ELCA will not remove conscience protections for gay marriage opponents: official

[Michie]

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 editing process for a 2009 document, which, among other things, required the denomination to respect different 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.

Continued below.

ELCA will not remove 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

www.christianpost.com

 

[FireDragon76]

In practice, most ELCA churches are congregationalist in polity. The majority of ELCA Lutherans take an approach that tries to accomodate different convictions of members regarding homosexual relationships. Whom churches call to the pastoral ministry is up to the congregation and God, the bishop only assists in the process.

 

[RileyG]

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 editing process for a 2009 document, which, among other things, required the denomination to respect different 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.

Continued below.

ELCA will not remove 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

www.christianpost.com

Eh? Sounds fair to me. Isn’t that similar to how the Episcopal Church has dioceses that don’t recognize it? Hmmm….

 

[Michie]

Eh? Sounds fair to me. Isn’t that similar to how the Episcopal Church has dioceses that don’t recognize it? Hmmm….

What happened to shepherding? I guess people can just pick and choose anymore.

 

[FireDragon76]

What happened to shepherding? I guess people can just pick and choose anymore.

Mainline Lutheranism encourages a great deal of moral autonomy. Evangelical Lutheran social statements are usually very broad and general in tone, rarely dictating specific outcomes, and are usuallly descriptive rather than prescriptive.

The United Church of Christ takes a similar approach. We also share a democratic polity that is congregationalist, and our social statements are likewise descriptive rather than prescriptive.

 

[RileyG]

What happened to shepherding? I guess people can just pick and choose anymore.

Eh? It is what it is.

 

[RileyG]

Mainline Lutheranism encourages a great deal of moral autonomy. Evangelical Lutheran social statements are usually very broad and general in tone, rarely dictating specific outcomes, and are usuallly descriptive rather than prescriptive.

The United Church of Christ takes a similar approach. We also share a democratic polity that is congregationalist, and our social statements are likewise descriptive rather than prescriptive.

Are you referring to the ELCA only? LCMS, WELS, and other smaller confessional Lutheran Churches tend to be much more conservative on social values, from what I read and understand.

 

[Michie]

Eh? It is what it is.

Feed My sheep.

 

[RileyG]

Feed My sheep.

ELCA and The Episcopal Church (as well as the rest of the mainline Protestant "sister" Churches) are relatively liberal. No surprises here.

 

[Tuur]

Mainline Lutheranism encourages a great deal of moral autonomy. Evangelical Lutheran social statements are usually very broad and general in tone, rarely dictating specific outcomes, and are usuallly descriptive rather than prescriptive.

The United Church of Christ takes a similar approach. We also share a democratic polity that is congregationalist, and our social statements are likewise descriptive rather than prescriptive.

No offense, but it sort of sounds like Baptists. But Baptists don't have a hierarchical system. If a congregation goes too far, it can be removed from whatever association it may be in, but the congregation remains.

 

[FireDragon76]

Are you referring to the ELCA only? LCMS, WELS, and other smaller confessional Lutheran Churches tend to be much more conservative on social values, from what I read and understand.

Even the LCMS is congregationalist in polity. The reason the LCMS is more conservative is due to its different origins with different confessional standards, in German anti-Unionism, and also due to the process of sorting along cultural-political lines that has been happening in the United States ever since the 1970's, but especially prominent in the last twenty years.