Inquiry

[lardbur]

The ELCA and UMC (Methodists) have committed, at the level of their organizational elites, to go down the road of approval for same-sex unions. They regard this as a matter of social justice, consistent with the civil rights movement. ELCA has made several other modifications of teaching lately including, I think, their teaching on the resurrection. These are accomplished facts at the level of the organizational elites.

At the pastoral level, these are still problematic indeed, particularly in rural America---where I live.

Could someone direct me to correct electronic copies of the ELCA teachings? Here, I would like to read the exact statement that accepts same-sex ministry. I would also wish to retrieve their new or renewed teachings on related theological matters---including the resurrection, of course.

Here in rural Montana, we have another concern. An ELCA "bishop" from Great Falls went to the small town of Chester. She gave a perfectly articulate explanation of the new same-sex ministry teaching. You should understand that she wasn't talking to some group of hate-filled idiots. They are decent people.

At the end of her talk, an old farmer asked her to cite any scripture---any one of her choice, and in any context at all---that was positive in any way toward same-sex matters (of any kind). So, he gave her (intentionally) full leverage to make ANY scriptural argument available to her. She found that she could make none at all. She admitted publicly that she saw no verse anywhere in scripture consistent with this.

Of course, her response---namely, that she knew of none at all---pretty much sealed the deal for most of Northern Montana. We have groups whohave formally left the ELCA. Those who remain with ELCA are not (at all) positive toward the teaching.

I found a longish article on your site that seemed to deal with Biblical issues. It was written by a site founder, but I found it to be unhelpful---in an extreme way. It is at least vaguely possible that the pronouncements of scripture may all be directed toward some particular phenomenon which I have not clearly identified. Still, to say that homosexuality as it is known or practiced today was not known or practiced in the First Century---even I find that incredible. So, I think for sure it was practiced. Scripture may be talking about something else, but here in Northern Montana---we haven't got the idea yet.

These two issues, then, would be helpful. Please help me find addresses for the actual ELCA teachings, both on same-sex ministry and on the other issues renewed at more or less the same time. Please give a reference that would allow some sort of reasonable way to address the consistency of the same-sex teaching with scripture.

For clarity, I am an old bachelor. I have nothing to do with human sexuality, and I don't pretend to make the rules---or to understand the details. My own "ax to grind" is just that some of the local churches (Lutheran and Methodist) are going through really nasty pastoral times, and it wouldn't be a bad thing to find a way to turn down the temperature on the debate that rages locally.

Basically, I know of no Protestant in Northern Montana who wouldn't just forget about ELCA today, except very many people are taught (too much) to respect authority (even authority that isn't really legitimate).