EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA AND HOMOSEXUALITY
Developments: 1974 to 2002
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Chronological list of developments within the ELCA:
1974: "Lutherans Concerned" This group was formed to inform
ELCA members about
homosexuality and to promote understanding and acceptance. It urges individual
congregations to welcome lesbians and gay as members. Such congregations are called "Reconciled
in Christ"
1989: Sex and marriage; ordination of gays & lesbians: The church went on record as stating: "The Biblical understanding
which this church affirms is that the normative settings for sexual intercourse is
marriage...Practicing homosexuals are excluded from the ordained ministry."
A "practicing" homosexual apparently means a sexually-active gay or
lesbian. This
policy was challenged by two San Francisco congregations: St. Francis Lutheran Church
who had called a gay pastor, and First United Lutheran Church who had called a
lesbian couple. In mid-1990, these congregations were tried and suspended from membership
in the ELCA.
1990: Member punished: Bill Kunish, a Berkeley seminary student urged Lutherans to prayerfully
study the homosexual issue on their own. Because of this sermon, his church council
suspended his financial support and the Synod Candidacy Committee withdrew their
endorsement for his ordination. He was forced to leave the seminary.
1991: Homosexuals affirmed: 1991 biennial Churchwide Assembly
moved to "affirm gay and lesbian people, as individuals created by
God," to participate fully in the life of congregations of the ELCA.
However, the church does not bless their committed relationships, nor
does it allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to be
ordained or to remain as clergy.
1993: Civil rights: The ELCA Church Council passed a resolution which: "reaffirmed
that the historical position of the ELCA is...support for legislation, referendums, and
policies to protect the civil rights of all persons, regardless of their sexual
orientation, and to prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, and public services
and accommodations" However, this policy was not extended to the ELCA
itself.
1993: Homosexuality and the Bible: A committee of the ELCA prepared a draft statement which
stated that the Bible did not condemn homosexual relationships. It described
both masturbation
and homosexuality as a healthy part of human life. Unfortunately, the media obtained a
copy before it could be sent to the churches for study. The ELCA leaders were met with a
firestorm of angry members, including several death threats. They received over 21,000
responses; the vast majority were negative. The Division of Church and Society
appointed a new committee to prepare a new social statement.
1993: Blessing same-sex relationships: The church's bishops decided that they do not approve
of rituals recognizing same-sex civil unions. There reason is that such
unions are not mentioned in the Bible, and are not part of the church's
tradition. They said: "We, as the Conference of Bishops of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, recognize that there is basis
neither in Scripture nor tradition for the establishment of an official
ceremony by this church for the blessing of a homosexual relationship.
We, therefore, do not approve such a ceremony as an official action of
this church's ministry." 1
1994: Resolution ban: The church decided to avoid acting on any homosexual motions until its 1999
assembly. A new statement on human sexuality was issued which recommended few changes from
its traditional policies on sexuality.
1995: Homosexuals welcomed again: The delegates to the 1995
Churchwide Assembly repeated the welcome expressed at the 1991 Assembly.
They also urged Lutherans to "practice and teach biblical and
confessional guidance for speaking the truth in love."
1996: Rejection of gays and lesbians: In June, the ELCA's Southwestern Texas Synod held an assembly; they
defeated a resolution which would have welcomed lesbian and gay Christians into its
churches as both members and clergy.
1999-AUG-21: Ban on homosexual clergy: The Churchwide Assembly had never
previously voted on the issue of gay clergy. In a vote
of 820 to 159, they decided to ban sexually-active gays and lesbians from
ordination.
2001-JUN-12: Two churches blacklisted: Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the St. Paul Area Synod
placed St. Paul-Reformation Church and the Hosanna! Lutheran
Church under "public censure and
admonition
for willfully violating the ELCA Constitution." Both
congregations had called and installed pastors who were not on the ELCA
roster. Hosanna! had apparently called a presumably heterosexual pastor. St. Paul-Reformation called Anita
Hill, a lesbian. She had been serving in a lay capacity since 1983, and
as an unordained pastoral minister since 1994. The congregation had
repeatedly attempted to have the ELCA approve her ordination, without
success. The congregation finally called and ordained her in violation
of the ELCA governing documents. 7 Bishop Hanson said that he was looking for a response that would
be faithful to Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions and the church's
governing documents, "while also recognizing the need for creative
ministry ... in our growing and increasingly diverse metropolitan
community. It distresses me that the congregation's actions threaten the
ELCA's unity and sense of common mission." The censure
took
effect SEP-1. At that time, both congregations' voice within the ELCA
was silenced. No member of the congregation was permitted to serve on
the synod council, as a conference officer, or on any leadership team,
board, committee, or task force of the Saint Paul Area Synod.
2001-AUG: Four year study approved: The ELCA held its week-long Churchwide Assembly
in Indianapolis, starting on AUG-8. The St. Paul, MN, and Chicago, IL,
synods proposed memorials (synod resolutions) which would have
terminated the ban on the ordination of sexually active gays and
lesbians. A memorial by the Washington DC synod would have created "a
rite of blessing for same-gender committed relationships of lifelong
fidelity," which would not be defined as a marriage. There was a
sense within the Assembly that there is a serious division within the denomination over homosexuality. On AUG-13, they decided instead to start their
first official, church-wide study of homosexuality, to be based on
biblical, theological, scientific and practical considerations. The
group was asked to issue an interim report in 2003. Their final report is
expected in early 2005 will recommend to the 2005 Assembly whether to institute
changes.
"In approving the study, the 1,040 voting delegates, joined by 1,500
other Lutheran observers, added a call for advocates to 'respect
charitably one another' during the four-year process.' " The Rev.
Joseph M. Wagner, director of the church's Division for Ministry
said: "This is a good, clear request from the church for some
in-depth study of what we believe about homosexuality and how the belief
is formed." The vote for the study passed 899 to 115. 2
During the debate and vote, two gay-positive groups (Soulforce
and Lutherans for Full Participation) protested by standing
silently. Later, 50 demonstrators from the two groups were arrested for
blocking the walkway outside the convention center. Soulforce
founder Mel White accused the ELCA of perpetuating "spiritual violence."
He said: "They could have been prophets, they could have led the
way...Studies kill us. They just passed four years of study, which is
four years of suffering and death." 3
Theologians remain divided over the homosexual issue. The Rev. Ronald
Rude of Denver, CO asked "does the Gospel override the Bible." He
said that when the church reached decisions over human slavery, the
status of women in the church, and divorce, that various Bible passages
were indeed overridden. Referring to a a homosexual couple who had asked
that she provide a church blessing ritual for their union, the Rev. Kim
Lengert of Reading, PA said: "We are about to deny the crumbs from
the table. We have a part of our congregations that is starving
spiritually." 4
The Assembly elected Bishop Mark Hanson of St.
Paul, MN as its next leader. That synod is a leader within the denomination in promoting
equal rights for gays and lesbians. Hanson said: "We have got to find
a way to live together at a time when we do not agree on this issue."
3
The Assembly also commissioned a social statement on human sexuality
to be presented to the 2007 Churchwide Assembly.
2002-APR: Congregation blacklist: The Saint Paul Area Synod Assembly passed a
resolution requesting that the bishop-elect lift the censure imposed on
St. Paul- Reformation Lutheran Church.
2002-DEC: Movie completed about Anita Hill: According to the Aquaries Media Corporation
website: "THIS
obedience" is a video of "the emotional journey through one of
the most contentious justice issues of our time. In an act of
'ecclesiastical disobedience,' a Lutheran congregation in Minnesota
ordains the Rev. Anita C. Hill, a lesbian pastor in a committed
relationship, who refuses the requirement of celibacy for gay clergy.
Over the following months Hill and her congregation find themselves at
the center of the public debate over homosexuality and the church. As
the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) prepares for a
decision, hopes and dreams hang in the balance." 5
References used:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
Kevin Eckstrom, "Lutherans retain ban on gay clergy, ask for more study,"
Religious News Service, 2001-AUG-14.
R.N. Ostling, "Lutherans to Study Homosexuality," Associated Press,
2001-AUG-13, at:
http://speakout.com/
Aquaries Media Corporation has produced a film "This Obedience...the
story of a woman, a congregation and an issue that has divided the nation."
The film covers the events surrounding Anita Hill and her congregation's decision
to commit ecclesiastical disobedience by ordaining her. See:
http://www.thisobedience.com/