Lutheran gay marriage
The Church and Homosexuality
[1] After attending a study group using the ELCA analyze guide Journey Together Faithfully: The Church and Homosexuality at Advent Lutheran in Arlington, TX, I felt as Dennis Bielfeldt (2003) did when he wrote:
“While I believe Journey Together does fairly describe the diverse voices and positions within the ELCA on this controversial issue, I discover it neither particularly helps readers enter 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 attempt to state part of that viewpoint as a defensible position. I have assumed that statements by Jesus in the Gospels outweigh rules and judgments found elsewhere in the Aged and New Testaments and that those rules and verdicts must be evaluated in light of Jesus’ moral principles as applied to 21st century western culture.
[3] Jesus’ moral principles are plain, the application difficult: “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19; 22:39; Tag 12:31; Luke 10:27); “always treat others
ELCA will not eliminate conscience protections for gay marriage opponents: official
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will not remove conscience protections for members who oppose same-sex marriage, according to a church official.
In 2022, the progressive mainline denomination voted to approve an rewriting process for a 2009 document, which, among other things, required the denomination to respect diverse opinions on LGBT issues among members.
Some expressed concern that the edits could lead to the removal of conscience protections for member congregations that are theologically opposed to recognizing same-sex marriages.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the foremost stories (plus particular offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
However, Ryan P. Cumming, program director for the ELCA's Theological Ethics, Learning, and Community Engagement, has stated that this will not be the case.
In comments emailed to The Christian Display on Wednesday, Cumming said that the "reconsideration is editorial only" and the proposed changes "do not alter the substantive meaning of the 2009 social statement
Resources for the LGBTQIA+ Community
This is Christ's church. There is a place for you here.
We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God's grace. Liberated by our faith, we accept you as a whole person – questions, complexities and all.
ELCA social statement on human sexuality
Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust expresses ELCA teaching on human sexuality. A social statement is a training and policy document that assists us in thinking about and discussing social issues in the context of faith and population. This statement was adopted in 2009 and provides guidance on matters appreciate marriage, family and same-gender relationships.
LGBTQIA+ voices and ministries in Living Lutheran
We are a church that values and encourages diverse voices and lively dialogue.
Find articles authored by LGBTQIA+ church leaders and stories about ministries that affirm people of all sexual orientations and gender identities in Living Lutheran magazine and on LivingLutheran.org.
Evangelical Lutheran Worship Service of Marriage:
Supplemental Resources
This marriage service supplement suggestions inclus
Same-Gender Issues Among Lutherans in Canada
A Statement from the Council of Presidents/Bishops of Lutheran Church-Canada
Recent years have brought separation and discord among Lutheran Christians around the world as various church bodies have departed from historic Biblical teaching and practice by approving same-gender relationships, both within their churches’ membership and even in the ranks of the ordained clergy. This disruption will now spread in our country through the decision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) to authorize its pastors to conduct same-gender marriages, as successfully as by its finding that sexual orientation is no longer an issue in certifying candidates for the ministry.
Because these decisions will be covered in the media, members of the larger Christian community and the Canadian public in general may mistakenly conclude that these decisions portray the position of all Lutherans in this land. In proof, the ELCIC is the only Lutheran church body in Canada which has approved such a departure from accepted Christian education. Further, although the ELCIC formally reports large membership statistics, nearly 40 percent of Canadian Luth