- Click here for Lutheran statement on sexuality which has passed their churchwide assembly yesterday.
- Click here about full communion with United Methodists entered into by Lutherans (ELCA)
- As well, it appears that the ELCA have also approved same sex blessings in a vote today.
- Also, persons in same sex unions have been approved by the assembly to be eligible to serve as clergy.
Atlanta Journal Constitution reports:
Pastors in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America can bless same-sex unions after a vote Friday by delegates at the Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis.
“I’ve been a life-long member at Redeemer Lutheran Church [in Atlanta], and I was never comfortable asking my church to bless my relationship,” said Bob Gibeling, who is at the assembly.
“This offers great hope to me that when I find a future life-long partner, my own beloved congregation will want to bless that union.”
The change in the Evangelical Lutheran Church does not require pastors or congregations to bless same-sex unions, but allows those comfortable with it to do so.
Not terribly shocked by the gay marriage vote, since the ELCA don't have the same worries about unity that Anglicans do (there's no world-wide Lutheran Communion, and they're used to the idea of parallel jurisdictions in the same territory (ELCA, LCMS, WELS).
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of shocked by the intercommunion agreement with the Methodists; in my experience, the UMC does not seem to share the same high regard for the Blessed Sacrament that the Lutherans do.
The Lutheran paper on human sexuality describes its approach as "distinctly Lutheran", but (except perhaps for the frequency of the references to Martin Luther) it reads pretty much like an Episcopalian approach to these issues.
ReplyDeletedoes this mean the Episcopal Church is in communion with the UMC?
ReplyDelete