wfn.org | A Challenge to 'Stay Together In Spite of All Differences'

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

A Challenge to 'Stay Together In Spite of All Differences'
North American Regional Consultation Reflects on Issues Facing LWF
Churches Worldwide

CHICAGO, United States of America/GENEVA, 11 May 2005 (LWI/ELCA News) -
"Deepening the Bonds of Communion," was the title of a Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) consultation for its member churches in North America,
March 31-April 2 in Chicago, hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA).

Using the churches' current discussion on matters of human sexuality,
35 participants discussed how Lutheran churches worldwide are
interrelated around issues of God's mission and justice. The
consultation's objectives were "to engage church leaders in dialogue
that encourages interdependence and sharing of gifts between and among
the LWF member churches in North America, while understanding themselves
to be accountable within the worldwide Lutheran communion." The forum
also sought "to provide an opportunity for conversation around the topic
of human sexuality and gain understanding of how issues can be addressed
in the global communion."

In his keynote address titled "Committed to Walking Together: The LWF
as a Communion of Churches," LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko
spoke of the many "streams" - theological, liturgical and cultural -
that come together in the LWF, endowed with spiritual and material
resources, to embody God's grace, gospel and mission in the world.
"There are moments in our life when we must stand up with and for one
another," he said.

Out of the 138 LWF member churches worldwide, four are in North
America. They include (in Canada) the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran
Church Abroad and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC); (in the
USA) the ELCA and Lithuanian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Diaspora.

Bishop Hans G. Dumpys, head of the Lithuanian church, described the
flight of Baltic Lutherans to North America after World War II to avoid
communist rule in their homelands. The Lithuanian church was "an ethnic
enclave" in the United States, he said. Worship was distinctively
Lithuanian in language and tradition, but pride in its culture also
isolated it from other Lutherans in North America, he noted.

ELCA Presiding Bishop, Mark S. Hanson said in the United States
"walking together" implied agreement in pursuit of power, but a
communion of churches walks together by the grace of God and the Holy
Spirit has the power. "Accompaniment" has redefined the way the ELCA
relates to Lutherans in other churches and cultures*listening, giving
and receiving, he said. Hanson is president of the LWF.

ELCIC National Bishop, Raymond L. Schultz said his church was an
immigrant church, struggling to know itself as a church in mission for
others not just for its own. While churches talked about communion and
being interrelated, they were being drawn into the North American
culture of individualism, he said.

Archbishop Udo Petersoo, head of the Estonian church was not able to
attend the consultation.

The Rev. James M. Childs Jr., director of the ELCA Studies on
Sexuality, and Bishop Margaret G. Payne (New England Synod), chairperson
of the 14-member Studies on Sexuality task force, spoke about the work
of the task force, including its recommendations on blessing same-sex
relationships, and allowing people in such relationships to serve the
church as ministers.

Schultz made a similar presentation about decisions the ELCIC is to
make in July about blessing same-sex relationships. A panel of five
international guests responded to the reports and discussed issues
facing their churches. 

The Rev. Alan Eldrid, president of Argentina's United Evangelical
Lutheran Church said it seemed that Argentineans who were more exposed
to media were more accepting of homosexuality. The churches were more
concerned with human rights, he said. "Free trade is unjust trade for
us," he said. "We will be receiving companies that will be using our
people." American corporations have a history of pushing Argentineans
off their farms to exploit the land, Eldrid noted.

Japanese culture was not inhibited about discussing matters of
sexuality until Christian missionaries arrived, Dr Naozumi Eto,
president of the Japan Lutheran Theological Seminary said. The church
was working to help society accept minorities, including sexual
minorities, he said. He pointed out that the Japanese society was aging
rapidly, and the Lutheran church there was challenged to reach out to
young people, not only to preserve the church but also because the
younger generations were suffering with isolation, withdrawal, violence
and general lack of spiritual guidance.

Namibian theologian Prof. Paul J. Isaak, head of the Department of
Religion and Theology, University of Namibia, said Luther abandoned
celibacy but did not address homosexuality. The church in Namibia was
developing a "theology of coffins" from its history of death*slavery,
colonialism, wars and AIDS, he said. The question for Isaak's church
and society was: "What should we do to preserve life and prevent
unnecessary death?"

Margaret Obaga, women's coordinator, Kenya Evangelical Lutheran
Church (KELC) said homosexuality was a relatively new topic for Kenyans,
centered mainly on the condemnations spoken by the Anglican church
there. Talking about sex in public was still considered offensive in
Kenyan society, she said. Obaga described KELC's work in helping women
learn various skills to earn a living, speaking out against domestic
violence and caring for AIDS orphans.

"Good people don't talk about sex" in India, remarked Dr Sheila
Shyamprasad, HIV/AIDS program coordinator, United Evangelical Lutheran
Church in India (UELCI). She said it was difficult to convince the
average Indian that sex was not "dirty," and difficult for Indian
churches to participate in the conversations about sexuality that seem
to be consuming other churches in the North. The UELCI, a body of 11
Lutheran churches, was active in an HIV/AIDS education program to
address the crisis in India. The church was teaching the ABCs of
prevention*Abstain, Be faithful and use a Condom*while caring for AIDS
widows and orphans.

The Rev. Bonnie L. Jensen, former executive director, ELCA Division for
Global Mission, summarized what she heard from the international guests.
"They asked us to be more sensitive to those in more conservative
settings," she said. Matters of economic greed and militarism may be
more important to churches in other parts of the world than addressing
issues of sexuality, Jensen said, but they are committed to walking
together in addressing all issues. 

"There are other priorities that our churches are facing than the
sexuality debate, and discussion that is occurring in the ELCA and in
the ELCIC is not necessarily the driving priority or the main challenge
in the other churches," Rev. Dr Karen L. Bloomquist, director of the LWF
Department for Theology and Studies, said after the consultation. "Yet I
think there was a remarkable spirit of openness from those other voices
to say: 'We understand that struggle' and a sense of willingness to
accompany the churches in that struggle," she said.

"As a communion of churches coming from various parts of the world, we
are aware that walking together should not be taken for granted and
therefore we have made a commitment that in spite of all the
difficulties that we can anticipate and some which we cannot anticipate,
we are prepared to stay together. This is very important," Noko said
after the consultation.

Kathy J. Magnus, LWF Regional Officer for North America, who
coordinated the consultation commented on its planning process and
outcome: "The conversation was richer and deeper than any of us had even
hoped." Magnus said she was impressed by "the ability of our
international participants to challenge us, to be honest about their
situations, and not only tell us what we wanted to hear but to challenge
us." 

"We made some major steps toward understanding what we are called to be
here in North America and how we will go about that," she added. (1,279
words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138
member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of
nearly 66 million Christians. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith
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 LWF's information service.
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 acknowledgment.]

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