Single Page
E-mail
Print
RSS
G-bookmarks
Live
TechnoratiThe report identifies fault lines in the church on the gay clergy question, including disagreement over the nature of sin, biblical interpretation, what's best for people with same-sex orientation and the role of social sciences and biology in forming judgments.
Leaders of the conservative group Lutheran CORE said they would work to defeat the proposals, describing them as a rejection of Scripture and contrary to the wishes of most church members.
"When any church finds itself accommodating its teachings to the ways of the culture, that church is in trouble," the Rev. Erma Wolf of Brandon, S.D., vice chair of the group's steering committee, said in a statement. "No church has the authority to overturn the Word of God."
Emily Eastwood, executive director of Lutherans Concerned/North America, which advocates full inclusion for gays and lesbians in the church, called the recommendations a "net gain."
But she criticized the local option, saying it would prevent congregations from hiring gay clergy if their synods prohibit it. As it stands, many congregations have hired gay clergy without fear of reprimand since bishops were directed in 2007 to show restraint in disciplining the practice, she said.
"This is actually a step backward rather than a step forward from where we are now," she said. "It's going to create, in effect, a regional discrimination."
The clergy recommendations echo themes in the social statement, "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust." That document, released in draft form last year, underscores the importance of trust, faithfulness and commitment in all human relationships and upholds the definition of marriage as a covenant between a man and woman.
