In a convention
meeting room filled to capacity, members of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America debated what
direction their denomination should take in the
struggle over ordaining gays and blessing same-sex
couples. The emotional public hearing Tuesday night aimed to
prepare delegates at a national assembly for a vote on the
issue later this week.
The Reverend Robert Goldstein, a gay minister at
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chicago, wore
a rainbow sash around his cleric's collar as he urged
delegates to "go beyond the justice of incrementalism"
and remove all limits on gay leadership in the
denomination. "I'm a gay pastor in this church. I serve
faithfully. I love it," he said. "Our church must go
beyond institutionalizing fear."
No one at Tuesday night's hearing spoke directly
against easing the denomination's prohibitions on
gays, but several raised questions about the impact of
changing the rules.
The Reverend Carol Custead of Hollidaysburg,
Pa., said a Lutheran bishop in Kenya had told her that
"ties may have to be broken" if the ELCA moves toward
approving gay relationships. "Were any of the global
ramifications of this considered?" she asked.
But the Reverend Ann Tiemeyer of the New York
synod said ELCA should not be paralyzed by the
potential fallout. "We talk about the fear, concern
about lack of unity," she said, her voice cracking with
emotion. "But we have to remember those we have already
lost" because of the denomination's restrictions on gays.
Turmoil over what the Bible says about gay sex
has roiled Protestant denominations for years. The
global Anglican Communion is struggling to stay
together after its U.S. province, the Episcopal Church,
confirmed its first openly gay bishop two years ago.
In Orlando, Fla., activists from opposing sides
of the issue lined the hallway where delegates and
observers entered the ELCA hearing. Advocates for full
inclusion of gays held poster-size photos of themselves with
their partners or their gay children to highlight the
personal stories behind the deliberations. Members of
the conservative WordAlone Network distributed thick
pamphlets contending that there is no basis in
Scripture for gay relationships.
The key proposals before the 1,018 delegates are
based on years of work by a task force on sexuality
that tried to find a compromise policy for the 4.9
million-member church.
The measures would:
--Affirm the church ban on ordaining
sexually active gays and lesbians but allow bishops
and church districts--or synods--to seek an
exception for a particular candidate if that person is
in a committed relationship and meets other conditions.
--Uphold the denomination's prohibition
against the blessing of same-sex unions but give
bishops and pastors discretion in deciding how to
minister to gay couples.
--Call for unity, even though congregants
disagree on the issue.
Several Lutherans who stood to speak at the
hearing said the proposals were unclear and they did
not understand what the impact would be if the
policies were approved. A vote is scheduled for Friday but
could be delayed by discussion on the floor. New
England synod bishop Margaret Payne, who led the
sexuality task force, said the ambiguity was
intentional, to give discretion to local congregations. "The
reality is, there are a variety of practices across
the ELCA," Payne said.
Another church leader noted that fellow members
of the Lutheran World Federation, which includes 138
member churches in 77 countries, also have different
approaches on gay issues yet remain together. "This is not
a perfect document," said Judy Biffle of Houston, a member
of a top ELCA council who worked with the task force.
"It was to allow us to continue to live
together...somehow balance the tension within us...so
that we could in some manner move forward for the sake of
the church." (AP)
