any emphasis on theological and biblical reasons why the church should be stripped of its status. Rather, Finck said he was acting out of an obligation to the church’s bylaws and expectations.
"The issue as we see it had nothing to do with this person's orientation," Finck said in December, 2004. "That wasn't our issue in this synod. Our issue was that we are obligated to abide by our governing documents that say only people who are on the roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are to be called into the pastoral world and sacrament ministry."
If newly recommended sexuality laws were to be in place, Bishop Finck would have the flexibility to dismiss the CCLM’s actions.
The report, which was released in January 2005, has several steps to cross before passing as a churchwide law. The boards of the ELCA Division for Church and Society and the ELCA Division for Ministry will meet at the ELCA headquarters in Chicago on March 10-13. The group will review the report and forward them to the Church Council – the ELCA’s board of directors – with additional comments.
The Church Council will then meet in April to review the report and additional comments, and will prepare a resolution for the 2005 Churchwide Assembly – the ELCA’s highest legislative authority – to take action in regards to the recommendations.
In the meantime, ELCA’s 65 synods will meet separately in synod assemblies, during which each synod will discuss the report and produce resolutions called “memorials.”
The churchwide assembly, meeting in Orlando, Fla., on Aug. 8-14, will then receive the report and recommendations, and will consider the church Council’s resolution, synod memorials and other related papers to cast an official vote on the church’s stance on homosexuality.
The Conference of Bishops, whose meeting begins today in Dallas, will also prepare recommendations for the church Council to reconsider at the August meeting.
The letter of protest was sent to both the Conference of Bishops and the Church Council.
A spokesman for the scholars, Smith College religion Professor Karl Donfried, said colleagues who drafted the document during recent weeks made no attempt to recruit any long list of endorsements but hope their statement will "stand on its own logic, integrity and competence."
Endorsers include Jean Bethke Elshtain of the University of Chicago and other prominent theologians; James Crumley Jr., head of a denomination that merged into the ELCA; Michael Root, dean of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.; William Rusch, the ELCA's former director of ecumenical affairs; New York's retired Bishop William Lazareth; and historians George Forell, Hans Hillerbrand and James Nestingen.
