wfn.org | Brazil: Lutheran Church Refuses to Ordain Homosexuals

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Calls for Pastoral Sensitivity toward Homosexuals, Their Families

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil /GENEVA, 2 June 2001 (LWI) - The Evangelical Church of
the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB) announced it will not ordain
homosexual staff members to ministries in the church.

The decision taken at a meeting of the IECLB governing body was preceded by
lengthy debate and a process of consultation in the church's local
congregations.

In an official statement, the IECLB Council at its April meeting said: "We
do not deny that homosexuals who live discreetly can bring many blessings to
their work in congregations, by making use of the gifts which God has given
them in service to the gospel. However, we are also aware that at the
present time the conditions do not exist in our church whereby practicing
homosexuals can publicly serve as ministers in the IECLB."

The IECLB Council also emphasized that one is entitled to salvation not on
the basis of his or her sexual behavior, but every person, whether
heterosexual or homosexual, is justified by the grace of God alone and
through faith, which is the gift of the Holy Spirit. There is no consensus
yet on how homosexuality should be assessed, either from a scientific
viewpoint or on the basis of biblical texts which refer to it, says the
Brazilian church. "This calls for the church to be judicious rather than
judgmental."

The IECLB Council deplored the fact that pastoral care of homosexuals gives
proof of "great suffering." Pastoral sensitivity is necessary towards
homosexuals as well as their families. "The church should minister to them
both spiritually and socially," said the statement.

The IECLB has about 714,000 members and has been a Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) member church since 1952.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 131 member
churches in 72 countries representing over 60.2 million of the nearly 64
million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches
in areas of common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various
aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does
not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units.
Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material
may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement.]

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