wfn.org | Faculty of an ELCA Seminary Support Task Force Documents

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Title: Faculty of an ELCA Seminary Support Task Force Documents
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>May 26, 2009  

Faculty of an ELCA Seminary Support Task Force Documents
09-122-MRC

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A majority of the 23 faculty at the
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) is in support of
two documents released by the Task Force for the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Studies on Sexuality.  LSTC is
one of eight ELCA seminaries.

The task force released Feb. 19 a proposed social statement
for the church, "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust," and a report
and recommendation for a process to consider changes to ministry
policies that could make it possible for Lutherans who are in
"publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gendered
relationships" to serve as ELCA associates in ministry,
deaconesses, diaconal ministers and ordained ministers.

The 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly -- the highest legislative
authority of the 4.7-million member church -- will consider both
documents Aug. 17-23 in Minneapolis.

In an April 2 letter LSTC students, predominantly members of
the senior class, "invited and implored" the seminary's faculty
to respond to the documents, according to Dr. Klaus-Peter Adam,
associate professor of Old Testament at LSTC.

In response, Adam and three other faculty members issued a
statement May 22 offering support for the approval of the
documents.  In addition to the four drafters of the statement, 18
faculty members plus one professor emeritus signed the statement.
The statement is not an official declaration of LSTC; it is a
statement of the faculty.

"The crucial question before the church is not whether the
current recommendation on ministry policies challenges long-
standing scriptural interpretations and ecclesiastical
practices," the statement said.

"It obviously does.  Rather, the ultimate question is
whether the recommendation on ministry policies proclaims Christ
. and his message of grace more faithfully than older
interpretations and practices," it said.  "We, the faculty of
LSTC, are convinced that it does and, therefore, support the
approval of the recommendation."

The statement said that Lutherans insist Christ and the
gospel are the "hermeneutical key" for interpreting both
Scripture and tradition.  "The gospel, which always points us to
Christ, is, therefore, the interpretative lens in light of which
the biblical and theological heritage of the church must be
understood, evaluated and affirmed."

"In our time, Christ and his message of grace empower the
community of faith to understand specific scriptural passages
differently than in the past, to change traditional
ecclesiastical policies and practices, and to affirm sisters and
brothers who share a common baptismal identity, who confess the
same faith in Christ and whose call to ministry is an expression
of the Holy Spirit's presence in their lives," the statement
said.  "In recent times, the church has repented of
interpretations of Scripture that justified slavery, silenced
women, oppressed people of color, and maligned the Jewish
people."

LSTC faculty members said they acknowledge research from
biology, neuroscience, anthropology, sociology, psychology,
literary studies and other disciplines that engage in gender and
sexuality studies.

"As scholars, this faculty is and must be aware of this
research which cautions us to be wary of the universality of
binary sexual and gender classifications.  Among many other
things, that is why we must question many of the assumptions that
are made in some of the circulated responses to the ELCA
(documents), 'Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust' and the 'Report
and Recommendation on Ministry Policies' -- responses which
depend on these problematic classifications of human experience
and behavior," the statement said.

"Here at LSTC, we have been blessed by lively and faithful
conversations with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
students and pastors in our midst about matters of sexuality,
gender identity, and committed relationships to human partners
and God," the statement said.  "We see firsthand the hope, the
pain, and the joy in these conversations.  While we do not always
agree with each other, we discover Christ's spirit in this
fellowship."

"Deeply committed to our unity in Christ, we once were
emboldened to ordain free and former slaves, whites together with
people of color, women and men alike, to serve as pastors of the
church.  We must now broaden that circle to include a yet more
full company of God's children who confess the gospel and the
lordship of Christ Jesus."
- - -

The faculty statement is available at

http://www.lstc.edu/faculty_response_may2009.html 
on LSTC's Web site.

The task force's "Report and Recommendation on Ministry
Policies" and "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust" are at
http://www.ELCA.org/faithfuljourney on the ELCA Web site.

For information contact:

John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog