The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s 11th Churchwide Assembly continued debating human sexuality on Friday morning, and approved allowing congregations to bless same-sex couples by a vote of 771-230.
After a long week of hearings and debates, some voting members of the ELCA assembly cried as they spoke, or choked back tears. Even a resolution that called on ELCA members to “bear one another’s burdens, love the neighbor, and respect the bound consciences of all” became a point of contention.
Pastor Steven Frock of the Western Iowa Synod cited Jesus’ warning that those who cause little ones to sin face a sharp judgment in eternity.
“Are you willing, and can you so casually, place your mortal souls at risk?” he asked. “If you have any doubts at all, I ask you not to step off this precipice.”
Mainline denomination = gay denomination.
In other news rain is wet.
Mainline denomination = Drainline denomination.
And you don’t want to know what is flowing through the pipes.
The ELCA will now rapidly devolve into a white, upper-middle class liberal mid-west SMALL church. Our Chinese, Korean, African and Hispanic congregations will be some of the first to walk.
oops, they officially (officially = key word) beat TEC…..
#4 Ah, but NOW when tEC makes it official they aren’t the “first” to introduce a new innovation into the Christian Church, they’re just paving the way for the Anglican expression.
Mainline denomination = ASA Declination
A new wide mission field just opened up.
Intercessor
The ELCA also voted a little later to open the ministry of the church to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers “living in committed relationships.” The vote was 559-451. This was the action that will shake up the pews the most.
Among a surprising number of voting delegates, there was a curious disconnect between the action to allow same-sex blessings and this one to permit clergy ranks to be populated with non-celibate gays.
w.w.
who are the “little ones” in the reference in the post?
Actually the ELCA should be ???A. I didn’t know that one could vote on doctrine based on the Bible and change it to conform to the world.
Lutheran MS (#9),
Well, I don’t know about you Lutherans, especially not the Missiouri Synod, but the canons of TEC explicitly state that the will of God can only be overruled by a whopping 2/3 majority vote (canon 1.2.3).
David Handy+
#10, it’s funny because it’s true.
NoVA Scout #8, see Matthew 18:6.